Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1918-10-14
VAST TIMBER
TRACT WIPED
OUT BLAZE
Northeastern Minnesota
Laid in Ruins-Rescuers
Searching Waste.

st. Paul. fTinH.. Oct. IA
dispatch received at the state
capital early this afternoon
from Adiutant General RhinOw
a. Moose Lake stated that the
general forest fire situation
was well in hand. No further
spread of the fires is feared
and it is believed that the
burned area will be cleared OF
bodies By tonight.
State officials believing that the
death list in the Minnesota forest
fire zone will total between $50 and
1000 today arranged for an addi-
tional shipment of 200 coffins to
Moose Lake. which has become one
Of the centers Of relief activities.
Every state relief organization is
mobiuzing its resources. Reports
today indicate that many cities
we're collecting subscriptions for
the destitute. Official information
confirmed reports that Grand Rap
IDS, MINI, was safe and that more
than forty bodies were brought to
Aitkin.
Duluth, MINI, Oct IA large
SECTION OF northern Minnesota
three DAYS ago d busy ana prosper
Gus business and farming country
today was a smouldering ruins
with hundreds Of bodies OF men.
women and children, many of them
burned beyond recognition, strewn
about the countryside, as the re-
suit Of the disastrous forest fires
which swept this territory Satur-
day and Sunday.
Twenty-One towns have been de-
Eroyed with a known death list Of
2sS by the fire. The injured in DU-
luth hospitals total 106. The towns
totally or partially destroyed are.
Cloquet, Moose Lake, Kettle River,
LaEIer, Adolph, Munger, Five Cor
ners, Harney, Grand Lake, Maple
Grove, Twig, Barnum, Mathews, At
hnson, French River, Clifton,
Carleton, Brookston. Brevator, Pike
Lake and Pine Hill Nearly one
hundred buildings were destroyed
in the suburbs of Duluth.
Fear LOCO Dead.
Latest estimates place the death
list as close to / 600. although no
official figures are available at an
carly hour Hundreds Of persons
are more or less seriously burned,
thousands are destitute and home
less and the property loss will run
into many millions of dollars. At
least dozen towns and cities were
destroyed. The worst blazes were
al Moose Lake, Kettle River and
Cloquet In Moose Lake and i'm
mediate vicinity il is estimated
more than three hundred persons
perished IN the flames. Between
900 and 400 cofflns have been or
dered sent 10 this town alone.
Although countless small fires
were burning throughout the dis
tTlct today and the more serious
bIazes died down considerably dur
ing the night, a revival of the 10
miles an hour gale Of Saturday
would bring further horrors and
aed greatly 10 the tragedy.
Relief work under direction OF
AdiGLant General Rhinow, and
Governor Burnqust is progressing
rapidly
Dead Total Grows.
Each hour adds to the toll OF
cead throughout the fre-swept dis
trlcts IN northern Minnesota Tho
heaviest reports of loss continue tn
Z l. r CT RI
Where rescue workers during the
hilght found bodies lying in piles
Dufned 70 crisp or scattered one
uy one through the wooded dis
uicts- Relief workers under the
command OF Adlutant General ".
r. RhlnOw began their work last
I-gnt and this morning bridges are
Ue1hg constructed throughout the
ATlcken section 70 enable the
sorkers 10 reach outlying districts
1folgh which no one has Travelled
fihce the IRE started. There is ev-
cry Indication. General RhinOw
A44d today thar the loss Of life in
ne vicinity Of Moose Lake. Kettle
I-feF anG Lawier. all Of which
sefe totally destroyed, Will be
e1ealer than a. first estimated.
Bodies Along Roads
Durlng the night most OF the
Docles which were strewn along
ne main roads were brought into
,s,,Oose Lake, where the St Paul,
minneapolis and other relief work
sIs nave established a camp. Late
yesterday one company Of men
.eached LaWler small village
IoFtheast Of Moose Lake. Four
bindings marked all that is left of
ue town During the night the
res which are still burning in
lazy places. d5ed down 70 some
tent Today there is nut little
,4. la and il is hoped that all IRE