The searchlight. [volume] (Culbertson, Mont.) 1902-current, 1910-10-14
MINNESOTA DISASTER GREATEST
SINCE HINckLEY FIRE IS
YEARS AGO.
BEAUDETTE, sPo0NER, RAINY RIv.
Property Loss In Rainy River, Beau
dette and spooner Is $500, 900
Hundreds are
Dead.

~oNaou VkhC that RlihhS1oto hoo SN-
perienced since the Hinckley horror
IL years ago occurred Friday night ana
when the whole Minnesota
Manitoba boundary country was swept
by fire that is still raging, and as de-
tails become known, the disaster as
sumes appalling proportions.
The number of deaths is estimated
at from 100 to 200 or more, almost
entirely among settlers in the woods
around the towns O; Beaudette, Pitt,
Roosevelt and Graceton.
Very few Of the settlers are known
to have escaped and this estimate win
likely fall considerably short Of the
actual number.
Scene OF Horror Enacted.
Scenes Of horror are reported on
every hand. People lost their heads
completely and ran aimlessly about,
their loss. Streets Of towns
were strewn with personal belongings
which were thrown away in their
digit
Crowds OF able-bodied men, mostly
workmen with no person to care for.
ran pell-mell to board the waiting
train at Beaudette to the exclusion Of
women and children. and refused pos
itiveiysto assist In saving property.
Tho village Of Pitt was burned at z
o'clock Friday night and at s o'clock
the towns of Spooner and Beaudette,
six miles distant, were in flames.
A hurricane was blowing at the time
and within 10 minutes after the ap-
pearance OF the fire the inhabitants
Of the town were forced to fee for
their lives. being unable to save any
Of their property.
Then were enacted scenes which
will never be forgotten by those pres
ent. Sick people apparently by the
score appeared and were carried or
assisted to points of safety. There
were FIVE patients in Carrigan's hospi.
tai, which was burned. One woman,
who had given birth to a child at 8
o'clock the same evening, had to be
carried to the ONCE of the Shevlin'
Matthew Lumber company. In whose
building many people took refuse.
Property Loss $1,5oo, GOO
The property loss In Rainy River
Beaudette and Spooner alone, inelud
ing the Rat Portage Lumber company's
plant and yard at Rainy River and
tho yard of the Shevlin-Mathieu Lum
Der company at Spooner. will tota
about $1.5oo.00O.
The people of Rainy River are do
ing everything possible to assist the
homeless residents OF the two Ameri
can towns.
Steps were at once taken by Mr.
Matthew, the executive head OF the
Rainy River Lumber company and tn,
1hevlin- Matthew Lumber company. Il
have timber shipped over from Rain,
River for the purpose OF building tenn
porary shelters for the people II
Beaudette and Spooner and the board
ing camp Of the Shevlin-Mathieu Lum
Der company is feeding as many o
the people as possible.
| Situation at Rainy River.
Rainy River. Oct. l0.-This towl
was on fire from the internationa
bridge to Sixth street. a distance o
half a mile.
Included In the burned area are tn,
Rat Portage Lumber company's mil
and lumber yard. containing 10000. 90,
feet OF lumber; the Western Canada
nour mills company and surrounding
buildings. There are SO houses burne,
and scores of people are homeless
Fire II raging In the woods as far a
can be seen along the south bank o
Rainy river.
Nest Of old Beaudette, situate,
at Minnesota and International bridge
has so far escaped the IRE, rs well a
the buildings of the Sheylin-Mathiel
Lumber company at Spooner. through
the activity Of the Canadian Northern
Railroad company.
Most Of the women and children o
these towns have been taken on spec
lal trains to points east and man
more are on steamers ready to leav
should the wind change and the FIR
spread. ~
Al available hose is In use. but tn
IRE. driven by furious northwes
wind. 10 beyond control and mus
burn itself out.
Awful Scenes At International Fall,
International Falls. Mimi, Oct. TO-
Mere than $50 dead. millions upon mi
Hons Of dollars worth of property d.
strsysd. 5000 refugees fleeing froI
the aames. IL an epitome Of the hal
Deninss Of the hell session In tn
osltrami county forest nres.
Thirty.nve typhoid fever patient
we're carried on impreyised filters froz
0DooAsr Just before 1t was wiped o.
tAs mag. Forty-flve were carried froz
Beaudstte and the mecca Of all II
refugees. carried or lettering from e,
hAustion was Rainy Rive, Can
aeross the water from the firerildN
districts Of NfnRssota-
TIA The flames hit Rainy River, 4,
skyoyea The lumber mills. and 1,oe
DaAisstTisksA refugees piled INT
freight cars and al but nobbed u
ea&lAaSf q . switch engine, VI,