River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1918-10-17


totally destroyed: Cloquet, Brookston.
Brevator, Scanlon, Corona, Adolph,
Thompson.
Home Guard units from all over the
state are being modified to assist the
dazed survivors.
Instances are being related of sew
eral families budding together in one
cellar and being suffocated or crushed
to death.
In one cellar near Moose Lake, thir-
ty bodies were discovered, in another
cellar eight bodies and more are be-
ing discovered as the ruins cool enough
to permit of search.
Has Start Near Bemidji.
The fire started near Bemidji, where
fire has been smouIdering for weeks.
Famed by high wind, the flames
swept across the state toward Duluth,
cutting a swath of so miles wide
through cut-over lands, bounded on
both sides by chain of lakes.
At Moose Lake the havoc wrought
by the blaze was most complete, al
though the loss of life in the town it.
self was low, because the inhabitants,
warned of the approach of the fire,
took refuge in the icy waters Of the
lake.
Brainerd, Bemidji and Aitkin es-
capped destruction, partly because the
wind died down and in part through
heroic work of volunteer fire fighters.
Duluth and Superior, although sub
urbs were burned, were untouched by
the flames and are serving as place
of refuge for large number of the
$4,000 homeless ones.
The heaviest loss of life was at
Moose Lake and vicinity. Adjutant
General Rhinow estimating that more
that 300 persons died there. Duluth
morgues have approximately 200 bod
les and officials estimate that several
hundred more dead men, women and
children are scattered throughout the
fire region.
Hibbing Hinged by Fire.
Hibbing, although ringed about fire,
was unframed. Citizens of the iron
range were last night hurrying for
shelter at Carlton, and fires were
blazing at the Morton location, Kee-
watin and other towns. Grand Rapids
was reported on fire.
Five mills are all that is left in
Cloquet of what was yesterday a city
of 5000 persons with varied business
interests and many beautiful homes.
The homes are smouldering ruin,
every residence being burned, but
warning of the approaching fire came
in time to allow the people of the
town to depart.
Pitiful Search for Relatives.
Moose Lake, Oct. 15.-The death list
in the Moose Lake-Kettle River dis
trict has been estimated as high as
400 by those investigating conditions
Along the roads were found the
bodies of mothers with babies clasped
to their lifeless breasts and children
clinging together
Through the yellow pail of pine
smoke that hung low over the ruins of
Moose Lake, frightened mothers, car
rying thin1y clad children in arms and
with others tied to their apron strings
to guard against separation, conducted
a frantic and often hopeless search for
missing husbands and fathers.
Ban on Sightseers.
st. Paul, Oct. 15-No "rubberneck
caravans" will be permitted to ira
verse the fireswept areas of Northern
Minnesota, it was announced at the adj
jutant generals office. The mandate
was issued at the capitol following
an appeal by relief workers that per-
SONS outside the stricken area, unless
on special missions, refrain from inter-
fering in the relief work, as relief
agencies now being organized have
their hands full in caring for refugees.
st. Paul, Oct. Ex-Governor Burn
quist, accompanied by Mrs. Burnquist,
left for Moose Lake, where he took
charge of relief work and investigated
the extent of the disaster and will
order financial aid Mrs. Burnquist
will also aid the women of the stricken
district as much as possible.
Governor Burnquist cancelled all his
speaking dates and said that he will
decide whether financial assistance,
which must be given, will come
through an appropriation by the calam-
ity board of the state or by public sub
scription.
Calamity Board Has Power.
The calamity board, composed of
the Governor, state treasurer and
state auditor, has power to make an
appropriation of state funds for relief
work in such disaster, he said, and
this course may be taken.
Major w. G. CARTS, chief of staff in
Adjutant General Rhinow's office, or
dered out the National guard COM
panies from st. Cloud, Ironton and
other cities in proximity to the devas-
tated area. Word came to him that
fires were threatening Kimberly, Tam
arack and other places just east of
Aitkin. The fires at Kimberly and
Tamarack were extinguished but
message from Ironton said they had
broken out again