The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1922-08-25

ne would remain mere Until ne was
satisfied that the situation is well
in hand #-
Adjutant Rhinow said this morn
ing that the only very serious fire"
at present is near Kelsey, where a
huge force of men Is putting UP a
superhuman fight against the fame.
He had received no reports con
corning the, missing family of Ed
Donald. living near White Face.
He had made no plans to call out
any more troops. he said.
- Tank Corps Men Ordered Out
ASSOCIATED Press dispatch
| Duluth, Mimi, August 1S.-Adju-
tant General Walter r. Rhinow has
ordered all available men of the
Duluth tank corps to Kelsey where
forest ranger Wickstrom advised
this morning that new fires have
sprung up and are almost beyond
control.
The new fires are between Cotton
and Kelsey, the tank corps men
were ordered out at 1880 a. N. The
wind velocity this morning was If
teen miles an hour from the north
west
The outlook for relief in the for
est fire menaced country was scant
early today. The wind continued
to blow from the northwest and the
United States weather bureau re :
ported no indications that rain would
fall within the next SO hours. With
this in mind and fearing the peat,
brush and forest fires might again
rage unabated today, foresters and
troopers in automobiles and guards
men in airplanes rushed a check of
the north country TO ascertain the
fate OF several towns reported burn
ed and see what might De done to
save other places said to be en-
dangered by flames.
Efforts To Reach BurnInQ Home
Efforts were also being made to
reach a burned farm home near
Markham where according to Can
tain l. ]. Moerke, OF the Duluth
tank corps, an entire family of six
lost their lives yesterday. Guards
also went into the scorched woods
beyond Whiteface to search for the
bodies of Mr.. and Mrs. Ed. Donald
and two children, reported by re-
fugees to have died in yesterdays
confiagration.
The number Of missing remained
at ten today. Guardsmen who Wis
tied the Kelsey fire area expressed
the belief that more settlers have
been trapped and burned by fires.
with the return of the guard avia-
tors this morning 1t is expected that
the fate OF Central Lakes, Cotton
Markham and Whiteface, .rep.rted
wiped out, will be known. So dense
was the smoke from the burning
vegetation yesterday and last might
that it was impossible to make a
check of burning area. Meanwhile
thousands Of guards are attacking
the fires to prevent reminding by
the stiff winds.
The Kelsey, Cotton and white.
face districts is about forty- ave
miles northwest of this city and in
the opinion of forest rangers the
early development of wind TINS
morning is anything but satisfac-
Strong Wind Prevails
Ihe wind Wiped VI a twenty
mile gale in this vicinity at mid /
night last night. This continued for
several hours ad caused the sub
sizing fires to rekindle. interfering
with the work of guards and rescue
crews of guarasmen and civilians.
Forest rangers reporting that the
afflicted areas today declared that
the nres we're not as bad as first
reported Accurate estimates Of the
property damage have been unob-
ta1nable because of the general ex-
Ddus settlers and townspeople from
the fire zone.
When the smoke from the burn
ing Peat beds, green trees and veg
citation covered the north country
for miles around the fires proper.
the populace had but one thought
in mind-to take no chances and
reach a place of safety as quickly as
-3RD ADD FOREST FIRES TOLL
Relief Trains Sent Out.
Relief trains from Virginia and
Duluth were sent out to the Kelsey
region to aid in bringing in men
aced inhabitants At daybreak.
three national guard airplanes, one
equipped with wireless, hoped of
to reconnoiter and report IN condi-
tons this morning to Geke-al Rhi-
now, W. T. Cox, state forester, who
arrived early today from ST Paul
| and Governor Preus.
The reported dead today includ-
ed Mr.. and Mrs. Ed Donald and
their four children, all of Whiteface,
and six members of family named
Neimiach at Markham
In addition, four other persons
were said to be unaccounted for at
Whiteface. A wall of fire surround
ing the Neimiach home prevented
Captain Leo Moerke and two other
guardsmen from rescuing the fam
! lily the captain said today. Every
! effort was made to reach the fam.
| lily but each attempt was frustrated
by the dense smoke and cracking
flames.
Village Of Tefte Burning
A wireless message from the
Steamer Harmonic, due here this
morning was to the effect that
Tefte, village on the north shore
of Lake Superior was burning. How
serious the fire was could not be
learned.
Meager advfces trickling in here
had Drummond, in Bayfield, county,
Wisconsin, virtually surrounded by
flames. Efforts to communicate
with the town or places in that
vicinity were futile.
Fifteen families residing between
Sherwood and Bull, Mimi, were
among those forced to fee from the
path of the flames. To sum up, as
state forester Cox said last night
before leaving St Paul last night
for Duluth, the situation is the most
menacing in years with scores Of
fires in the wooded country from
point one hundred miles north of
the Twin Cities to the CANADIANS
border from one end OF the state to
the other in the northern section.
Nearly all this area has been