Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1910-07-14
Rain SAVE TOWNS
HOSTS FIGHT FOREST FIRES IN
MINNESOTA, WISCONSIN,
AND MICHIGAN.
FARM FIRES REPORTED
Dwellings in Duquette Destroyed;
Three Persons Missins.-Citizens
With Aid From Duluth Save
Town From Destruction.

Duluth, MINT Is feared that
threatened to destroy the small town
of Duquette, few miles south OF
Nickerson, on the Great Northern rail
road. The town was saved from de-
structon by the united efforts OF the
citizens and fircmen from Duluth.
When the Duluth fire fighters left
the scene, a woman and two children
had not been located. Their home on
the outskirts of the town was RACED
by the fire and no trace had been
found of the former occupants.
Several dwelling houses were de-
stroyed by the brush fires before the
Duluth firemen arrived and their eff
forts were directed toward preventing
the onrush of the flames rather than
to gathering statistics of the damage
that had been done, SO no definite in
formation as to the extent Of the
losses is available.
Duquette is town of about 400 in
habitants. 1t stands in the vicinity
that is covered with brush. Fires
have been in progress beyond that
place for days and in the neighbor-
hood of Moose Lake were especially
dangerous last Tuesday
Thursday morning the flames made
a sudden advance on Duquette. The
citizens went out in force to fight for
their homes and their property. Be-
fore any effective work toward halt
ing the fires could be accomplished,
number of dwellings outside the
more populated part of the village
were RACED and it is believed that this
was when the woman and her chill
dren were lost. Their names were
not learned by the firemen
The Duluth fire department received
a call for help and Assistant Chief
F. e. Granzow and 10 men of hose
company No. 4 with steamer and
wagon we're hurried to the Great
Northern tracks. An engine was
hooked onto the flat car and the res
cuers sped to Duquette
Chief Granzow saw that stiff fight
was before his men and as soon as
they reached the place they rushed
to the firing line. From that time
until after midnight they labored with
the citizens and then quit at o'clock
in the morning, the f1tful rain that fell
having assisted them in bringing the
flames under control
When they left the town was no
longer in danger.
The people of Partridge, Firestand
and Groningen have been fighting for
several days to keep the flames in
check, but many meadows have been
burned over in those localities. The
northbound passenger engine set fire
to the grass near the Sandstone Co
operative company's shed and the fire
department was called out to keep it
from spreading into the residence sec
ton in the north part of Sandstone.
Assistance was also called in the
afternoon to the south end of town
near the cemetery, where the fire
gained much Roadway and threatened
several homes, but by hard work all
were saved.
Citizens Save Town From Flames.
Chippewa, Falls, Wisconsin.-Th
village Of Holcombe was saved Fri
day from forest fires only by the he
roic work of almost every inhabitant.
Forest fires have been spreading in
the vicinity of Holcombe for month.
High southwest winds drove the fire
.
greatly endangered the town.
Water was hauled from the Chip
pewa river in barrels to stay the
flames.
At o'clock the Chippewa Falls fire
department appealed for aid and a
special train was ordered on the Oma-
ha line. In an hour the wind had
died down and the flames were check
ed.