Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1910-10-10
MINNESOTA FIRES.
Continued from Page one.)

Rainy River, Ont, Oct. 9.-The known
dead in the forest fires:
Six unidentified residents OF Pitt,
MINI.
Unknown woman and boy. homes at
Leader. near Pitt.
Seven unknown settlers on the track
west of Pitt.
Two entire families, one of eight
members and one of seven, near Pitt.
recently from Grafton, N. D.
John Tulley and five of his family,
recently arrived from Fullerton. Neb,
burned to death west of Spooner.
One servant of Albert Berg, OF
Spooner.
Four land spectators from Daven-
port, Ia, recent arrivals at Beaudette
caught by flames while out for home
steads.
John Simmons of Red Oak, Ia, tim
Der ranger, caught by flames on rail-
road track while trying to escape to
Rainy river.
Matson Berg and five Of his family
burned to death on outskirts of Spoon
er when house was destroyed. They
took refuge in a big stone cellar and
wer suffocated.
John Rolin and family of eight from
Pitt.
Steve Hagar, George Weaver, Charles
Baker, and Patrick OMara OF airing
ton, MINI.
The missing include some 1000 resi-
dents of Beaudette, Spooner and Pitt,
some of whom are dead, but the most
of whom are safe in Rainy River and
the adjacent towns on the Canadian
side of the line. The most serious as
pect of the missing includes the home
steaders and farmers in the bush for
distance of 100 miles east and 20
miles south, of whom nothing can be
learned for some time, as searching
parties dare not try to penetrate the
still smoking forests through which the
fire has swept. .. E-
While the wind is driving the fire
eastward on the south side of the
Rainy river at; velocity of SO miles
an hour, the great body of flames pass
ed this section, revealing a calamity
that already reaches the proportion OF
an international disaster.
Sixty, blackened corpses have been
found in the path Of the flames and big
area yet is to be searched for dead,
while the towns of Spooner. Beaudette
and Pitt have been destroyed with a
property loss that cannot be intelligently
calculated at present.
Railroad and wire communication with
the scene of the disaster from the west
is cut off by a burned district from War
road, Mimi. on the Canadian Northern
Road, distance of 40 miles through
which the last trains passed last night
at peril of the lives of the crews. The
road is open to the south and east, how
ever, and relief is being afforded from
Fort William.
The fires have been smouldering in that
district for months and were started
anew by the strong wind which began to
blow two days ago. The wind increased
in velocity until a wave of flame more
than a hundred feet high and as long
leaped at intervals as far as half mile.
1t was this that caused so many to per-
| ish on the railroad track. They sought
this opening in the bush but were burned
to a crisp by the flames jumping this
| barrier of some 300 yards along the rail-
road track clearing. The flames struck
Pitt early in the afternoon and every
thing was destroyed. Previously Beau
dette and Spooner had burned and the
people fed across to Rainey River. Many
were overtaken as they fed from Pitt
and persisted.
The prompt work of relief engines sent
by the Canadian Northern Railroad Off
Gals preserved thousands of lives. as
practically the residents of Spooner.
Beaudette and Pitt escaped only by the
special trains and run for them by the
| company.
The Canadian Northern Railway has
practically been running relief trains In
every direction, stopping at any point
| where frantic people were to be found
along the track. The heroism of these
train crews is part of the heroism dis
played by many. Trains have been run
through suffocating smoke and burning
bridges and timbers, regardless of dan
ger. --,4+~
| The most dramatic incidents of those
incidents to the escape of 1000 fngttives
| in long train of box cars. The crowd
of men, women and children awaited the
trains while their homes were in flames.
| THE RED CROSS