Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1910-10-13
RUIN AND
DISSOLUTION

came tearing on at the rate of from
ten to twelve miles an hour and bore
down on the village with unexpected
sudd enness.
S The fire seemed to leap as an ocean
of flames from the tree tops upon the
buildings of the village and almost in
a tWinhling both Spooner and Beau
dette found themselves a mass OF
flames, and twas the height of folly
to attempt to fight the flames. The
wind blew like a cyclone.
The fire struck Baudette and Spoon
er at about 8 o'clock on Friday even
ing and in less than an hour both
towns were wiped out.
Described by Another Eye Witness.
s1The fire got into town about 1880
in the evening. The mayor had made
arrangements for the train, which was
in readiness to be backed to. the sta
ton when the whistle blew The first
thing we knew the flames were leap
ing high from buildings and from
trees. I saw pieces of wood that il
seemed to me We're four feet long
blown into the air and carried long
distances. The air was full Of live
embers and pieces Of flaming bark.
Then it was simply a race for life
to get to the train. Men cut the
traces and left their wagons in the
middle Of the street. Nobody stopped
for any property. know men who
left money in their cash registers and
homes, and we left the light burning
in our house.
I'VE ran over to Rainy River and
then the crew backed the train down
and connected with a string Of boxcars
and went back for the rest. here
iwere three trains in all carrying PEG
PIE from Beaudette, Spooners and
Rainy River, and I guess there must
have been 5000 people packed in the
cars, women and children sitting on
! the floor as thick as they could be
packed in. s..@
There we. stayed under conditions
THAT can only be imagined, expecting
that Rainy River would go, and the
only thing that saved us was when
1.-The wind changed from the west to
the northwest the next morning.
Not a house is left in either Spoon.
ser. or Baudette, except the Canadian
Northern depot and a few houses in
the old town Of Baudette and the
Shevlin- Mathi Lumber company's
big mill, which was equipped with an
excellent system of fire protection.
| Loss Of Life.
Strange as it%may seem, is beliey
ed now that only one or two persons
were burned to death in the two vii
|lages. But it is in the country tribu
ltary that the loss Of human life was
1great. The isolated settlers living or
their small cabins in the deep forest
for surround led by small clearings, had
little chance to escape the rush OF fire
that advanced at the rate Of an ex
Iress train. Many miraculous escapes
as well as tragic Deaths are reported
. Sixteen Sheltered in Well.
Matt Hendric kson@ came in from his
fclaim three and a half miles south
west of Beaudette today and told o.
thirty persons who were housed ii
4 his shack without food.
He says that when the fire struck
! his place sixteen Of them got into I
dry we'll eight tsdeep and remained
there, nearly suffocating from Thu
heat and smoke until the fire hal
passed. While the tornado Of fir
passed over the well it veered to tht
southeast Of his house, which was no
burned. ss
\ Every other infammable object 81
] the place was licked up by the flames
Seven Bodies IN a Clearing
Many settlers got into tie Rapi.
river and saved themselves by wadini
lin the water, although even then thei
faces were blist nv heat sevel
dies, which are probably those 8
1.-THE Roulin family were found III 4;
sIclearing il the woods where the,
] sought safety.
Crowd Into syed lund's Cellar.
Five miles southwest OF Beaudett
Z John Strand, q settler with q wife. an,
eight children, succeeded ii crawlin
j a half mile to the adj Joining CLAIM
4 of ePter Svedl und no has
! small cellar. hen the Strand tamil
.,I|reached the vedlund home he foun'
1.-THE cellar door blocked and the celia
j jammed to the point & sufIocatlo
i with other settlers who had rlshe
] there al the last hope strand es
lldown the door and the smoke 81