The Washington times., 1910-10-11

WINNIPEG, Oct. 1.-SeVeu Thousand
square miles of territory in northern
Minnesota and southern Ontario were
a smoking funeral pyre today.
Through the night the fire ragged
driven before a relentless wind. and
today found the toll CT disaster reach.
ing up TO appalling totals. An area
containing more than 1900 residents
had been devastated. More than LOO
are believed to be dead, and from so
TO 1000 others are missing.
Twelve towns and villages had been
wiped out.
Eight thousand men, women. and
children We're homeless.
The property loss vas estimated al
over SloO.0o0O00, and there was no sign
or the fire abatement.
Uncomfortable suffering surrounds the
people; panic reigns, and in the COM
munities Of Rainy River and Interna-
tional Falls refugees rendered desperate
by the terrible situation, gave way 10
violence
On the Canadian side the northwest
ern mounted police patroIIed the stricI,-
en- area with orders to shoot all hooters
on slSht; on the American side A regi-
ment OF Minnesota national guard was
split up I'm detachments for police duty
The guardsmen were instructed ONLY tc
make arrests and assist in the relief
work.
The meager details which came ont
OF the living inferno today brought
nothing but stories Of death, disaster
and suffering. Stories Of human suffer
ing were beyond conception. Men and
women refugees who could flee to The
city, 70 Rainy River. to Warroad. or
International Falls, were nearly insane
from fear and the CHASTITY sights they
had witnessed.
Dead bodies strew every road and rail-
way line The creeks and rivers are
fun of floating corpses. Near the site
OF the burned town Of Baudette more
than one hundred charred and blackencI
bodies were Iai1 out in the temporary
morgUe today.
Settlers who escaped passed the
greatest danger Some had their cloth
ing completely burned off Others We're
nearly parbOiled by standing in small
rivers and creeks. Many who were not
killed outright were burned So badly
that they will die.
TreacherouS Wind Is Feared.
Only a good soaking rain can check
the wall of fire il was said today. The
treacherous wind was an element which
caused much fear. At times the wind
blew steadily in one direction, until the
flames would surround a community,
then II would veer off and the nre would
leap out in some other direction.
Lave emberS were carried by the winds
and started new fires. Nearly a dozen
communities were menaced early today
BY the FIRE which had eaten a new swath
Throughout the night
Tie communities utterly DESTROYED
are Beaudette, Spooner. Roosevelt, Long
worth, ripple, Cellar Spur, EngIe, Gravel
Pit, GTaceton, Pitt, and Swift.
Communities menaced, Strattan and
Fort Francis.
Partly burned. International Falls.
Kat Portage, WarrOad, Pine Wood.
SpTague, and Rainy River
IL was feared for a time the fire would
sweep Winnipeg. 4 wall Of flame was
borne IN this direction BY the wind. cat
ing It's way. with incredible swiftness
across the prairie but was checked in
time By the wind.
Governor EbeThardt and Adiutant
General Wood, Of Minnesota, have gone
INTO the FIRE zone Of that State upon a
special tram to see what relief measures
the State should take Red Cross
nurses nave been sent into the stricken
territory ana temporary hospitals and
morgues have been erected.