The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1893-09-16

MILWAUKEE, WIS, Sept 15.-Dls-
patches from score Of northern Wis
consin cities tell stories Of great loss by
forest fires. Marshfsld Junction, Dex-
tsrville, Prentice, Spencer, Medford,
Rhinelander, Stephens Point and
other points with a population Of 5000
to 5000 are surrounded by flames and
ID the greatest danger Of being wiped
out. Everything between Wood county
and Necedah, and Junea county. on the
Chicago, Milwaukee & st. Paul railway,
10 burned. Dexterville is threatened
with devastation. Hundreds Of scat.
tered dwellings, known to be in the
path Of the flames, are doubtless burned.
No Losses of life have been reported,
but that all the settlers in the burned
district have escaped is impossible.
Every square mile OF timber district
of Wisconsin is q dry tinder, no rain
having fallen for weeks, aud the flames
are sweeping without check. The
losses cannot OF course be estimated,
but are doubtless in the millions. The
district already swept by the fires and
that still threatened includes nearly
one.third Of the state. Wisconsin is
to-day overhung by q pail OF smoke
reaching from Lake Michigan to Lake
Superior and from the extreme eastern
border of the state to the Mississippi.
A special to the Wiseonsin from
Marshfeld, Wisconsin, says:
Yesterday and last night will long be
remembered by the people OF this sec
ton of the country, more especially the
scenes OF last night. Driven by ter
rife wind two great forest fires, ono on
the south and another on the north
side of the city, threatened destruction
and swept everything before them. At
one time the fire got atits entire limits,
but was met by an army OF citizens,
who formed bucket brigade and sue
ceeded in preventing repetition OF the
disastrous fires Of several years ago.
Reports of great loss Of property
come in hourly. Powers station, two
miles north OF here was entirely wiped
out A dozen families lived there and
barely escaped with their lives. The
loss Of life so far as can be ascertained
at this writing is only the two children
of Frank Kodil, who as reported were
sufocated.N,
Adyiees are received in the railway
offices in Milwaukee to the effect that
the flames have made clean sweep Of
everything between Babcock and Niece
dah, distance OF twenty miles.
Between forty and fifty families are
homeless in the vicinity Of Marshfeld
alone, but as the wind which subsidized
last night has increased to-day others
will doubtless be unhoused by the
morrow.
Never since the FIRE OF 1871 have such
terrible forest fires burned in this state
as have ragged through northern Wis
consin during the past few days. The
extent Of the damage cannot be esti-
mated, owing TO the fact that the fires
have cut of telegraph communication
with most OF the smaller towns.
On timber the losses are of course
the heaviest, and Frank B. MILAN, OF
the MILAN Lumber Company, in an in.
teryiew tonight said that loss from the
recent fires would probably amount to
between $5,000.0O0 and 50, 200, 600. This
represents a vast amount OF pine as we'll
as hardwood timber covering land
area, which even those most familiar
with the forests Of Wisconsin cannot
estimate. In fact It is scarcely an ex-
aggsration that all OF Northern Wiscon.
sin is one smeuldering furnace, go COM
plete is the line OF fires which are raw.
ing in the forests between here and
Lake Superior.
the fires and terrible fires are raging
along the lines Of the Wisconsin Cen.
tral, Milwaukee, Lake Shore & Western
and Chicago. ST. Paul, Minneapolis d
Omaha railways. AS yet no one has
been found who has been liable to con-
firm the reports OF loss Of life from the
flames. That some settlers have been
cut OF by the flames and killed is very
probable, and in another day or two
proof Of the death Of many persons may
be obtained.