The San Francisco call., 1910-10-11
REFUGEES TELL
OF HORRORS IN
FOREST fires
Death Toll May Number 400, as
Solid Mass of Flames
Spread so Miles
Thousands of Helpless Men,
Women and Children Are
Hungry and Homeless
Survivors Are Desperate, VAN
dals Are Abroad, and All
Who Can Go Armed

WINNIPEG. Man, Oct. 1o-The lat
est reports from the fires in the Rainy
river region of Minnesota tonight in
crease the horrors Of the situation
Estimates OF the number of persons
killed range from rs to 400.
Many conservative men place the
number OF deaths at more than 100.
But the greater concern for the present
is the rescue Of the helpless and the
relief of thousands OF homeless men.
women and children.
Every settler IN the district bounded
| by the Rainy river and the Lake OF
the Woods on the north. 70 25 miles
south of Fort Frances. Ont. and from
| Spooner and Beaudette. Mimi. on ths
east. to warroad. MINI. on the west.
who is not accounted for Is certain to
be dead. as there was no escape.
Flames Rage Fifty Miles
! For a distance Of so miles from
Beaudette and Rainy river west to
warroad, the woods were a solid mass
of flames.
Beaudette Is only charred remnant.
| Spooner is wiped out. Cedar Spur.
Graceton. Pitt, Swift and Roosevelt
were hamlets destroyed
Stories of wild animals fleeing for
| safety side by side with human beings.
OF mothers burned to death with babies
on their breasts and Of men cremated
while endeavoring TO shield their chii-
dren Were among the tales OF horror
brought IN today.
The Duluth express when It arrived
here today brought many refugees from
the scene OF confagration-
Train Receives Refugees
The engineer OF the train thus de-
scribed the situation:
| 'If the fire keeps on the way II Is go
| ing there will be mighty little left OF
| the population OF that part Of Mime
sofa.
For miles around Baudette ana
tracts of bush, 1t is now swept clean.
! 1T appeared that every timber mill
in the country had been burned except
that OF the Shelvin Mattiu company.
which is safe.
when we passed through. all the
territory near the track had been
burned over and was still smoldering.
! "AIl the ties OF the road have been
fcharred. We stopped every little while
to take on people. but most OF them
got off Just outside the danger zone
so that they could go back to what was
left Of their homes after the fire dies
down"
Vandalism and Robbery
One of the most thrilling stories OF
| the situation is given by Mrs. Town
send of warroad, refugee on the Du-
luth train.
She said: Two trainloads OF peopls
left warroad last night after midnight.
but we do not know whether they
reached place OF safety. The town Of
Baudette is wholly deserted.
Every one in warroad who had a re-
volver is carrying 1T. The survivors are
desperate. and great deal OF vandalism
is abroad. Men are robbing women OF
their Jewels.
IF a high wind arose. nothing could
save the town OF warroad. When we
passed through Sprague. Man. we saw
that the fire had run right up to the
Canadian Northern station"
Rainy River in Danger
l.. E. Foster of Boston, Mass, cana
through on the Duluth special 'Tf
the wind drops. Rainy River will be
saved. but otherwise the town Is in
great danger" he said.
Trunks and valises full OF valuablss
are piled along the railway tracks in
vain endeavor 70 save them vn-
dals are lurking around and stealing
the property of the dead and defense
less
Oscar Johnson. his wife and three
children. stood i've hours in the Bau-
dette river ducking their heads when
! the heat became too intense They
| said that the water in the river was
heated to an uncomfortable tempera-
ture. and that steam rose from the
surface. When they escaped. it was
as through furnace of dying Goals.
with here and there a blaze reaching
out for what it might destroy.
Typhoid Patient Rescued
DULUTH, Oct 1O.-After being
hemmed in by fire on nearly every side
and finally making his escape to the
railroad station with an unconscious
woman suffering from typhoid fever
in his arms, Frank Watson of Bau-
dette. MINI. lives to tell the story He
arrived here today. bringing the
typhoid patient with him.
Everything was confusion" he said.
Families became separated in the rush
Women shrieked and children cried 1t
was everybody for himself. and the