The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1891-10-01
VAST SEA OF FLAME.
DEVASTATION in
THE NORTHWEST.
Millions of Feet Of Standing Timber Burned
in Minnesota-Duluth in Semi-Darkness
and the Fog Horn Necessary to Guido
Vessels.
Fin1ayson.s Night Of Terror.


FinIayson's Night OF Terror.
Away from the scene of devastation
by free in the Northwest the situation
has been but little understood. Ninety
four in the shade, 112 in the sun, was
the torrid tale told by Twin City Their
mometers. The public schools were
closed for week. It has been hard
work to check the fires in forests and
fields, and they are still burning, in
many places furiously. The greatest
damage so far reported is at Bradleys,
OAK, the business portion Of the little
town being speedily reduced to ashes.
The total loss is figured at 100000, al
most wholly uninsured. Not a single
business house remains. The buildings
burned were one bank, one church, one
hotel, several general stores with all
their stock, and two or three dwellings.
The country adjacent to Bradley is. said
to have been almost entirely devastated
over an area twelve miles wide by TWEEN
ty-five long, the destruction being almost
entire to crops and farm property.
The fires in North Dakota are pretty
well under control, except around Cakes,
where several miles of wheat fields are
reported burned over Otto Fredericks,
engaged in blowing fire. break, was
overtaken' and burned to death, together
with his team.
Finlayson, Mimi, had night of ter
ror. The village was thrown into the
widest state Of excitement by the re-
port that windstorm was driving q
forest fire directly toward the town, and
complete destruction was threatened.
The news had scarcely reached the
citizens before the smoke and smell
of burning pine trees came On the
wings@of the wind. kilograms were
at once despatched to the officials of the
ST. Paul and Duluth Road to stop the
limited train going east at Finlayson
and hold it until the women and chill
dren of the town could be sent away.
This was done and the train was held
until the weaker ones Of all the families
were placed aboard and sent down the
road.
The flames had reached the outskirts
of the village, and the male members of
the families commenced the work of
saving the buildings. All night long
they battled with the flames, and, aided
by the cessation of the wind, were
finally successful The fires around
Pine City have been quenched.
at Hinckley, Mimi, also, the fire COM
pany and citizens did battle with the
fierce fires. Scorched by the flames and
suffocated in the binding smoke, they
have fought an entire day for their
homes. The wind subsidized and the fires
died down, but again stiff breeze, which
soon blew into a gaze, sprung up in the
southeast and famed the smo!dering
fire into fierce life. Tie inmates of the
hammers lumber camp escaped by get
t. II OF wiz Hhnn oil
night. A party of six men started from
one of the Brennan Lumber Company
camps to go to another about two miles
away Ian Sullivan, his brother, of
Mora, and Tom johnson, of Eau Claire,
were of this party After going a short
ways they got in front of the fire and
Dan Sullivan, missing his brother, went
back with Johnson to look for him
That was the last seen of them till their
remains were found by John Brodie and
their campmates The bodies were lying
about twenty-four feet apart Sullivan
was burnt to a crisp, but JOhnson's
body was only badly scorched.
Fine ashes and burned leaves fell in
shower over Duluth, while the sky was
so colored and the sun so obscured that
the Government fog whistle at the har-
Dor mouth was forced to blow to guide
in vessels. East, toward Ashland, fires
are doing immense damage to settlers
and crops, besides wip;ng out vast guam
titles of standing pine. The intensely
hot weather has made the wooded re-
gions like finder. The range of the fires
Is toward Ashland, and their progress
Is aided by the fact that a week ago q
heavy wind blew down much timber, the
foliage of which has now dried out suffi
GENTLY to aid the flames.
Passengers arriving in Duluth from
the south'sa that all along the line of
the ST. Paul and Duluth Road fires are
raging and great damage has been done
the towns of Barnum, Mahtowa, Stur
geon Lake and Kettle River. In the
standing timber near the railway on the
line of the Eastern Minnesota, north of
Hinckley, considerable valuable timber
has been ruined and fires are still
raging.
On the Northern Pacific, east toward
Ashland, fires are doing immense dam
age to settlers and crops, besides wiping
out vast quantities of standing pine.
Near Iron River. thirty miles east OF
Duluth, where there are many settlers,
they are losing valuable property while
working hard to save their houses.
The fire destroyed several hundred
acres of grain near Nicholson, N. d.
The heavies losers are W. Grams and
John Sweetman A man and boy
whose names are unknown were fatally
burned while blowing a fire. break. The
four horses they were using were also
burned. The fire caught from a $500"
freight train.
A large area of South Dakota, after
days of sweltering heat and fire fighting,
was visited by soaking rain which
brought relief to people almost in the
lac& stages of aYhanStiOn