The evening Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1918-1920, 1918-10-14
five HUNDRED
DIE IN BIG
FOREST FIRES
Ten Towns Wiped Out in
Wisconsin and Mime
sofa Timber Land
Country
TWELVE THOUSAND
PEOPLE HOMELESS
Whole Sections of Wooded
Tracts are SmOuldering
Fire Stricken Areas
Property Loss
Runs into
Millions

DulQCn, Nt1nn., OcL. 1o- w lIn prop
ably 800 persons dead, thousands
homeless and without clothing, and
with property damage mounting far
into millions of dollars, whole sec
tions of northern Wisconsin and Min
nesota timber land tonight are smol-
dering, fire stricken areas, with only
the charred ruins of abandoned de-
populated towns to accentuate the
general dc3olation.
The bodies of IS victims lie in Du-
luth morgues. Hundreds more along
the roads leading to Duluth and Su-
perior lie 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 az
mory here, while doctors and nurses
sent from surrounding communities
attend them and nearly every able
bodied malt in the city has been con-
scripted to fight the flames, which
now are reported to be dying away.
Reports reaching here by courier
told of Widespread destruction but it
was evident that in most cases the
fury Of The flames was spent. Du
luth and Superior are in no further
danger.
Create st loss of life and property
damage is believed to have occurred
in the Cloluet region where a num-
Der of tow Ms have been destroyed and
all semi-rural settlements virtually
wiped out.
A special train of 20 coaches
brought 1900 refugees from Cloquet
and Carleton. They confirmed re-
ports that many persons lost their
| lives in those towns.
1 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.
"The scene at the station was in
describable," he said. "There came
a mad lush of wind and the entire
town was in flames. The trains pull
ed out with the fires blazing behind
them. Women wept and clung to
their children while others cried fran
tically for their missing ones. The
flames licked at the cars. Windows
and coaches were broken by the heat.
The engineers and fremen alter
nately 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. But even then all
did not get away. There are many
dead in Cloquet."
Cloquet was a town with about 7 )
500 population. More than 4,700 per-
sons 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 strick-
en- by the gale-driven fires.
The town Of Twig, on the Miller
trunk road, was wiped out.
Other towns reported as being en-
tirely dest1 Dyed include: Rice Lake
Brookaton, Brevator, Corona, Adolph
. Thompson, Arnold, Moose Lake anc
Wright
There is no community within a ra
dius of 80 miles which has not sus.
: tanned more OF less damage and each
has its Quota of dead and injured.
The cities of Duluth and Superior
: were not definitely out of danger un
til today. AS it was property dam
age wrought yesterday will total tc
more than $1,000,000.