The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1910-10-13
THREE TOWNS DESTROYED BY FIRES

| Rat Portage Lumber company's mill
and lumber yard, containing 10. 600, 0o0
feet of lumber; the Western Canada
-four mills company and surrounding
buildings. There are 30 houses burned
and scores Of people are homeless.
! Fire is raging in the woods as far as
can be seen along the south bank OF
Rainy river.
Most of old B~eaudette, situated
at Minnesota and International bridge,
has so far escaped the fire, as well as
the buildings of the Shevlin-Mathisu
Lumber company at Spooner, through
the activity of the Canadian Northern
Railroad company.
Most of the ome and children OF
these towns nave been taken on spec
ial trains to points east and many
more are on steamers ready TO leave
should the wind change INC 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. 10
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.
I Thirty-fve typhoid fever patients
were carried on im]provised litters from
Spooner just before it was wiped OFF
the map. Forty-fve were carried from
| Beaudette and the mecca of all the
refugees, carried or lettering from ex.
haustion was Rainy River, Can.
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 bandages 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 II
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 so miles,
was a solid mass of flames.
Beaudette is only a chaTred rem
nant of a town. Spooner is wiped
off the map. Cedar Spur, Graceten
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 oil
the Woods on the north to % milea
south, and from Warroad west, who
is not accounted for, is dead according
r to the most conservative information
obtainable.
A special relief train arrived on the
=, Minnesota and International railroad
z bearing provision destined for Rain,
I River and the Bemidji company of the
Minnesota National Buard, which viii
take charge of the distributes of sup
Z plies and the preservation Of order
The burned district will be place.
under martial law.
Mayor John Berg of Intsrnationa
z Falls appointed a relief committee Il
} arrange further to care for nearl,
5 800 fire reguees now quartered here
There are three typhoid fever case
: among them. six men badly burned
and it seems that every family Of set
u tiers has from two to ten children
They are absolutely destitute. TIL,
t women have borne up under the tel
7 rible strain with wonderful fortitud'
and ali stories from the fire distric
| are that the women and not the mel
were the heroes.
" When the refugees fed in panic 70
the freight train that bore them from
Rainy River Saturday to this city
men crushed women and children an.
in spite of the fact that the cars wsr'
choked so that standing room was a
a premium, they insisted on cramminl
themselves in.
. Miss Myra Burt, a prominent younl
u woman of Beaudette, stationed her
! self at the door OF n car, kicke'
y every man in the with her point
ed shoe who attempted to board tn
car, and herself reached out and tool
e babes from the arms Of mothers.
When the train started, there wer
five babies aboard whose mother
were left behind. They are bsin,
e care for in the hospital here.