, 1897-10-08
|SWEPT BY FIRES.
NORTHERN FARMERS WORKING
DESPERATELY TO STOP
IT'S RAVAGES.
Several Settlers Have Been Burned to
Death and Immense Damage is
Threatened-The Boundary Line is
Wiped Out-Many People Overcome
ahpy the Dense Smoke While Fleeing.

Winnipeg, Man, Oct. THE forest
fires that have been raging in Manitoba,
close to the boundary line, for the past
10 days, have broken out more furious
than ever. Ten or IL persons are re-
ported 10 have been burned to death and
The fire is rapidly spreading and cross
kota.
Settlers have been fighting the flames
night and day for over a week, trying 70
keep them from getting into the more
thickly populated districts. Hundreds
OF thousands OF dollars worth of timber
have been destroyed and considerable
grain, as well as some farm buildings.
Up to this time the fire has been con-
fined to the Canadian side OF the boun.
dairy, but the line between the United
States and Manitoba has been obliterated
and great fears are entertained that the
fires will get beyond the control of the
settlers. The flames are driving hum
dreds of wolves and coyotes IL into the
open country, and large fiocks of geese
and ducks have been seen flying over
the turning forests.
Near Whitehouse H.. l.. Laundry, a
.rapper. was burned to death. A Ger
man woman living in a small house near
where the fire was the most furious yes.
;erday is reported to have been burned
10 death and her children are missing.
a dispatch from Whitehouse says the
fire is spreading rapidly. Mr.. Jorgen-
sen. living by the river. lost a new house
and stable. and several settlers had close
calls for their lives. J.. P. Johnson had
80 tens of hay destroyed and all his
sheep singed. A heavy wind drove a
mass OF smoke. which blinded, and a
log deep line OF flames, which CONSUME
ed. everywhere in their path.
East OF Whitehouse the situation is
very critical. The section foreman o.
Darwin and his wife and men e
picked up by a freight train and brought
To Whitemouth. Roadmaster Horner,
on a handcar, attempted to run from
Darwin with his men, but nearly sue
cumbed through suffocation and was
compelled to take refuge on a PASSING
freight. All the telegraph poles for sew
eral miles east OF the town are down, and
trains are tied up.
A Broken Head. Man, dispatch says:
The country is on fire here. On both
sides Of the Broken Head river much
damage is being done. The smoke is 30
thick chat it is impossible to see 20 yards
in any direction, though there is no fire
nearer than a mile.
Mr.. and Mrs. Young, who live south
about eight miles, lost everything and
only saved their lives by staying in the
river for 20 hours, when they were able
to come to the burnt ground after the
fire had passed. Nearly everyone in the
path OF the flames lost everything.
At Bsausejour. Man, seven persons
have been burned to death. Mrs. o. w.
Thomas, her young son and daughter,
had a race with the flames for several
miles. They had a team OF horses which
they kept on the run
Sparks from the burning timber were
blown into the dry grass Of a prairie
which they were compelled to cross, and
soon they were surrounded by the
flames. The frantic horses started to run
straight ahead into the burning timber.
Before they had gone far the carriage
was overturned and they were thrown
down an embankment into a small
creek. This probably saved their lives.
They were badly burned.
A report from Morris, Man, says a
prairie fire has been raging there and
that one family Of Ave persons is known
to have persisted.