The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1910-10-10

mounted the horses and fed down the
railroad. Four unknown dead are in the
Root House. west Of Pitt. including one
man. TWO women. and a baby
Plunge Through Bridge.
Pour railroad men went through the
burned bridge. between PiG and Beau
dette, IN attempting rescue.
Barwick. homesteader: KATE. woman
i homesteader. known by her first name;
three unknown men. Beaudette: Mike
Beaver. Beaudette.
Seven settlers up Beaudette River and
eleven settlers between Rapid River and
Beaudette are dead. The bodies were
found on the logging road by fleeing
refusees
II was a veritabIe cyclone Of fire that
struck the village OF Pitt at p. m. yos-
terday.
The wind was blowing seventy miles
an hour and the flames leaped from tree
10 tree Il continued blowing at cy-
clone rate until p m.. when il hit Beau
dette, and fifteen minutes later il strucz
SPooner. Between the two towns. q dis
tance OF fifteen miles, was a solid sheet
Of flames 200 feet high Men dropped in
the streets from inhaIing the heated air.
and were blown of their feet bv the high
wind The exodus from these two towns
heean six hours before the flames hit
them. Still many, assuming bravery. re-
mained behind
IN just few minutes after the flames
hit these towns both were ablaze. and
it was seen that neither - to be saved.
The wind even Unroofed buildings and
tore up trees by the roots yet untouched
by the fire The tales Of horrible suffer
ings being brought by the refugees beg
gar narration.
stand I'm Hot River.
Oscar Johnson wife and three children
stood five hours in the Beaudette River.
ducking their heads when the heat be-
came TOO intense. They say the water
In the river was heated 10 an uncomfort-
able temperature and that steam rose
from the surface. When they escaped
It was through furnace OF dying Goals.
with here and there a blaze reaching out
for what il might destroy.
Mrs. A. 9. Cragson, aged sixty. a pio-
neer, stood in a freight car in the relief
train with her granddaughter IN her
arms. ana told the marvellous tale Of a
white pony coming up 10 her on the
railroad track with neck extended and
whinnying as If seeking aid. She called
the pony 10 her, and il stood while she
mounted it. and together they went up
the railroad tracks at high speed while
the forest blazed on both sides as thew
flew along. She says she counted nine
bodies along the tracks.
The destruction Of 100000 worth Of
lumber. mill property, and millions OF
dollars worth Of timber pales into in
significance beside the horrible personal
suffering and the shocking death toll.
There was no escape for the poor settlers
hemmed in III -ir- little clearings by great
forest on all sides, and with only forest
road connecting them with the main
highways
Cattle, released by their owners at the
approach Of the flames, fed TO safety.
and accompanying them were hundreds
Of deer and moose.
Missing Number 1000.
The missing number some 200 residents
of Beaudette. Spooner and Pitt. some OF
whom are dead. but the most of whom
are safe in Rainey River and the ada
cent towns on the Canadian side of the
line.
The most serious aspect Of the missing
Includes the homesteaders and farmers
in the bush for a distance of one hundred
nils east and twenty miles south. Of
whom absolutely nothing can be known
for some time, as searching parties do
not dare penetrate the still smoking for
ests through which the cyclone Of fire
has swept.
While a wind is sweeping a sea OF fire
eastward on the south side of the Rainey
River at velocity OF fifty miles an hour.
the great body OF flames passed this
section. revealing q great calamity.