Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1910-10-13
Northern Minnesota Visited by the
Worst Forest Fires in it's History.

to hurry to the depot and catch the
train which it had been arranged was
to carry them across to Rainy River.
But the signal and fire came almost
simultaneously.
Had Little Warning.
Beaudette and Spooner were burned
almost without warning. Half an
hour before both towns were all
aaame the fire appeared to be five
miles away, and owing to the thick
smoke little could be seen of It. Then
the terrible roar Of the approaching
flames was heard and the people
rushed from their homes to the steel
bridge that spans the Rainy river to
the city Of Rainy River. Many rush
ed to the banks of the river and saw
ed themselves by wading into the Wa
ter neck deep, holding babies in their
arms, or clutching the arms Of chill,
dren. But it was at the depot that
the most heart-rending scenes were
enacted. Frank Watson, a carpen-
ter, who was among those who got
away on the train, thus tells of the
terrible stampede to safety:
1T is impossible to describe it, =
he said. "Everything was confusion,
families became separated in the mad
rush. Women shrieked and children
cried. It was for the most part every
body for himself and the rush for q.
place Of safety was like a stampede
of wild cattle. People ceased to be
human. Others were more than human
under the circumstances. Women with
babies in their arms sank to the
ground to be trampled under foot;
some held out their babies and asked
that they be taken to a place of safe
ty, knowing that they We're UNEQUAL to
the task Of going further and resign
ing themselves sstos their fate that the
fire would bring.
Men Crazed with Grief
Men, wild eyed and driven hall
crazy by the fact that a part of, in
some cases, their whole family had
been lost, ran wildly about asking of
the newcomers Of the dear ones. Ev.
cry now and then some man on whom
the terrible disaster worked harder
than others would drive back to the
burning district swearing to save his
family or perish with them. 1t was
necessary to hold great number Of
the men and the holding only made
them the fiercer."~ ..
Mosen Describes Flight.
Charles G.. Mosen, head millwright
of the Shevlin-Mathieu mill at Spoon
er, gives the following account of the
destruction in connection with the con
hagration at Spooner and Beaudette
my wife mad been ill with typhoic
fever and was just recovering At
o'clock Friday night I was waiting UP
on her when man yelling at the toy
of his voice came to our house ant
said the forest fire was entering the
:. village.
Il called to the three other childreI
grabbed up the baby and pulled m,
sick wife from the bed and left the
house, the children practically NAKED
and I was not much better off myself
We were three-quarters of a mile
from the station and 1 hurried m.
folks along the best I could, carryin!
the baby under one arm and draggin:
my wife with the other.
At the station we found severa
hundred persons waiting for a train
land we clambered aboard a train o
I box cars and were pulled out Of dan
! ger"
! Laborer Tells Of Escape.
Ole Ungstad, an employee of tn
lumber mill in Beaudette, also had hi
! home destroyed. He says:
!; eve had terrible experience wit
the fire. l have a wife and four smal
6 children When the flames approach
ed we made for the station, but ha
not gone far when my wife was ovel
come by fear and exhaustion and san,
3 to the sidewalk, exclaiming, Il can
{ Igo any further. We are all lost. w
I are going to be burned. cheere
! lher up the best could and we maj
.Iaged to make the depot, where "
j found hundreds Of people waiting 70
4 relief, with the flames closing !
& around us.
I Nothing Left Of Pitt.
J, The village Of Pitt was swept q
], completely from the map as though
u Kansas tornado had done the worl
Il was the fire at Pitt that first arou
] led the inhabitants Of Beaudette an
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