The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1910-10-14
MINNESOTA DISASTER GREATEST
SINCE HlNCKLEY FIRE IS
YEARS AGO.
BEAUDETTE IS NO more
Property Loss in Rainy River, Beau
dette and Spooner is $1,500,ooo
Hundreds are
Dead.
A PROCLAMATION.


A PROCLAMATION.
BY virtue Of my position as
x president of the State Red Cross i
society, in view Of the dire needs .
of citizens of the northern part Of x
this state who have suffered from x
recent forest fires, | hereby call X
upon the people of Minnesota to :
respond at once with contributions :
of money, provisions and clothing, =
to be distributed to the needy I'M =
der the direction of this society. =
Such contributions will be re- :
ceived by Kenneth Clark, ST Paul, $
treasurer of the State Red Cross x
society, and f. M. Prince, Mime *
apolis, acting as assistant state x
treasurer, and | hereby designate *
of the state to act as collectors OF x
4 this fund in their respective local <
tiles.
Prompt and generous response
is imperative as the reports from *
the afflicted districts indicate *
continue for months.
Given under my hand and seal *
this ninth day of October, 1910.
Adolph y. Eberhart, Governor. s.
y
Warroad, Oct. 1.-THE greatest
catastrophe that Minnesota has eN-
perienced since the Hinckley horror
Is years ago occurred Friday night and
Saturday, 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 of 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
u. I
completely and ran aimlessly about,
bewallng their loss. Streets of towns
were streWn with personal belongings
which were thrown away in their
flight,
Crowds of able-bodied men, mostly
workmen with TO person TO care for
ran pell-mell to board the waiting
train at Beaudette to the exclusion OF
women and children, and refused pos
itvely to assist in saving property.
The village of Pitt was burned at
O'Clock Friday night and at 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 fol
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 OF
assisted to points of safety. There
were five patients in Carrigan's hosp
tai. which was burned. One woman
who had given birth to child at
o'clock the same evening. had to be
carried to the office OF the Shevlin
Matthew Lumber company, in whose
building many people took refuse.
Property Loss $1,5ooooo
The property loss in Rainy River
Beaudette and Spooner alone, includ
ing the Rat Portage Lumber company
plant and yard at Rainy River and
the yard of the Shevln- Matthew Lum
Der company at Spooner, will total
about $1,5OO,OOO.
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 the
6hevlin- Matthew Lumber company, tc
have timber shipped over from Rainy
River for the purpose of building tenn
porary shelters for the people in
Beaudette and SpoOner and the board
Ing camp of the Shevlin- Matthew Lum
ber company is feeding as many OF
the people as possible.
Situation at Rainy River.
Rainy River, Oct. 10.-This town
was on fire from the international
bridge to Sixth street, a distance o1
half mile.
Included in the burned area are the
Rat Portage Lumber company's mill
and lumber yard. containing 10000. .OO(
feet of lumber; the Western Canada
-four mills company and surrounding