Heppner gazette. [volume] (Heppner, Morrow County, Or.) 1892-1912, 1910-10-13
HUNDREDS PERISH
Forest Fires OVePWheIm Settlers
Without Warning.
Four Towns Wiped Out BY Onrush-
ing Blaze-Hundreds Escape on
Special Trains.

Warroad, Mimi, Oct. 10.-Death's
toll from forest fires now sweeping
Northern Minnesota in the Rainy River
district may reach 400. General Su-
perintendent Cameron of the Canadian
Pacific railway, says this estimate will
be larger.
-Four towns have been wiped out by
the flames.
Hundreds of settlers are missing and
the death list grows hourly. Bodies Of
SO dead have already been gathered.
Thousands Of refugees fill Warroad.
The town is in great danger from
forest fires (which are gradually APP
preaching the town. Two special
trains left Winnipeg over the Cana
dian Northern railway with fire hose.
and apparatus. Roosevelt is safe af-
ter an all-day fight, but the town is
crowded with refugees.
The fire is spreading and is now only
seven miles from Sprague, Manitoba,
which is 20 miles Northwest of here.
A fire is also coming down from the
north of Sprague, where it has burned
the great quantities of cord wood, tel
ephone and telegraph poles awaiting
shipment.
The forest fire is the greatest since
the Hinckley, Mimi, horror of Is
years ago. 1t is almost impossible to
estimate the number of missing, but
messages sent out by private individ-
uals indicate that 100 relatives, most
ly from around Beaudette, have not re-
ported.
5 General Superintendent Cameron, Of
the Canadian Northern, places the
number of deaths at 400, but admits
that it may be larger.
The towns of Pitt, Spooner, Grace
town and Beaudette were burned Fri
day night. The. fire asEheralded by a
shower Of sparks and burning brands,
which swept across the Beaudette riv-
er, and the inhabitants barely had
time to reach the special train that
was waiting before both towns were
on fire.
Sick people, apparently by the score.
appeared and were carried or assisted
to points of safety. There were FIVE,
patients in Carrigan's hospital who
had been burned.
A special train is waiting to take.
the people to some other point in case
the fire should get a fresh start The.
town is not yet entirely free of dam
ger.
The buildings of the Shevlin-Math-
leu Lumber company are practically
the only structures standing in Spoon
er, not tree, fence, nor foot of side
walk being left. There are not even
the heaps of debris that usually remain
after a fire.
The property loss in Rainy River,
Beaudette and Spooner alone, includ-
ing the Rat Portage Lumber company's,
plant and yard at Rainy River and the
yard of Shevlin- Matthew Lumber COM
1any at Spooner, will total about ST.
500, 900. 1t will be some time before
he loss of life is known even approx
nately.
Wagon loads of human bodies are
,eing brought into the railway station
It Beaudette. 1t is reported that many
ettlers, crazed with grief at the loss
# families and property, are roaming
he woods, and searching parties are
ooking for the injured, the dead and
he demented. One family of nine,
ne of seven and one of five are known
o have perished.
At $50 p. m. Saturday a tornado
f fire struck Beaudette and Spooner,
nd within three minutes after the first
larm every building was ablaze.
Within half an hour they we're but
caps of ashes. The people of these
wo towns had just enough time to get
ut of their homes with what they had
n their backs. They were loaded on
passenger train that was standing at
he depot and taken to Rainy River,
mt.