The Hope pioneer. [volume] (Hope, N.D.) 1882-1964, 1910-10-13
MINNESOTA DISASTER GREATEST
SINCE HlNCkLEY FIRE IS
YEARS AGO.
IS WIPED OUT
Property Loss in Rainy River, Beau.
dette and spooner is $1,5o0,o00
Hundreds are
Dead.
A PROCLAMATION.

x A PROCLAMATION. X
x By virtue of my position as x
* president of the State Red Cross y
y society, in view of the dire needs -
* Of citizens of the northern part Of *
* this state who have suffered from *
* recent forest fires, I hereby call y
* upon the people of Minnesota to *
x respond at once with contributions *
= of money, provisions and clothing, *
X to be distributed to the needy I'M x
* der the direction of this society. *
y Such contributions will be re- x
= .ceived by Kenneth Clark, st. Paul, *
4 treasurer of the State Red Cross *
$ society, and F. M. Prince, Mime II
* apolis, acting as assistant state *
* treasurer, and I hereby designate *
* the mayors of the towns and cities x
y Of the state to act as collectors of x
x this fund in their respective local *
= tiles. =
x Prompt and generous response y
y is imperative as the reports from y
& the afflicted districts indicate x
x that the need is great and will *
x continue for months. *
y Given under my hand and seal =
* this ninth day of October, 1910. x
x Adolph o. Eberhart, Governor. *
x X y 4 = * x x i 4 X x
Warroad, Oct. 10.-The greatest
catastrophe that Minnesota has ex-
]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 will
likely fall considerably short of the
actual number.
Scene of Horror Enacted.
Scenes Of horror are reported on
every hand. People lost their heads
completely and ran aimlessly about,
bewalling their loss. Streets of towns
were strewn with personal belongings
which we're thrown away in their
flight.
Crowds of able-bodied men, mostly
workmen with no person to care for,
ran pell-mell to board the waiting
train at Beaudette to the exclusion of
women and children, and refused pos
itively to assist in saving property.
The village Of Pitt was burned at Z
o'clock Friday night and at 8 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 for
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 or
assisted to points of safety. There
were five patients in Carrigan's hospi-
tai, which was burned. One woman
who had given birth to a child at 5
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 $1,5oo,o0o
The property loss in Rainy River,
Beaudette and Spooner alone, includ.
ing the Rat Portage Lumber company's
plant and yard at Rainy River and
the yard of the Shevlip-Mathieu Lum.
Der company at Spooner, will total
about s1,500,oo
The people Of Rainy River are do.
ing everything possible to assist the
homeless residents of the two Ameri
can towns.
Steps we're at once taken by Mr..
Matthew, the executive head of the
Rainy River Lumber company and the
Shevlin-Mathieu Lumber company, to
have timber shipped over from Rainy
River for the purpose of building TEN.
porary shelters for the people in
Beaudette and Spooner and the board.
ing camp of the Shevlin-Mathieu Lum.
Der company is feeding as many OF
the people al possible.
C$,>a - 49,. 1i.-.