The Mobridge news. [volume] (Mobridge, Walworth Co., S.D.) 190?-1917, 1910-10-14
THREE TOWNS DESTROYED BY FIRES

INtlHJ
Most of old ~Beaudette, situated
at Minnesota and International bridge,
has so far escaped the fire, as we'll as
the buildings Of the Standardization
Lumber company at Spooner, through
the activity Of the Canadian Northern
Railroad company.
Most Of the women and children Of
these towns have been taken on spec
ial trains to points east and many
more are on steamers ready to leave
should the wind change and the fire
spread.
All available hose is in use, but the
fire, driven by a furious northwest
wind, is beyond control and must
burn itself out.
Awful Scenes At international Falls.
International Falls, Mimi, Oct. IL
More than $50 dead, millions upon mil.
lions Of dollars worth of property de-
strOyed, 5000 refugees fleeing from
the flames, is an epitome of the hap
penings of the hell session in the
Beltrami county forest fires.
T~hirty-five typhoid fever patients
wore carried on improvised filters from
SpOOner just before it was wiped off
the map. Forty-ive were carried from
Beaudette and the mecca of all the
} refugees, carried or lettering from ex-
haustion was Rainy River, Can.
across the water from the fire-ridden
districts of Minnesota.
Then the flames hit Rainy River, de-
strOyed the lumber mills, and 1000
paniC-stricken refugees piled into
freight cars and all but mobbed the
engineer of a switch engine, who.
thinking there was no danger. started
to pull them out of the town.
Later, the flames subsidized and 500
refugees landed in International Falls
strong men, shaking like leaves in
a gale, women and their children,
fever patients on shutters, burned men
and women swathed in b~andages and
a whole motley crowd in stock-cars
like cattle.
International Falls met them at the
station, opened the city hall and hotel
for them and gave them beds, such as
could be provided.
There was no escape to the west.
The east was the only chance and it
was a slim one.
Bridges and culverts had burned
out, wires were down and trains were
run at their full speed. All the way
from Beaudette and Rainy River west
to WarrOad, a distance of 80 miles,
was a solid mass of flames.
Beaudette is only a charred rem.
nant of a town. SDooner is wiped
off the map. Cedar Spur, Graceton
Pitt, Swift and Roosevelt, mere ham.
let's, are burned to the ground.
Every settler in a district bounded
by the Rainy River and the Lake of
the Woods on the north to 25 miles
south, and from Warroad west, who
is not accountedefor, is dead according
to the most conservative information
Obtainable.
A special relief train arrived on the
Minnesota and International railroad
bearing provision destined for Rainy
River and the Bemidji company of the
Minnesota National Buard, which viii
take charge of the distributes of sup
plies and the preservation of order.
The burned district will be placed
under martial law.
Mayor John Berg of International
Falls appointed a relief committee to
arrange further to care for nearly
300 fire reguees now quartered here.
There are three typhoid fever cases
among them, six men badly burned
and it seems that every family of set.
tiers has from two to ten children.
They are absolutely destitute. The
women have borne up under the ter.
rible strain with wonderful fortitude
and all stories from the fire district
are that the and not the men
were the heroes.
When the refugees fled in panic for
the freight train that bore them from
Rainy River Saturday to this city
men crushed women and children and
in spite of the fact that the cars were
choked so that standing room was at
@ premium, they insisted on examining
themselves in.
Miss Myra Burt, a prominent young
woman of B~eaudette, stationed her.
self at the door of one car, kicked
every man in the with her point
ed shoe who attempted to board the
car, and herself reached out and took
babes from the arms of mothers.
When the train started, there were
five babies aboard whose mothers
were left behind. They are being
care for in the hospital here.
Duluth Sends Relief Train.
Duluth. = Six hours from the time
an appeal to Mayor Cullum came
from B~eaudette, a special relief
train was flying along the tracks of
the Duluth, Missabea nd Northern and
the Canadian Northern toward the
fire stricken region, 1t carried Mayor
Cullum, President w. A. McGonagle
of the Duluth. Missabe and Northern:
superintendent J. F. Kritter of the
same road; COLI f, Il. Resche, Third
Regiment NJ. N. G.; Ray Higgins of
the Kelly How Thomson company and
newspaper men.