The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1911-07-14
LIST OF DEAD WILL
NOT FALL SHORT
OF 800
Horrors of Canadian Holocaust
Grow as Stragglers Arrive
LIKE CYCLONE OF FLAME
Fire Forced People Into Lakes
Where Many Became Chilled
~. and Drowned

Toronto, ouly l4.-N ME lne news
from the fireTwept region is coming
in more rapidly and definite idea OF
its extent and horror can now be OBJ
tanned, no lists of the dead or in
jured are obtainable StTagglers may
be coming in for weeks.
Supt Black of the Temiskaning &
Northern Ontario Railway at North
Bay, states that fires in the Porcu'
pine district are now under control
A. ID. Miles, construction engineer
of the Great Dome mine, estimates
the total loss of life at 200.
II is stated by an owner of a Por
cupine mine that the financial losses
are grossly over-estimated. In his
own case, for instance, the loss had
been placed at 100000. whereas he
asserts $4,000 would cover IT, Sim
ilarly, he said losses on other mining
properties from the fires have been
overstated anywhere from four to ten
times One exception is the Dome
mine, where big plant had been in
stalled and four stamps were actually
in operation Whether the loss there
will reach the published figures of
100000. the mine owner quoted was
not prepared to say.
A train from North Bay arrived
here at 1880 yesterday morning bring
ing twenty-five refugees from Porcu-
pine, mainly Toronto people
Mr. Mcdonald Wardrop of Hamil-
ton, nephew OF Lieut. Gov Gibson,
was among them. Toe report has
spread that ! was killed" said he.
but ! saved myself by taking TO the
water along with about 500 Others
We were forced to stand in the cold
water for over three hours and be-
came so numb with the cold that
some went under About ten square
miles Of forests were burned over and
flames swept rapidly.
All the party agreed that the fgur.
es-300-were not excessive, and that
at least 200 had persisted in Porcu-
pine Lake.
1T seemed like a storm OF fire."
said w r. Ridge OF Kansas City, who
arrived with the refugees from Por-
cupine, in describing the initial at
tack OF the flames "A cyclonic wind
speeding more than sixty miles an
hour urged on the advancing sheet
of flames, which was miles wide. and
reflected in the pail OF smoke which
had preceded it. appeared 1000 feet
high and drowned all sound save its
weird song of destruction
Golden City is full OF refugees
They told heartrending stories OF the
deaths in the lake Many had gone
into the water as far as they could to
get away from the broiling heat.
Others crowded in after them. Thus
many were pushed beyond their
depth and drowned When we left
Golden City much OF the town was
in flames. We were among the first
to get away
Their clothing burned and their
faces bistered by flames. some OF the
earliest refugees we're easily located
among passengers who arrived in Tor
onto from North Bay at noon yester.
day, An anxious crowd OF Toronto
people awaited the arrival OF those
who had escaped from Porcupine or
Cochrane
The greatest catastrophe appears
TO have occurred at South POrcupine
where 600 persons sought refuge In
the lake. or these. 200 persons.
many OF them women with children
in their arms. lost their lives, accord
ing to a private message received
from w. A. Carlton of Halleybury. a
nrospector, who was in the lake when
the fire was at its height Boats and
canoes in which they had put OF
from the furnace.like shore were up.
set by squalls,
H. Levinson. Montreal. came out
yesterday He was caught by flames
at Standard Porcupine mine with
eight others. but all escaped. running
three miles through burning forest to
Edwards Lake. where they found a
crowd OF $50 persons gathered on the
banks and In the water l.evinson
crossed the West Dome property and
saw the body OF William King. a well.
known mining man, lying beside the
shaft.
The women and children and all
who could took refuge inthe shaft
but the fire burned even the timber
ing, and all were suifocated. including
Manager Weiss. his wife and child
Assayer Burke and wife. and three
other women with children. Fire In
all the Dome mines are reported out
including Preston East Dome. The
Mcintyre mine Is reported safe by
Capt Harris after a hard fight The
Standard, Imperial Digby. and Vet
eran are gone. The fire cut swatf
six miles wide and made a terrifying
spectacle as a wall OF flames swept
down with lightnnglike rapidity, de
stroying everything In it's path.
The Niiona mine was swept clean
Several men came out from Redston'
and reported seeing eight dead bod
les on the way out Prof. Baker an,
student party from Queens Univer
sity got through with their lives, bu