Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1873-07-09
The Burning of Michigammi.

Inc town was built IN a forest. Streets
were not graded, and but little more than
trails were used to get from one house to
another, while the whole surface of the
location was covered with stumps, inter
spersed with trees and every kind of for
est combustible matter. 1t would seem
inevitable to the most casual forest OBJ
server that the location would have to
burn over if a fire was fairly started in
any part of the forest adjoining. The saw
mill-though to great extent separated
from the forest and the village-was sur
rounded with shavings, shingles, lath and
lumber, and looked like strong invita-
ton to fire. Hence the disaster Of Thurs
day.
1t seems that quite early in the day a
fire which had been burning in the woods
some distance beyond Spur, west of
Michigammi, came working down on the
railroad, consuming most of the improve
ments at Spur, and driving the inhabi-
tants from the few houses there located to
the forest north of the location. The
miners fought it manfully, and succeeded
in saving a portion of the property Of the
company.
Presently, as this fire approached Mich
igammi, the one already burning at this
place began to manifest symptoms of a
dangerous spread, and preparations were
at once made to save property and the
population. At about one o'clock flames
broke out in the village on the south side
of the railway and, being enlivened by a
strong breeze, within few minutes they
were kindled to such an extent as to grasp
every stump, and root, and tree within
range, and it soon swept through
the village, where slight, finder
box dwellings and places of bust
ness were erected amidst the
stumps and dry timber of partial clear
ing. The whole surface of the locality
was but little less than magazine of
combustion, in the most combustible
form, and the result was flames spread
with such rapidity that the occupants of
dwellings and places of business had
barely time to escape alive The con-
fusion, the agony of the women and chill
dren, and the terror of the whole COM
munity cannot be described. Men rushed
wildly toward their houses to save their
wives and children; women shrieked for
aid, and children walled for help, which
did not seem available Yet, though the
fire ragged through the town, taking houses,
the trees, stumps and fences, and all else
with which it came in contact, the inhab
itants were fortunate enough to escape the
Conf1agration with their lives-some with
their clothing and some without-but the
largest proportion with nothing but what
covered their bodies as they fled before the
rage of the storm of fire Most of the
people fled to the shore of the lake, and
many of them with plank, logs, and what
ever else was available, resorted to the
water for safety. Some of them at once
/ j Ill
while others kept near the shore. Many
followed the bush on the south and saved
themselves. Meanwhile the steam pumps
at the saw-mill were kept at work, and
that property was saved. Everything else
was swept out Of existence.
AS soon as the disaster became known
at the office of the Marquette, Houghton
& Ontonagon Railroad in this city special
trains were ordered to the relief of the
sufferers The passenger train coming
east ran the gauntlet through the fire,
and took up as many Of the homeless
men, women, and children as it could
carry and brought them to Champion,
Clarksburgh, Humboldt, and Ishpeming
Some of these passengers were in the most
destitute circumstances, being but half
clad and without food or money, but all,
as far as we can hear, were we'll taken care
of before night.
AS soon as the news of the extent of the
calamity reached Marquette, measures
were Immediately adopted for the relief
of the sufferers Food clothing, and
utensils for cooking and lodging were at
once contributed, and sent to the relief of
the sufferers on special train.
The number of lives lost has not yet
been ascertained At Spur all the in
habitants escaped, though everything was
burned except the company's Office. Two
charred bodies were found in the ruins of
Michigammi; one man is known to have
been drowned in the lake, and it is sup
posed others were drowned, as several
women and children are missing.-Mar-
quette Maa15ng Journal.