The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1918-10-22
TEN TOWNS GONE,
1000 DEAD BY FIRE
- 600 PEOPLE HOMELESS FROM
FOREST HOLOCAUST SWEEP
ING THE NORTHWEST.
DESERTED TOWNS REMAIN
ONLY SMOULDERING RUINS


Victims Were Overtaken by Gale
Swept Fire. Morgues are Filled
With the Dead.
DULUTH, Minn.-With probably
one thousand persons dead, thousands
homeless and without clothing, and
with property damage mounting far
into millions of dollars whole Sec
tons of northern Wisconsin and Min
nesota cumberland are smouldering,
fre-stricken areas, with only the
charred ruins of abandoned, depop-
ulated towns to accentuate the gen.
eral desolation.
The bodies of rs victims lie in Du-
luth morgues. Hundreds more along
the roads leading to Duluth and Su-
perior lay where they fell when over
taken by the fire.
Twelve thousand homeless and
penniless refugees, all in need, more
or less, of medical attention, are
quartered in hospitals, churches,
schools, private homes and in the
armory here, while doctors and nurs-
es sent from surrounding communi-
ties attend them, and nearly every
able-bodied man in the city has been
conscripted to fight the flames, which
now are reported to be dying away.
Widespread Destruction.
Reports reaching here by courier
told of widespread destruction, but it
was evident that in most cases the
fury Of the flames was spent. Duluth
and Superior are in no further dam
ger. Virginia is safe and Brainerd
was untouched. However, peat bog
fires now are said to menace the lat
ter city. Bemidji reported only a
small loss.
Greatest loss of life and property
damage is believed to have occurred
IN the Cloquet region, where a num-
Der of towns have been destroyed
and all semi-rural settlements virtual
ly wiped out.
A special train of 20 coaches
brought l, 90 refugees from Cloquet
and Carleton. They confirmed re-
ports that many persons lost their
lives in those towns.
Cloquet's Tragic Fate.
Albert Michaud, a special police
man, told tragic story of the burn
ing Of Cloquet and of the mad rush
of its residents to escape.
AT 6 o'clock last night a forest
ranger gave warning that unless the
wind died down the townspeople
would have to fee," said Michaud.
A thick pail of smoke hung over
the town and at Z o'clock the special
trains were called.
THE scene at the station was in
describable. There came a rush of
wind and the entire town was in
flames. The trains pulled out with
the fires blazing closely behind them.
Women wept and clung to their chill
dren, while others cried frantically
tor their missing ones. The flames
licked at the cars. Windows in the
coaches were broken by the heat. The
englneers and firemen alternately
stocked to give the boilers all the fuel
they could stand.
Scene Indescribable.
Other trains were hurriedly made
OF flat cars, box cars and anything
that would roll. But even then all
ana not get away. There are many
dead in Cloquet."
Cloquet was a town with about
900 population. More than 400
persons were brought to Duluth and
Superior from there alone.
Information brought in by rescue
parties here tonight indicated that
nearly 100 bodies have been found
on roads leading to Duluth. Several
burned automobiles filled with bodies
were passed by the rescuers. Other
BODIES are being brought from every
village and hamlet stricken by the
gaIe-driven fires.
AT least a dozen cities and towns
were destroyed. The worst blazes
were at Moose Lake, Kettle River
and Cloquet. In Moose Lake and i'm
mediate vicinity it is estimated more
IMAM 300 persons persisted in the
flames.