The Prescott daily news., 1910-10-11
HEROINE USES FEET TO PRE- VENT PANIC ON REFUGEES'
 TRAIN.
LOSS OF LIFE IS HEAVY
Many Towns Are in Ashes and Flames Are Sweeping on Toward Man itoba-Homestea and
 Farmers Missing.

Warroad Minn., Oct. 11.-Estimates of the loss of life in the forest fires which started Friday, wiped out sev eral small towns and are still burning, range all the way from fifty to two hundred
 The property loss will mount well into the millions. The fire zone GOV CTS an area of S5 miles in length from the gravel pits west of Warroad to Stratton, the fourth station east of Rainy river, and in width about thirty miles, covering all the territory between Red Lake and the Lake of the Woods.
 When the refugees fled in panic for the freight train that bore them from Rainy River to International Falls, the men crushed down women and chil- dren and in spite of the fact that the cars were choked so that standing room was at a premium, they insisted on cramming themselves in.
 Miss Myra Burtah, prominent young woman of Beaudette. stationed herself at the door of one car, kicked every man in the face with her point ed shoes when they tried to board the car and herself reached out and took babies from the arms of their moth CTS. When the train started there were five babies aboard whose moth CTS were left behind. They are being cared for in the hospital here.
 Villages Are Wiped Out.
 The fires have wiped out the viii lages of Beaudette, Spooner, Graceton, Pitt, Myron and Malcolm. The last two named places are small settle ments in Beltram county, south of Warroad
 The greatest property loss occurred at Beaudette and Spooner, which is practically one community, being sep arated by a narrow river. The other consisted of only few small build ings.
 There were hundreds of homes de stroyed, and as there are no roads in the district save for the trails through the bush it is feared that many lives have been lost that will net be report ed for weeks.
 The state of Minnesota is sparing no expense to check the fire. The state fire warden is mastering every man he can procure and he is instruct ed to use every possible means at command, regardless of cost. Every man available is fighting the fires, but tl, ,,rbf hsl ground for a depth of from one to two feet. it seems almost impossible to do anything
 Sweeping Toward Manitoba.
 Where the blaze is famed by breeze. ali c-Crt8 to check it are futile and it is only where it ia creeping along the ground that any attempt is made to head it off To do this it is necessary to dig wide and deep trenches. The fires are almost on the boundary of Manitoba, burning over the Sprague Timber company's limits around Sprague, Manitoba. The fires are making steady progress toward the wooded district of southeastern Manitoba and from the north is an other fire coming to join them.
 There were 1000 residents of Beau dette, Spooner and adjacent territory, some of whom are dead, but most ot whom are safe on the Canadian side of the line
 Among the missing are the home steaders and farmers of the bush, about whom nothing can be learned for some time, as searching parties do not dare penetrate the still smoking forests through which the cyclone Of fire has swept.