Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-08-18

and North Shore roads TO warn motor
lists against driving toward the burn
ing areas.
Sixteen-year-old John Nelson saw
his mother and five brothers and sis
tiers placed aboard a truck bound for
Duluth with a load of refugees and
then turned to assist the t~Ownspeople
wage q losing battle against the flames.
The father is working at a local dock
and does not know Of the plight of his
family. He could not be located.
All the fires are said to have re-
suited from ~smouldering peat beds
which were whipped into raging fur
naces by a strong wind and spread to
nearby forests.
One thousand men were battling a
forest fire near Eveleth on the Mesaba
iron range, while 1.S00 ore miners
were held ready to aid. should the
flames approach dangerously near the
city.
Several settlements near Eyeleth
and in the fire area are reported IN
serious danger. Kelsey. 10 miles north
west of Duluth, is surrounded by fire,
according to a report. while residents
of Toimi. fifty miles north Of here are
reported to have fled.
Official reports were that the Fair
banks. Silver Creek and Pinto, all
small settlements. have been destroy
ed. the refugees mainly fleeing to Two
Harbors. Cotton and Central lakes also
were reported to have been destroyed.
Fires also were reported in Wis
%consin. where il was said that Drum
mong was menaced. but telephone com
m%unication with that place was inter
rupted.
Thousands of volunteer guards bat
tied the flames on the various sectors
throughout the forenoon but the fires
leaped past fire lines everywhere about
midday and fighters were forced to flee.
When the guards left the fire fight
ing, they turned their attention to re
moving ~townspeople and settlers to
places Of safety. Through co-opera-
ton of the state highway department.
which rushed every available truck TO
the fire zone, the refugees were hastily
removed. Not a single fatality was re
ported from the districts where organ
lied effort was made to rescue the
refugees.
Duluth was given a scare late Thurs
day when the wind shifted to the
north bringing dense clouds of smoke.
The fatalities were reported by Cap
tain Leo J. Moerke of the Duluth tank
corps, who said a family of six was
trapped by the flames near Markham.
The two towns reported to have
been burned are Cotton. with n popu-
lation of 800, about ~ miles north of
Duluth. and Central Lakes. a small
town near Cotton.
The centers of the forst fires are
Kelsey, 30 miles north of here. and
80 miles north. There are
of small fires.
National guardsmen are assisting in
refugees to temporary
quarters in nearby towns.
Reports from the various fire areas
Thursday night indicated many farm
ers had lost their homes. 1t was be-
the loss to livestock would be
heavy. Fire is reported 10 be danger
near several small towns. Guards
we're working to protect these towns.
The greatest loss TO property and
livestock was reported to have been
by the Kelsey fire. which lev
Cotton and Central lakes.
The fires near Eveieth also de-
some property.
Governor j. A. O. Preus Thursday
hight personally took charge of the
situation, ordering out national guards
men here for duty. Drouth conditions
ave increased the menace to alarming
according to state forestry
and more than 1000 men were
lghting fires III various sections.