The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1918-10-15
1000 LIVES LOST
IN FOREST FIRES
Northwestern Minnesota Swept
by Fumes.
Death AND DE- TRUCTI0N BIG
At Least a Dozen Cities and Towns
Destroyet-Many Forest Fires in
Pennsylvania.

ASSNiS "
Pennsylvania.
Duluth, Mimi, Oct. IA large
section of northwestern Minnesota
three days ago Il busy and prosperous
business and farming section, lies Il
smoledripg ruin, with hundreds of
bodies Of men, women and children
many of them burned beyond rerognl-
ton. -strewn about the countryside, as
the result of the disastrous forest
fires which swept this territory Satur
day and Sunday.
Latest estimates place the death list
at close to 1000 although no official
figures were available. Hundreds OF
persons were more or less seriously
burned, thousands are destitute and
homeless, and the property loss will
run into many millions of dollars.
AT least a dozen cities and towns
were destroyed. The worst blaZes
were at Moose Lake, Kettle river and
CIoouet In Moose Lake and immedi-
ate vicinity it is estimated more than
800 persons persisted in the flames.
Between 300 and 100 collins have been
ordered sent to this town alone.
Although countless small fires were
burning throughout the district and
the more serious blaZcS died down
considerably during the night, a re-
yival of the seventymile-an-hour gale
of Saturday would bring fertilizer hor-
rors and add greatly to the tragedF.
Relief work under direction of y J.
jutant General w. F. Rhinow and
Governor Bunquist is progressing rap
idly
Four miles west of Duluth, on a
farm, the bodies of seventeen men,
women and children were found in a
cellar. They had been baked to
death. Two miles farther on, at an
other farm, fourteen bodies were tax
en- from a well, where the fire driven
unfortunateS had sought safety from
the flames, only to perish by drown
ing.
General Rhinow sent an order to st.
Paul for ten big motor trucks. The
trucks will be sent in all directions
to gather up the dead and injured
Home guardSmen will assist in the
work, despite the fact that a majority
of them have been constantly on duty
since the fire broke out, thirty-siX
hours.
Every hour adds to the horror of
the disaster. and additional names to
the list of dead.
At Moose Lake, Il correspondent saw
seventy-five bodies piled in a. fire gut
ted building. On road leading out
of Moose Lake at least 100 bodies
were strewn here and there.
Reports that the holocaSt resulted
from the work of enemy agents were
circulated, but definite confirmation
was not available. however, incendia-
-TfCs were driven away from a local
shipyard when the fires in Duluth and
Superior were burning at their height,
according to J. F. Longren, fire mar
shall, and other city and state officials.
Reports by courier told of wide
spread destruction, but it was evident
that in most cases the fury of the
flames was spent. Duluth and Supe-
rior are in no further danger. Vir-
ginia is safe and Brainerd was I'M
touched However, peat bog fires now
are said tC menace the latter city. Be
midi reported only small loss.
The greatest loss of life and prop
erty damage is believed to have oc
Cured in the ClOquet region, where a
number of towns have been destroyed
and all semi-rural settlements virtu-
ally wiped out.
A special train of twenty coaches
brought 1900 refugees from Cloquet
and Carleton. They confirmed reports
that many persons lost their lives in
those towns.
Cloquet was town with about
1900 population. More than 400 per-
sons were brought TO Duluth and Su
perior from these alone.
The list of dead will not be definite
ly compiled for days, perhaps weeks.
Hundreds of panic-stricken people
have gathered about the numerous
lakes in the burned area, and those re-
ported missing may be among them.
There is no community within
radius of thirty miles which has not
sustained more or less damage, and
each has it quota of dead and injured.
Both fire fighting and relief work is
being carried on under the direction
of the Minnesota home guard and
state officials.