The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1918-10-25
DRIVEN FROM CLOQUET
FLAMES GAVE PURSUIT
Mr.. AND MRS.ARTHUR DRAPER
QUIT TOWN IN HURRY
Left PenniIess BY Fire; Their
Thrilling Experiences
Are Related

were reported during the night None
was serious but their almost stimuli.
Itaneous starting gives further cred
dence to The reports that it was the
work of agitators that first started
the great conf1agration. Rain is now
Threatening and it is believed the
whole area is under comparatively
good control
Bemidji reported that a set fire
was discovered near the great
|Crookston mills. All the town turn
ed out to save the mills which was
done only after a terrific fight. Home
guards are now on duty around all
important buildings and plants.
Arthur Draper, survivor of the
big Cloquet fire, was in the city with
his wife and fifteen months old son
today, enroute to Gilmore, Mimi
where they have relatives. Mr.. and
Mrs. Draper were burned out OF
house and home at Cloquet, and were
left practically penniless, with moth
ing in the world but the clothes they
wore at the time they escaped from
the burning town. They arrived in
Mankato Tuesday night, and stopped
with friends in the city.
Mr.. and Mrs. Draper moved to Clio
| quet on June 10, this year, and Mr.
| Draper secured position in the Clo-
quet lumber mills. In speaking of
the terrible conflagration which de-
stroyed the town, and the thrilling
experience through which he had
passed, Mr.. Draper said:
SWp mora MT a1or1,,oI 4
last Saturday, and had no idea the
town would be destroyed. We knew
a big fire was raging about fifteen
miles away, and that a high wind
was raging, but no one seemed to
fully realize our danger, and every
one went about their work as usual.
The mills were operating as usual,
and although the town was smoky
the majority of people did not feel
greatly alarmed.
Warned by Engineer.
can engineer who came in with his
train was beseiged by people who
congregated at the depot asking him
about the fire he had passed though.
He warned the people to get out Of
town as fast as they could. Many
people started out on the roads lead
ing south and ran into the other fire
and persisted. But the Cloquet mill
started to run at seven o'clock that
night the same as usual. My wife
was frightened and would not let me
go to work.
"The men in the mill worked until
about eight o'clock, when they be-
came thoroughly awakened to the
danger. They rushed out Of the plant
to their homes, and got their fam
lilies ready to leave town as quickly
as possibly. By that time the whole
town was ablaze with flames and suf-
locating with smoke, and the scene
beggared description. 1t was like an
inferno. Two long freight trains and
a passenger train were held on the
tracks near the depot, waiting for the
people to get aboard so they could
take them away from the town. The
trains were supplied by the Great
Northern and Pacific railways, and
they saved thousands of lives. Peo-
pie hurried to the tracks in autos,
and carriages and on foot, many
mothers wheeling their babies in ba-
by carriages. Automobiles and baby
carriages were left to burn while the
people crowded on the trains, and
the horses were cut loose from the
wagons and buggies in order that
they might have chance to run
from the fire and save themselves.
The fire whistles were blowing con-
tinually, making a regular pandemo-
mum. They blew from seven
al ont
and were still blowing, as some rail-
road man stayed at the town until
the last moment. The whistles
warned everyone to hurry to the train,
as there was room for everyone, al
Though the cars, especially the pas
senger coaches, were packed to capac
ity, just like sardines in a box.
Hot in the Box Cars.
''In the box cars it was awful, as
there was no ventilation and it was
terrible hot with so many people liter
ally packed together The trains were
held for the peop,e until no more were
seen coming, but suppose there were
some folks left in the town who per-
ished. The depot was blazing when
we pulled out, and the lumber yards
a mass of flames, while the terrific
wind blew flaming brands through the
sky which ignited everything not al
ready ablaze. AS our train pulled
along suit cases and grips were
thrown from the car windows as the
cars were too crowded to keep them
aboard. Women died on the train, and
a couple of babies were born before
we reached Duluth
Families Became Separated.
81 was separated from my wife and
child, and many families were sep
arated in the same way, as it was
just about impossible to keep together.
My wife and baby were in the pas
senger train, and rode on one of
the open gondola freight cars. We
were taken to Superior, as Duluth was
full to OVERLOOKING with fire refugees, |
and / searched for my wife and child |
until late Sunday afternoon, and fin
ally found them through the efforts of |
the Commercial club of Superior. We
lost everything we had in the fire, but
are glad to have escaped with our
lives We are going to Elmore this
where my wife and child can
stay with relatives until I find work
and we get some money so we can
start housekeeping and be together
again.
Veteran Postmaster Dies.
John j. Goertzen, postmaster at
Bingham Lake, died of pneumonia. He