The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-07-29


Of air that pulled them directly towards
great pile of burning lumber on the
lake shore. The raft began TO sink, and,
with death by fire facing them on one side
and drowning on the other, the boats were
resorted to, but in the gale they capsized
almost instantly and all perished with the
exception of Mrs. Cliss, who was found
floating this morning on the opposite side
OF the lake, clinging with desperation to
boat.
GAUNTLET OF FLAME.
When it became evident that the city was
threatened with destruction, the John r.
Davis Lumber Company made up a train
Of its cars and sought to take the women
and children to a place of safety on the
Little Elk branch. The train had proceed
ed but little way, however, when the
bridge across the stream was discovered to
be burned, and the train with its cargo of
human freight was forced to return 20 the
city and run the gauntlet of flame and
smoke. In the meantime permission had
been received to use the main tracks of the
Central road, and the homeless people were
carried south twelve miles to Prentice The
people of Prentice opened wide their homes,
but there was not room for all the crowd
Of men, women and children.
About IL o'clock at night the fire-fghters
who had remained on the scene betook
being place that had been burned o~er a
few days before. so that there was nothing
more for the fire to feed on. Their route
was thick with smothering smoke The
|. flames jumped directly across their path
from one side to the other The fire in the
forest broke out with vigor, and the tall
pines, even the greenest ones, were ga eat
blazing torches, throwing long tongues of
fire high in the air. The roaring and
cracking of the fire among the trees was
so terrible that those who heard it will re-
member it as long as they live. Such light
of day as broke through came through
clouds of smoke that encircled the horizon
to sky. There was hardly enough property
| left to be called ruins. Over nearly a mile
| in length, from north to south, and half
mile wide from the lake in the cast to the
| swamp on the west was nothing but en-
| bers and ashes.
AS soon as the dense smoke had cleared
| a trihe, back came the people, some of
| them worn out, who, the day and night
| before. had slept by the roadside on the
| charred ground, with the forest cracking
all around. Now that the fire had spent
| there was not as much as a piece of bread
| to eat A relief committee was organized
| and relief headquarters established in the
Worcester Town Hail. and there assembled
| fathers seeking information as to the
| whereabouts of their families, and mothers
| and children crying with hunger. Quick to
respond were the neighboring towns In al
| most no time provisions, consisting of
| bread, butter. coffee and canned articles,
had been received from Fifield, Prentice,
| Dorchester Medford and Butternut.
CALL FOR ASSISTANCE.
A message was sent to the Governor
| asking him to send blankets and
| tents, together with mess tents, for one
thousand people. In response to this the
| Governor telegraphed tonight that there
were no tents available at present but
that he would be here in the morning with
| shea thing, hammers and nails, and be
ready to begin the construction of tempo
rary quarters.
The fire played some queer freaks The
house of Clerk of Court William Nelson
was the only structure on the main street
| not burned. 1t is a frame dwelling, and
not even his fence was scorched, while
| ruins surrounded it on all sides. The furn-
iture which he moved out in order 20 save
| it was destroyed. The railroad bridge just
north of here was burned, and passengers
are being transferred in boats.
Many believe that more dead must be in
the ruins in the town where the fire first
| illdue It's sweep. Iht pCOplc mere Hdu less
| chance for escape than the others, and it
is feared some of them have perished No
| attempt has been made to search for bodies
yet Major Upham is on the way here
from Marshfield in charge of a relief train.
| 1t will arrive some time during the night.
The only lights here tonight are three or
four lanterns, brought in by the Central
| company. There are not enough blankets
to go around, and the people are sleeping
on the ashes.
The entire northern part of the State
is a sea of flames. The country is dotted
with the homes of farmers and homestead
ers and with lumber camps. There is no
doubt that hundreds of these buildings
have been burned, while the fate of the
people is in doubt. 1t is probable that many
of these have also lost their lives.
OF those who perished here three bodies
have been found The citizens who es-
capped the fire are homeless and without
food or clothing, and are in a state of the
most serious destitution. The operator
sending this news from Phillips tapped the
telegraph wire in the woods, and, with a
board for a table and the earth for his