The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1910-10-11
ESTIMATES OF DEAD IN RAINY
RIVER REGION RUNS INTO
THE HUNDREDS.
DEAD ROBBED BY CHOULS
Graphic Stories Are Told by Refugees,
Many Of Whom Lose Their All
Fleeing Deer and Other Wild AMI
mals Mingle, Terror Stricken, With
Domestic Beasts.

Winnipeg, Man. Oct Io-The latest
reports from the fires In the Rainy
river region uf Minnesota tonight In
creased the horrors of the situation.
Estimates Of the number OF persons
Killed range from 10 to 400 tonight
Many conservative men place the
deaths at more than 100. But the
greater concern for the present Is the
rescue Of the helpless and the relief OF
thousands OF homeless men, women
and children, stories OF wild namals
fleeing for safety side by side with
human beings. Of mothers burned To
death With babies on their breasts and
of men cremated while endeavorlng to
shield their children were among the
tales Of horror brought In today.
The Duluth Express, when II arrived
here today. brought many refugees
from the scene OF the conflagratlon.
The engineer Of the train thus de-
scribnd the situation:
Engineers Graphic story.
If the fire keeps on the way II Il
going there win be mighty little left
Of the population Or that part OF
Minnesota For miles around Beaudette
and Spooner. WIS. where there were
large tracts ~ brush, II III now swept
clean.
There have been no forest fires In that
part Of the country for such long
time that the earth III practically peat.
and when ii tree fell Ii set fire even 10
the earth around. From my engine it
appeared that every timber mill In the
country had been burned except the
Sheylin- Mattien company. which is
safe. All the lumber In the yards.
however, burned like a fash. When
we passed through. all the territory
near the track had been burned over
and was still smouldering.
All the ties Of tile road have been
charred We stopped every little while
to take on psople. but most Of them got
off just outside the danger zone. so
they could 90 back To what was left OF
their homes after the fire dies down"
vandaIs Abroad.
one Of the most thrilling stories of
the situation h given by Mrs. Town
send Of Warroad, 4 refugee Oh the Du-
luth train. She said.
Two trainloads OF people left War
road last night after midnight. but va
do not know whether they reached a
place of safety. The town OF Beaudette
Is totally deserted
Everyone IN Warroad who has a re-
voiser Is carrying II. The survivors
are desperate and u great deal of
vandalism Is abroad. Men are robbing
women Of their jewels II d high wind
arose nothing could save the town of
Warroad. When We passed through
Sprague. Man, We saw that the fire
had run right up 10 the Canadian
| Northern station
Mrs. Townsend was accompanied In
f, her light by Mrs. Smith, her child and
| by Mrs Taft, wife Of the immigration
agent at that point
l.. T. Foster of Boston, Mass, came
through on the Duluth special III the
wind drops. Rainy River will be saved.
but otherwise the town Is In great
danger" he said Trunks and valises
full of yalnables are piled along the
/ railway track In "A vain endeavof 10
save them Nandas are lurking around
and stealing the property of the dead
and lefenseless."
other refugees tell how wild animals
raced wildly about the edge of the ire
and then turned and plunged into the
Rainy river and swan across 10 safety.
They followed the human flight. and
cattle, released by their owners at the
approach of the flames, fled to safety.
Accompanying the horses were hun
dreds of deer caribou ana moose. and
IN truth the cattle fearessly lay down
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