The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1908-10-22
FIFTEEN PERISH
As TaAIN BURNS
DEATH oVERTAkEs REFUGEES
FROM LITTLE TOWN OF
METZ, MICH.
Bodies Found In Debrls-Eleven Vic.
Tins Are Women and Children
Fleeing from Forest Fire-Cars
Ditohed by spre aiding Rails.


pie lost their lives Thursday night IL
;he burning of the Detroit & Macki
nav railway relief train which way
carrying inhabitants of the lit;le vi
lage Of Metz, % miles north of her.
to safety from the forest fires whic..
we're sweeping away their homes.
The ill-fated train was ditched b.,
spreading rails at Nowicki Siding, 3
few miles south of Metz, and the err.
Led refugees were forced to abando,
the cars and rush for safety, either
down the track with burning fore :
on each side, or into the plowee
ields near the siding.
Eleven Perish in a Car.
Eleven of the victims were womeI
and children who were unable to es
cape quickly enough from the gondolc
car which they we're occupying. Theii
charred bodies were found there Fri
day when rescuers reached the scene
Two of the men victims we're mem
bers OF the train crew. Four add
tional fatalities occurred in the neigh
borhood of the wreck Mr.. and Mie
Fred Wagner died from heat and eH
haus'i ion on their farm near the seen,
of the wreck and Mr.. and Mrs. Free
Nowicki. Jr., lost heir lives in ;hei
burning house near the siding wher,
the wreck occurred
Following is the list OF dead in th.
wreck.
William Barrett, Alpena. brakeman
Arthur Lee, Alpena fireman Io'
Konleczny Mrs. John Konieczny. w
Konieczny, aged two; Joseph Nct
ieczny. aged three; Helen Konieo2uy
aged seven months; Mrs. Gco"g
Cicero, Margaret Cicero, aged tive
G orge Cicero, aged Ave. "a hi:
Cicero child, aged eight Mrs EN-
Hardies. Pauline Hardis aged r'"e
Nary II rides aged ihrae; Mimi
Hardies a~sd eight months
Hundred Refugees en- Tr7ln.
When The fore { tTes clcg'd :,
lb2ut 'hc little village a special tr'',
on ;hreg eli PITY box cars and two cor
sondolas was rushed 20 Not :,
charge Of Iohn r. Kinville. core -
William Foster. ers neer; Arthur L5,
lreman. and William Barrett. brake
a"r
Az ,apidIy as POSSIBLE the peo
and thcir goods We're loaded into -
"ors Some refused to abandon h,
( ds or the train might have lc
arlier and have reached Alpena =
safety. When the train finally stari @
here were about 100 frightened pc
"'e aboard The flames were alread,
"ccping through the village. Engir
7eT Foster started his train for A
ma. Nearing Nowlcki crossing h.
aw blazing piles of cedar ties on bot
81 les of the track.
Spreading Track Causes Disaster.
Opening wide the throttle, he trie,
| 10 dash through at full speed, but tn
hcat had loosened the rails and thc
| had spread and the train left T.
tracks. Blazing piles of ties SUI
rounded II and in an instant the ca:
caught fire. The terror-stricken pee
pie caught by the peril from whic
hey were fleeing. jumped from tn
| e IS and rushed down the track. Thre
lnolhers and their little ones were no
| quick enough. They were crema' e
IN the Foudola car where they wer
caught. Brakeman William Barret
sprang into the water tank behind tn
engine, only to be literally boiled I
death as the flames swept over Il
Engineer Foster and Conductor Kir
vile fed down the track, through tn
fire and smoke. and were the first {
reach the village Of Posen and repoy
he wreck and ask for assistance fror
here. Behind them struggled
burned and wounded procession @
refugees from the wrecked train.
Family Perishes on Farm.
Hurst, Presque Isle County, Mich
Oct. l7.-Honry Kemps, his wife an
two children were burned to death O
their farm. Another child is missinl
The four bodies were found in tn
ruins of the farmhouse.
Nine Towns Threatened.
Sault Ste. Marie. Mich, Oct. IT,
Forest fires are burning around min
small towns In Chippewa county
West Neebiah was saved only by
shift of wind. The lighthouse crew a
Point Iroquois has asked for help an
the tug Aspen has gone to it's relie
1t is reported that settlers along tn
shore of Lake Superior are campin
on the beach. Vast tracts OF hare
wood have been burned.
Prairie Fires Unchecked.
a Du Quoin, Ill., Oct. 1.-THE prairi
fires that have been raging in this v
cinity for several days continue. an
the efforts Of the farmers to check tn