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Show 9S0RES LOSE LUES '' IN FOREST FIRES FLAMES RAGE UNCKECKED IN RICH LUMBER REGION OF MINNESOTA. Threo Towns Destroyed, While Fleeing Flee-ing Settlers Are Caught In Literal Furnace of Fire Thousands of Settlers Made Homeless. Wnrroad, Minn. Tho greatest ca- taBtrophe that Minnesota has experl- v, enced in fifteen- years took placo Friday Fri-day night and Saturday when tho whole Minnesota-Manitoba boundary country wns swept by fire. Tho death list is a long one, nnd constantly growing, while thousands are homeless, home-less, and tho monotnry loss Is heavy. '1 ho number of deaths is estimated from 100 to 200, almost entirely among settlers nround tho towns of Bcaudotto, Pitt, Roosevelt and Grace-ton. Grace-ton. This estimate may bo too small. Tho flames still rage unchecked and scenes ot horror aro reported from every point. Crowds of able-bodied men, mostly workmen with no one to care for, ran pell-mell to board tho waiting train at Beaudette to the exclusion of women and children and refused positively pos-itively to a.s.ist in saving property. An ea3t-bound freight train went through n burned culvert near Pitt and blocked block-ed the line. Tho towns of Pitt, Spooner (Wis.) nnd Beaudette were burned Friday night. Tho fire was heralded by a shower of sparks and burning brands which swept across tho Benudetto J river, and tho inhabitants had barely time to reach the special train that was waiting beforo both towns were on firo nt all places. The property loss In Rainy River, Beaudette and Spooner alone, inducing induci-ng tho Rat Portage Lumber company's com-pany's plant and yard at Rainy River and the yard of the Shevlln Mnthiou Lumber company at Spooner, will total to-tal about one nnd a half million dollars. dol-lars. It will bo some time hcrore tho loss of life Is known oven approximately. approxi-mately. Wagon loads of human bodies aro being brought into tho rnllwny station at Beaudette. It Is reported that many settlers, crazed with grief at tho loss of families fami-lies and property, aro roaming tho woods nnd searching parties are look- y ing for the Injured, tho dead nnd tho demented. One family of nine, one of seven nnd one of five perished on FrI-day FrI-day night. At 8:30 p. m. Saturday a tornado of lire struck Beaudette and Spooner and within three minutes after tho first alarm, every building was ablaze. Within half an hour they were heaps of ashes. The peoplo of these two towns had Just enough time to get out of their homes with what they had on their backs. They wero loaded load-ed on a passenger train that was standing nt the depot and taken to Rainy River Ont. It is Teared that many settlors In Isolnted districts woro caught In tho flames and perished. No news can bo had of mnny settlers, and It is probable prob-able that on'y tho charred bodies of hundreds will bo found. |