The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1910-10-13
500 FIRE DEATHS
LATEST ESTIMATE
Forest Rlazes Cause Loss Of
S7OO, 100000.
SEVEN TOWNS ARE IN RUINS
Whole Families Are Wiped Out In
Sweep Of Fierce Flames Along
the Minnesota Border
: e. f'EN Line,

/ y
Warroad, Mimi, Oct. 11.-Special
1t is expected that 300 bodies will be
recovered within AZ hours and taken
to Rainey River. Fires are now rag
ing near Rainier Ragley and Clear
brook. Relief trains are rushing from
ST. Paul, Mimi, and Duluth and the
Red Cross society of the state is
sending aid. Governor tEberhart has
cancelled all his speaking dates ant
Us on his way to the scene. The finan
cial loss will be at least ten million
dollars. The burned district is under
martial law. State troops at Beau
dette. are aiding the doctors in fight
Ing feared epidemic caused by the
hundred and ninety patients who are
suffering from typhoid fever in the
ital at Beaudette were rescued
but many of them may die from ex
posture. Orders have been issued tC
the state troops to shoot vandals loot
ing the dead. The town of Clemen
ston. population 200, has been burned
and Fort Francis and International
Fails are threatened.
Davenport, Oct. 11.-Special: Roy
Simmons. of this place, was one OF
the victims of the Minnesota forest
fires. A telegram received today
says he is so badly burned that he
will die. The father, B. F. Simmons
is thought to be dead as no word has
been received from him. The names
of the other Davenport victims are
not known.
Rainey, River, Oct. 11.-Special: The
forest frs which have been raging
throughout this district, were we'll UNI
, der control at noon today. The work
of feeding and housing the refugees
and caring for the dead is now in pro
gress. The authorities have now
placed n ,e total death roll in this sec
tion az ne hundred and fifty. Thirty
corpse ire in the morgue at Rainey
River ! id thirty others were sent
south today to Duluth. The wind has
dropped to a calm and the fires are
less dangerous.
Dubuque, Oct. 11.-SpeCial: Clar'
enco Ziegler and wife, refugees from
the forest fires in northern Minnesota,
arrived in Dubuque after having wit
messed horrible fire scenes in the fire,
stricken district. Mr.. Ziegler was
located in Beaudette and was in the
employ of lumber company and he
and his wife had barely enough time
to pack a suit case and rush from
their home. He states that the
flames. driven by cyclone wind. ad,
Yanced on the town about seven
o'clock Friday evening and the inhab
itents were driven TO the depot, where
ed item to Rainey River, one mile
away. Saturday morning they return
ed to Eeaudette. He states that moth
ing was left OF the place but ashes
He also said that there were a NUM-
Der Of typhoid fever cases there and
he thinks that many of the sufferers
were left to perish. He estimates the
nuh 2Cr c. fatalities at 200.
Rainy River, Ont, Oct 11.-Five
hundred Ii les lost and property worth
S700,000,0 900 destroyed is the latest es-
innate of the havoc wrought by the
forest fires in this re- gion,
The tales of horrible suffering being
brought in by refugees is almost be
You'd narration Oscar Johnson, wife
and three children stood five hours in
the BaUGette river ducking their heads
when the heat became too intense.
They say the water in the river was
heated to an uncomfortable tempera-
ture and that steam rose from the sur
face.
Wild Beasts Are Stampeded.
The beasts of the forest and the
beasts of the plain are making COM
mon cause at the edge of the fire.
Wild animals race madly about, and
then, contrary to their habits, turn
and plunge In the deep and wide Rainy
river and swim across to safety. They
followed the human fight, and cattle
hhc"lSS, Eclcdseu ny IuCi O"hCiS a.
the approach of flames fed to
safety.
Loss of S1,5oo,Co0 in Three Towns.
The property loss in the three towns
alone, including the Rat Portage Lum-
Der company's plant and yard at
Rainy river and the yard of the Shev-
lin-Msthieu Lumber company at Spoon
err, will total 81 SOC, 000.'
II will be some time before the loss
of life is known even approximately,
and in fact 1t may never be known.
The residents OF Rainy River, Ont,
are doing everything possible to as
sist the homeless residents OF the two
American towns.
Poverty of the worst kind is added
TO the woes of the throngs that fiocked
into International Falls and Rainy
River