Bemidji Daily Pioneer Newspaper, October 12, 1910, Page 1

"THE BEMIDJI D ATLY PIONEER™ Hislorical SBWQ' STORICAL 'VOLUME 8. NUMBER 191 SPEGIAL TRAIN MAKES TRIP IN DENSE SMOKE Six Cars Bearing Governor, Attorney General and Other High Officers in Safe Burst of Speed MILITIAMEN ARE NOW ON DUTY Supplies Include Tents, Blankets Hard- ware and Medical Supplies—Red Cross Nurses on Board International Falls, Oct. 11.— Under the direction of W.H. Gem-| mell, general manager of the Min- nesota & International, and having on board Governor Eberhart, Adjut- ant Gezeral Wood, and other high officers of the Minnesota National Guards, the special train which left Bemidji at 1:30 Tuesday afternoon, arrived at International Falls at 5:15 that evening. On board the train was Attorney General George Simpson, Major T. C. Clark, general medical advisor of the M. N. G., Major W. A. Clark, QuarterMaster and Captain H. H. Thatcher, Military Storekeeper T. V. Herb and Ed. Collins Major Clark is famous as an army surgeon and expert on infectious diseases. He was in charge of the hospital at Chickamauga in 1898, at which time General Wood was cap- tain of a company from Austin. He goes on the present trip to render what aid he can in preventing an epidemic. ‘The governor’s train is composed of three cars of supplies, a coach for the militia and a private car for the governor, In addition to the car of provisions added in Bemidji there were two baggage cars filled with 500 tents, blan kets, nails, ham. mers and other hardware and medi- cal supplies. Five hundred new blankets were purchased in St. Paul. In the governor’s car there are two Red Cross nurses, Miss I. B Carlsteen and Beatrice Dolan, They are to give such attention to the fire sufferers as only trained and experienced minds can give. Adjutant General Wood, Attorney General Simpson and other state officers of the M. N. G., make the day coach carrying the Bemidji militia there headquarters and it is in this coach that the Twin City newspaper men, of whom there are five, are to be found. Your own correspondent was fortunate enough to be quartered in the governor’s private car. Twenty-seven of the Bemidji militia men were mobilized under the command of Lieutenent Kenneth Kelley and placed on board, but at the urgent reguest ot Mayor Parker and Chief Harr- ington, of the men were ordered to remain in Bemidji. The nine left behind to fight the fires arcund Puposky and Nebish and hardware, nine were Eimer Mattson, M. A. Lockwood, Vern King, Lewis Bourgette, Frank Parker, H. Dunn, B. R. Erickson, Louis Simonson and M Adams. The militia men who continued on to the hire zone were Charles Baker, Ernie Anderson, John Skogshurg, Ted Getchell, William Pickles, Sergeant Birrer, James Hillaby, Levi King, C. Crippen, Corporal Del Burgess, Sergeant George T. Baker, John Holden, V. L. Ells, Licutenent Kelly and Roy Lindsey, Begining at a point twenty miles north of Bemidji the smoke became thick and continued to increase as the train proceeded north and with one or two exceptions, noticably at Blackduck, details coucerning which were covered ih a separate dispatch, no fires were encountered. ‘The special train is furnished free from St. Paul to Brainerd by the Northern Pacificand from there to International Falls by the Minnesota AST HiS MA (F HE CAN Come VAW NI s s g N anuipr i <AL UV BEMIDJI, MINNESOTA, WEDNESDAY EVEl‘iING, OCTOBER 12, 1911). SOMEBODY'S AT THE DOOR. RN —Briggs in Chicago Tribune. GASS LAKE MAYOR IS BACK FROM WASHINGTON Is Much Pleased With the Decision of Secretary of the Interior Ballinger. Cass Lake, Minn., Oct. Mayor D. F. Dumas, who was called to Washington a week ago, 12— together with other representatives from Northern Minnesota, retiirns en today and ,e‘xpresses himself very much pleased with the de- cision of Secretary of the Interior Ballinger. Mayor Dumas states that there is no doubt but that the sale of liquor to Indians can be prevented with the assistance of the Federal officers and he will do his utmost in bringing about such a condition of affairs. A short time after Mayor Dumas returned from his trip east, he got busy with a subscription list to help the fire sufferers along the northern border. The citizens of Cass Lake responded freely and in a few hours the mayor succeeded in collecting nearly $200. The money has been sent to tke Red Cross society for distribution among the needy and homeless sufferers. MANY FIRE RUMORS FALSE. Bagley, Minn,, Oct 12th, 1910.— “All reports of fires in Clearwater county are absurd. Twelve scouting parties sent out into every part of county report no fires of a danger- ous character. Smoke from Baudette and Spooner fills the air. One hundred fire fighters held in readi- ness to assist on instant call from eitber Clearwater or Beltrami counties.” The above is a message receiv- ed from A. Kaiser at Bagley, twenty-five miles west ot this city, which should relieve those who have become unduly excited over fire condiiions in tte neighboring counties. UNGLE TON'S GABIN Coming to the Armory Theatre Oct. 15 The leading feature of a perform- ance of Uncle Tom,s Cabin to the thousands of lady patrous who flock to see it, is ‘the character of Eva. Managers heretofore have found it a difficult task to secure a child suited to it in looks, size and temperament to correctly interpret this role, but Mason Bros. pride themselves in be- ing able to present the smallest, most winsome and most talented child artist_ ever seen in this part. In baby Beland, a six vear old infant prodigy, is an ideal Eva, aund a little miss that is a living, breathing count- & International. erpart of the lovable child of Mrs. Stowe’s great play. She comes from a theatrical family and was practi- cally born in the profession. She not only speaks her lines distinctly, and intelligently, but she sings and dances with the skill of an adult, There is nothing precocious about this little miss, she is simply a sweet, lovable little artist who wins the hearts of her audiences nightly and gives a vivid and lifelike portrayal of the most beautiful child character ever conceived by a playwright of this or former times. GAR-LOADS OF DONATIONS Bemidji Women Active in Soliciting For Fire Refugees. Under the direction of Mayor John C. Parker, Mrs. A. P. White and Mrs, W. H, Vye, a systematic canvas of the homes of Bemidji was made and the response was so great that additional help had to be se- cured to gather in all the donations made by the liberal citizens of the city. Donations of every description, including clothes for men: and women, blankets, etc., were gath- ered together at the Armory hall. Arrangements were completed for the caring of refugees that were expected on the late train Tues- day evening. Plenty of beds and bedding are in readiness, Preparations were also complete to serve to these refugees a hot din- ner upon their arrival at the Odd Fellows hall. Up to the present time, but few families who are in destitute circumstances have come to Bemidji for assistance. The con- tributions that are in waiting at the Armory hall will very likely be ship- ped to the fire zone unless there are enough refugees here to make use of them. Later in the day arrangements were complete to house all donations by the citizens in the Odd Fellows building. A vote of appreciation by Mayor Parker and the committee is cordially extended to all those who so liberally came forward. with aid and assistance. Athe'etic Benefit. A musical and dramatic program will be given Friday evening at 8 o’clock, in the High Schonl Auditor- ium, by the High School students, who will-be assisted by members of the faculty, Mrs. C. R. Sanborn, Charles Cummer and Andtew Rood. The proczeds will be turned over to the Atheletic Association to be used for the encouragemént of all atheletic activities in the High school. The program promises to be a i rare musical treat and a large at- tendence is expected, FIRE FUND GOMMITTEE HAS BEEN APPOINTED Will Commence to Solicit Moneys and Other Donations at Once. Mail to, Either Bank. A committee was appointed this afternoon to solicit funds for the fire sufferers. The committee con- |sists of A. P. White, A. G. Wedge, G..W. Campbell, W. G,. Schroeder, W. W. Brown, C. M. filpon' and W. C. Klein, who started soliciting im- mediately. Any outside villages or cities who desire to contribute to this fund may do so by sending any amount to either the Northern National Bank, First National Bank or Security State Bank of Bemidji, where the funds will be taken care of and given over to the committee. Any donation of clothing, cooking utensils or any necessary articles will be gladly received by the Relief Committee, whose headquarters is the lower floor of the Odd Fellows building on Beltrami and Fourth. In speaking of the rumored danger to Bemidji by fires, Mayor Parker said: : “There is no fire within a radius of twenty miles in either direction from Bemidji, that we are aware of at present. There is absolutely no danger to the city and every pre- caution is being taken by the citi- zens.” TWO GASS LAKE SALOON KEEPERS ARE ARRESTED Both are Charged With Conspiracy to Bribe an Officer of the United States. Today, at Cass Lake, Deputy United States Marshall F. W. Tufts served warrants on Sam Sutor, pro- prietor of the Endion hotel 2nd George Hanson, a saloonkeeper of that city. These men are charged with conspiracy to bribe an officer of the United States. J. M. Dickie, deputy United States attorney of St. Paul, arrived in Be- midji !Iiis_morning and will appear in behalf of the government. The case came up before Judge H, A. Simons of Bemidji this afternoon. Mr. Tufts has two more . warrants for like offenses that will be .served as soon as the men can be found. The penalty for an offense of this na- ture may be equal to a fice three |- times the amount given as a bribe or imprisonmz2nt not to exceed three years. - Bail will probably be. fixed at $5,000. .| timber. BCACKDUCK IN PERIL DECLARES WITTING ‘“Doomed to Meet Same Fate as Bau- dette” Declares Logger to Adjut- ant General Wood. 'WIND SHIFT MEANS DISTRUCTION Fifty Men Fighting Flames Which May at any Moment Leap on Toward Town [BY F. A. WILSON.] “I don’t want ‘to hot-air you, general, butif the wind changes, the village of Blackduck won’t last fifteen minutes,” declared A. E. Witting, the logging and lumber man to Adjutant General Wood, as the governor's special passed that village yesterday afternoon, “We have had fifty men, all we could get, fighting the flames like Trojans for three days, and if the wind goes against us all will be lost. We are doing the best we can toavert trouble, but I want to tell you that it looks mighty serious tous here.” Blackduck has been having trouble with fires for the past week. There is a heavy curtain of smoke filling the sky and Governor Eberhart was much concerned over the dangerous aspect, but it seems to be up to Blackduck to save herself or burn as conditions elsewhere appear more in need of assistance. = General Manager Gemmell was for the most part optimistic over the conditions of the woods. He says that there is now apparently less fire than there has been for several days past. However, the woods are fil- led with smoldering blazes and with unfavorable weather, the & results may be disastrous. V The forests are very dry. The marshes are dried up and Littlefork river is the lowest it has been for years. Later reports show that the fires in the vicinity of Blackduck are pretty well under control and as the hours pass by continue to appear more favorable. The citizens of that village are an unusually brave lot and it would take a most vicious fire to overcome the fighting qualities of |* its people. CONDITIONS AT BAGLEY MUGH EXAGGERATED Mr. Kaiser States that Fire Couid Not Gain Headway asin Northern Section. A. Kaiser, cashier of the First National Bank of Bugley, who was in the city between trains today, stated that the fire situation so far as Clearwater county and Bagley, were concerned, were greatly ex- agerated. That at no time has there been any danger so far as any of the towns are concerned and uptodate no settler has lost any property by fire. That there is no possibility of a fire ever gaining much headway in the county owing to fact that about every quarter section has a settler who has from 20 to 40 acres of land under cultivation and at least 80 acres of his 160 in pasture. The only fires that have attracted attention are in the timber slashings in Towns 143, Ranges 37-38, where logging campanies are operating. These fires, however, are being well taken care of by the lumber com- panies who have 120 men back firing and protecting their green standing Between these towns and the settlements are hundreds - of acres of burned over lands which act as a fire break for back firing. Cass Lake Pioneer Dead. Martin Mettel, one of the pioneer residents of Cass Lake died of tuber- culosis at his home there.’ Deceased was 47 years of age and leaves a wife and two children to mourn his loss. The body-will be shipped to Wadena Wednegday morning. where the funeral will be held in the afternoon. TEN CENTS PER WEEK. BAUDETTE FIRE SUFFERERS FLOCK TOWARD BEMIDJI Mrs. Knute Nelson Tells Story of Fire.—Is Stopping at Rex Hotel With Her Sister Miss Christine Nelson. LIVES LOST WILL PROBABLY NOT EXCEED ONE HUNDRED Sheylin-Mathieu Lumber Company Will Commence Work Among those who were brought in from the fire district last night was Mrs. Knute Nelson of Spooner, whose husband was at one time superintendent of the Crookston mills in Bemidji, but for the past two years has been superintendent of the Shevlin-Mathieu mill at Spooner. Mrs, Nelson is accompanied by her sister, Miss Christine Nelson, who had a millinery - business ir Spooner, and lost her entire property which was partly covered by insur- ance. In ‘talking of the fire at Baudette and Spooner, Mrs. Nelson said: i “It had been smoky for several days but we did not become alarmed until about four o’clock Friday after- noon, when we saw the dense smoke coming from the fire in Pitt, and even then we did not think we were to be burned out but about 6:30 we could see that the fire must be only a few miles away. A half hour later, I took my two babes out of their beds'and.dreSsed them and was just ready to leave the house when 'my He had been down to the mill to attend to the furnishing of the water with which to fight the fire. I stepped out of doors and the wind simply carried me off the porch. It was impossible to take the children in a go-cart as the wind: would Heve upset it, so we had tocarry them across the river to Baudette. “In spite of the fact that the fire came from the west and that Baudette is on the west side of the Baudette River, - Spooner was the fi.st to be burned, the wind suddenly changing. This accounts for the depot at. Bau- dette being saved as well as the saw and planing mills in Spooner. Old Spooner, which probably consists of about a dozen houses and a couple of stores also escaped the path of the flames. “It seemed providential that the mill should be saved. That is the one thing that will give the majority of the people employment. The mill will be idle during the winter as there are no logs to saw but there will be plenty of work cutting trees and pre- paring timber for the mills as the large timber, while slightly burned, will make good lumber if cut during the coming winter. “The Company had built sixteen houses just recently, all of which were burned. However, I learn that they are already hauling in more lumber and will go to work at oncé on new houses for the employes and any one who is at all handy with the bammer and saw will be put to work.” Mrs. Nelson’s parents live at Moval Lake, about eight miles north of Bemidji where she will spend the next few weeks, while her husband is building a temporary home. Mr. Nelson lost his home in the fire but was protected by insurance. LARGE LIST OF DEAD - BURIED AT BAUDETTE busband came in. Members of Releif Party Report on Conditions in The Spooner and Baudette Region. Sixteen of the party who left on MPrErc r AT II\Ir A AM™ of Building Homes for Employees at Once—Mill Did Not Burn—Repairs Will be Made. the fire zone, returned to Bemidji Tuesday evening. Direct reports from members of the party show that the death list placed at a con- servative estimate will not exceed one hundred, many lives having been saved through the efforts of home- steaders in seeking shelter in beds of creeks and marshes. Additional dead are reported as follows: J. F. Broten and family of nine. Mr Broten was formerly a resident of Bemidji and will be remembered as the section foreman on the Wil ton line. William Roulin and family of ten. Mattson Berg, family of seven. Two men from Iowa by the name of Simons, caught in the fire Friday about six- teen miles southwest of Baudette, Both men made frantic efforts to save their lives and succeeded in reaching a stream just in the nick of time. Both men were badly burned. They were carried eight miles on stretchers made of gunny sacks, over piles of burned timber and logs. From this point they were hauled into the town of Baudette by a team of oxen and from there were at once taken to the hospital at Virginia. The father is 70 years old and died shortly after reaching the hos. pital. The son, 35 years old, though badly burned is expected to recover. Chris and William Jorgenson of Detroit were caught in the flames near the north branch of Rapid river. They made a run for the water but became exhausted and fell. before reaching a place of safety. One of the men succeeded in drag- ging himself into the river while the other was unable to proceed and was burned to a crisp. The living brother was taken to the hospital at Virginia, and his condition is critical. J. H. McClernan of Bemidji, whoisa government cruiser, met these men before the fire seemed at all alarming and advised them to make for the village. They did not think there was much danger and established their headquarters in a shack near a creek. As the fire approached and was almost upon tbem they attempted to save the shack by carrying water from the creek. Charles Harrington and George Weber tell of a very narrow escape sixteen miles southwest of Baudette. They managed to dig a hole in the soggy ground and buried themselves until the fire passed over. They had with them a rifle and of supply of cartridges which were left lying on the ground uncovered. The heat was so intense that all the cartridges exploded. g William Fay, James Ramsey, “Pine Tom,” and J. Hanson were the party who rescued the Simons men. They left Baudette Sunday morning, returning with their patients Monday afternoon. Wind Makes Clean Sweep. From reports of the relief party it is stated that the wind has swept the ashes and debris from the old townsites of Spooner and Baudette 80 clean that one would hardly know that buildings ever stood there. Only a few foundations remain to mark the one-time sites of thriving villages. Where lumber and logs were piled nothing at all remains totell the tale. the relief train-Sunday afternoon for |- On Monday, twenty.seven bodiss were buried at Baudette cemetery. The bodies were placed in rough boxes, one, two, three - [Continued on Page}4] father and son were .