Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1894-08-02
TOWNS IN RUINS.
Resistless Sweep Of Forest Fires
In Northern Wisconsin.
Life and Property Go Down Before the
Flames-SOme of the Heavy Losses
The Terrible Disaster at Philips
Other Forest Fires. g
STORY OF THE DISASTER.

heavy loss of life, the extent not vet
known. though at least fifteen persons
met death at Phillips Friday, is the
record of the forest fires which have
swept northern Wisconsin. It is al
most certainty that some Of the lone
homesteaders scattered throughout
the burning timber have persisted IN
the flames unless they have in some
marvellous way escaped the suffocating
flames and smoke.
Estimate Of Property Losses.
The losses now seem to be:
The city OF Phillips entirely wiped out. 4
The city OF Mason practically destroyed. with
White River Lumber company and 80, 0OO, OOO
feet of lumber.
Headquarters OF the Ashland Lumber COM
pany near Shores Crossing entirely wiped out.
Special train Of the Chicago, st. Paul, Min
neapolis & Omaha consisting Of sixteen cars
and locomotive, all burned; broke through
burning bridge near Ashland Junction.
Camps II of Thompson Lumber company
burned at White River. -
Two bridges on Wisconsin Central railroad,
one near Chelsea. another near Phillips, both
on main line south Of Ashland.
These are the estimated losses, spe-
cifically, SO far as known:
Lumber plants 81 900 900
Phillips residents. OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. 1,2sOOOO
Mason ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. 200 600
Thompson Lumber company, Of Wash
Ashland Lumber company. ...,..... 5000
Shores Crossing residents. ............. 1000
Two bridges G., st. P, M. & o. rail-
road. So. ................... 10000
Two bridges Wisconsin Central. ....... 10000
Homesteaders. Observation-Disclosures. 25OOOO
The Disaster at Phillips.
PHILI4Ps, Wis. July sl.-Out of q
town of 100 buildings but twenty-seven
are left standing. Driven by the in
creasing wind the fire swept the south
west limits of the city Friday after
noon. Across the miles of swamp
where the water was from 6 to u
inches deep it could be heard roaring
for an hour. The fremen were forced
to use dynamite. This stopped the
progress of the fire, after the north
end of the city had been destroyed, in
GLIDING the box factory Of the John r.
Davis Lumber company and the school
house.
| Perished In the Lake.
Driven frantic by the rushing gale
of flames. the familics,of James Locke,
Frank Cliss and Dave Dryden gathered
hurriedly in their arms all their pos
sessions that they could and made for
floating boathonse that was tied to
the town bridge near the box factory.
The ropes were cut and the occupants
thought the gale would drive them
across the lake where the flames
would not reach them, but the raft
was rickety affair and overloaded,
and, most terrible of all, the fire
seemed to create current 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
persisted with the exception of Mrs
Cliss, who was found floating Satur-
day morning on the opposite side OF
the lake, clinging with desperation to
boat.
Another cyclone of fire struck the
western side, sweeping through the
main business and residence portion OF
the city, destroying the rest of the
Davis company's plant. The path of
the fire took in the city hall, court
house, county Jail and the Wisconsin
Central depot and swept everything to
the lake. Gov. Peck and his staff ar.
rived from Madison Sunday morning
A dozen cars of provisions have arrived
from various cities, and the organiza.
ton for relief has been completed
Gov. Peck met with the committee at
the town hall and offered many sug.
gestions.
.. Other Fires.
The forests fires were still raging to
the north and west of here Monday
morning, and several small stations
between here and Ashland were re.
ported to have been wiped out. Fires
of greater or less extent raging be-
tween Claiming and Prai, Mich, on
the Lake Superior division. Lumber
camps on the Gibson and Toleen spurs
of the road, miles west Of Charming
reported destroyed and fires running
rapidly through the woods in that
part of the country. All trains on the
Wisconsin Central road in the section
of the country where the fire is raging
held at various points or picking their
way through the burned-over sections
slowly and with frequent stops.
coMMoNWEALERs SEEK AID.
Abandoned by Their Generals,They Call
on Congress for Help.
I Nv I'll 4
indignant delegations from the indus
trial armies encamped about Wash
ington applied at the room of the
house committee on labor Thursday,
not to urge their bills but to
plead for assistance. The expected
has happened-their leaders have de-
serted them and they seek con-
gressional aid Ito return to the LOCALE
ties whence they came. Coxey's men
said that their leader had left them in