The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1918-11-14
wind was something dreadful.

WIN dD OOliOllilAG ulCdolui. L
came home on the 4 o'clock train and
as we began climbing the hill to
Proctor the sky became more and
more red until it was a beautiful GRIM
son. When l got off the train at Proc
tor the wind was like a blizzard wind,
and the air was dense with smoke
and ashes. / got home with some diff
ficulty, and from then on the wind in
creased and the smoke and ashes be-
came worse. l wasn't much afraid
but was glad my husband was coming
home to eat at six. Just at six the
fire alarm was heard and central said
the fire was at Midway. Now that
didn't mean much to me, but in fact
it is about two miles from town-a
store, church and school house are
located there. My husband didn't
come and l began to feel fear, the
first time | was ever afraid in my
whole life. When he did come, he
said things were SO dry and there is
so much wild land around Proctor,
that he thought things were pretty
dangerous, and told me to go to Du-
luth at my first opportunity. Then
he had to return to work. began
to hunt up all the important papers
and a few pieces of jewelry and put
them in a leather bag, and changed
into a different dress, etc. At eight
we could see the flames leaping in
the outskirts most any direction you
might look, and the ashes and smoke
was getting thicker all the time, and
the wind-I can't tell you how it
blew. though they say it was so miles
an hour. At about nine my husband
came for me in a car and I went down
to the big machine shop where most
of the others were going and If things
got too bad we were going by train
to Duluth.
| had just gotten there and was
looking over the crowd, when I no.
ticed some people who looked as
though they had come through the
fire. They certainly had and from
then on until about 4 o'clock a. m. |
worked with all my strength. washing
out their poor inf1amed eyes and TAX
ing care Of their burns and in getting
them food and water. OF course there
were about a dozen other women
working too, and many men, bringing
in cots and blankets, but you would
be surprised how many families just
settled down in one little spot with
their bags and bundles and never even
offered to help a single person. l
worked half the time with the tears
streaming, as they told of their es-
cape and of having lost, some a child,
some an old parent, some a man his
entire family, etc. Then we had one
little boy with no one claiming him.
Next day, however, we found his par
ents.
l never heard of a fire that burned
it's victims up so completely. In
most cases nothing can be found ex-
cept a ring, a button, a metal clasp
or the skull and maybe teeth. A lit
tie piece of gauze often holds the en-
tire remains of a person.
Well, after midnight, when Proctor
seemed surely doomed. the wind
changed a little and we were saved,
though many homes were lost, as l
have mentioned, in the outskirts of
the town. Until the last of the past
week, we have had a great many
refugees at the school house and have
fed and cared for them. So many lit
tie babies were burned as their cloth
ing would be on fire before the parent
carrying the child would notice. We
are over the worst now and of course,
all winter we will have to sew and
piece quilts. etc., and help them fur
nish the little homes the state is help
ing them build, and we will be busy
for a long time in this work.
-w.S S.