The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1894-07-29
BURNED TO THE GROUND
Phillips, Wis, Thriving Town OF
5000, Completely Destroyed
by Forest Fires
But Thirty Nine Buildings Out OF
Seven Hundred Were Left
Standing
Thirteen Lives Lost, Property worth m
Enormous Sum Damaged or Ds-
stToyed-Many Fires Iiia1lnE.

AnwuAKrr. July 2s. - The ssntinsps
spseiNl from PHILIPS, Via. says Thirty
nine buildinRs out OF 700 stand amid smoke
aud oshss on the site Of what was yss,er-
day the nourishina city Of Phillips county
aoat Of pfieo county. and one Of the
Noalthiest aud most prosperous Of all the
towns ia the timber regions OF Wisconsin.
Three thousand people are homeless. and
except those who have been offered shelter
in neighbo ing towns, whose people will
themselves IBss sleeplesa nigh, through
fsnr that tho hrss raging in the forest ON
all sides will sweep away their homes hs
any hour. will have no covering for their
wornout bodies tonight. Worse than all,
at least thirteen people are known 10 have
lost their lives.
The dead are; James Locke. a butcher,
wife and five children, Frank Cliss. In
charge Of ths dry kilns OF the John X. Da-
via Lumbsf company. aud bis two-yeAr-old
child; Mrs. David B.yden, wife OF the
foreman OF the Faysite Shaw tanneTy. and
two children; an unknown man.
All the dead were drowned In Elk Ia Ike,
while trying 10 escape from the FIRE. sxoept
the unknown man, whose body was found
in tho ruins OF the house OF 4. w. Sockett,
editor of the Phillips Times. The gro erty
loss cannot at this time be nccurAtelY osti-
mated. but will reach at least 81, ,2J0, 900.
Tue Immense plant of tho John X. Davis
Lumber company is n total loss, amounting
TO betwesn $4,000 and $6OO.0O0. On this
property there Is mn Insurance equal to
about foui -ffths Of It's value. In tho rest
| l<e tk hal ha A..
suted. Many OF the poorer people ca ried
no insurance on their homes ana have Lost
everything.
There were many fine business blocks
and priynts residences, and every one was
burned 10 the ground. -Four gales OF hrs,
following each other as soon as one had 40
complished Its work OF dSsti uetion, cut
four swatns through the city, leaving stand
ING only the Lnthetan cbuIch and some
dwellings near the southern limits. and
irsaSishiy jumping over Worcester town
hall and group OF dwellings, IN The very
heart burned district.
A system OF watsrworks which would or
dinarily be ampls protection against blaz-
ing forssts was rendered useless By the
bu ming OF the pumping station in the hSst
| nre. The volunteer hie department. con
sislinR OF thirty four men, aud having ., 600
feet OF hose. had beon working two days IA
4 tie swamp to 20 the west OF the city 10
prevent the flames coming into town.
Driven by increasing wind. the fre reached
the southwest limits OF tho city about Two
o'clock yesterday afternoon.
Across miles OF swamp whore the water
vas from six inches TO n foot Ia depth IL
could be heard roaring for fullT half IN hour.
"a sound that rendered people panic-strick-
On. firsmen foughs 10 until 10 drove them
back with biistered hands and fsoes, and
then they sought 10 stop its progress with
dynamite explosions. This they did ao-
eomplish after she north end OF ths city
had bsen destroyed. just then another
cyclone of hre struck tbs western aid (,
sweeping through the main business ana
residence portion of the city. destroylng
the rect OF the Davis compsny's plant.
Tue path OF lire took in the city ball. court
house. jail and the Wisconsin Central de-
pol. anu swept rything 10 The lake.
Thirteen prisoners were In jail. aud three
OF them made their escape from the sheriff.
Ii was during the FIRST ire that tue loss OF
life occurred. Driven frantic by tie rush-
ing gale of flames the families of James
Lock. Frank Giles and Dave Dryden gath-
eTsl huiriedly in their arms all the possess
siona they could aud mado for floating
boathouse chat was lisd TO the town bridge.
After they had gone short distance the
craft began 10 sink. and death by nre stai-
my them on one side and drowning on the
otneT, boata wee resofted TO, but in the
gale they oapsized almost instantly and all
Ietished with the exception Of MIRA Ciss,
who was found floating this morning on
The opposite side of the lake, olinging with
deIpsration TO the boat
ASHLAND, Via, July 2S.-A Mason, the
house. OF the town proper are stlll stsnd-
Ing. but loss from The IRE will reach SlOl-
0C0 Briefly summarized the fires have
burned as follows: The city OF Phillips,
entirely wiped out; city Of Mason, prReti'
caliy destroyed, with the White River Lum-
ber companT and 30. 000. 600 feet OF lumber;
headquarters OF the Ashland Lumber com
pany. near SBors's Crossing. entirely wiped
out. Ihe camps of the Thompson Lumber
company were burned at White River; two
bridpeu on The main line OF the Omaha aud
two bridges Of the Wisconsin Central rail-
road, south OF Ashland. These are losaos
and. besides tho above the damage to tim
bsr and logs scattered throug ghout the woods
belong 20 individual homssteadsrs, aud
other property, such as col cord wood, ETC.,
swell tue general damage TO appalling
figures.
MiLwAUKrK July 2S.--Iepotts Of fotssi
hros IN northern Wisconsin received to-day
by the officials Of railroads ahow n serious
condiliou OF adaiTs, but there was ~ oniae
OF heavy rams during The day. The nrel
are burning between Claiming aud Prai-
mich on tue Lake SupeTiof division. Lnm
her camps four miles wsst OF Claiming nrg
reported doatToYod and the nras are run
ming rapidly through tho woods. Traini
ore picking their way Oh, ough tine burned
sections slowly.
public meeting waa called 20 take ac-
tion relieving tba unfortunate oitzsns oi
Phillips. Liberal response will be made,
The same state Of Affairs exists ~ MalA'
dore, Sherry and other points west OF here,
but oil have suffered leas than one year AgC
from forest iirea
WAsnnuHN, VIA. july 2S.-Ths saw mill
OF the White River Lumber company al
hasoa burned last night with tOoJO,OJI
feet OF lumber An Omaha freight trAir
went th ouah bridge Ave mil0s south OF
here. and fitesn cars were burned. III,
Gre IL now two miles south OF here, Waah-
burn Ia Ia no dangoL
DuLurH, July ~. A heavy rain last nigh
oneotuHlly checked tho foieat ffes In the
vicinity Of Duluth. Proctor knoth the vii.
laes threatened with distinction, 10 nov
declared out OF danger.
0RkNp NArns. Wis, JULY gA-Fofeal
fires AIs raging along the iine o. Vi Cut
cAgo Milwaukee a st Paul and the Green
Bay q Minntsota roada in this aseiiou.
inoN MouNrAfS, July 9s.-Numerous thor.
momeisra registered 100 In the shade yea
teFday. Forest ffsa are doing much dam
age 10 s,ansinp pine,
/ s