Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-10-14
NEARLY 1000 DEAD
IN FOREST FIRES
Twenty-One Towns Are De-
stroyed, With Property
Damage in Millions.
THOUSANDS HOMELESS

By the Associated Press.
DULUTH, Mimi, October IL
Twenty-one towns were de-
strOyed, with a known death list
Of 29S, by the fire which swept
northeastern Minnesota Saturday
and Sunday. The injured in Du-
luth hospitals total .1O6. The
towns totally or partially de-
stroyed are ClOquet, Moose Lake,
Kettle River, Lawler, AdOlph,
Munger, Five Corners, Harvey,
Grand Lake, Maple Grove, TvvtE,
Barnum, Mathews, Atkinson, Cliff
ton, French River, Carleton, Pike
Lake, BrockstOn, BrevatOr and
Pine Hill.
DULUTH, Mimi, October IA
large section of northeastern Mime
sota-three days ago busy and pros
porous business and farming country
today was smoldering ruin, with
hundreds of bodies of men. women
and children, many of them burned
beyond recognition, strewn about the
countryside, as the result of the dis
astrous forest fires which swept this
territory Saturday and Sunday.
Latest estimates place the death
list at close to 1000, although no
official figures were available early
today. Hundreds of persons are more
or less seriously burned, thousands
are destitute and homeless and tie
property loss will run into many mil
lions of dollars. At least a dozen
cities and towns were destroyed. The
worst blazes were at Moose Lake, Ket-
tie river and Cloquet. In Moose Lake
and immediate vicinity it is estimated
more than 800 jersons persisted In
the flames. Between 800 and 400 cof-
fins have been ordered sent to sfh4f
town alone.
Although countless small fires were
burning throughout the district to-day
and the more serious blazes had died
down considerably during the night. q
revival of the seventy-mile-an-h hour
gale of Saturday would bring further
horrors and add greatly to the tragedy.
Enemy Agents Suspected.
Reports that the holocaust resulted
from the work of enemy agents were
circulated here. Definite confirmation
was not available, but incendiaries
ward when the fires in Duluth and Su-
nerior were burning at their height,
according to +. J. Longran, fire mar
shall. and other city and state officials
Duluth and Superior are in no
further danger. Virginia is safe. and
Hrainerd was untouched. However,
neat bog fires now are said to menace
the latter city. Bexmidji reported only
a small loss.
a special train of twenty coaches
t0 Il
Carleton. They confirmed reports that
many persons lost their lives in those
towns.
Policeman.s Tragic Story.
Albert Michaud, a special policeman.
told a tragic story of the burning of
Cloouet, and of the mad rush Of its
residents to escape.
"At;6. o'clock Saturday night = forest
ranger gave warning that unless the
wind died down the townspeople would
have to Zee" said Michaud. "a thick
nail of smoke hung over the town,
and at 7 o'clock the special trains
were called.
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 chung to their chill
dren. while others crleu IranClcally Tor
their missing ones. The flames licked
at the cars. Windows in the coaches
were broken by the heat. The en-
gineers and fremen alternately stocked
to give the boilers all the fuel they
could stand.
"Other trains were hurriedly made
of fiat cars, box cars and anything
that would roll. Even then all did not
get away. There are many dead in
Cloquet."
CIoquet was a town with about $500
population. More than 400 persons
were brought to Duluth and Superior
from there alone.
Information brought in by rescue
parties here indicated that nearly one
hundred bodies have been found on
roads leading to Duluth. Several
burned automobiles filed with bodies
were passed by the rescuers. Other
bodies are being brought from every
village and hamlet stricken by the
gale-driven fires.
The town of Twig, on the Miller
trunk road, was wiped out.
Other towns reported as being en-
tirely destroyed included Rice Lake,
Brookston, Brevator, Corona. Adolph,
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