The Globe-republican., 1894-08-03
FOREST FIRES.
Their Terrible Work In the State Of
Wisconsin.
A Great Amount Of Property Destroyed
and Many Lives Lost-The Thriving
Town Of Phillips Destroyed
Flight Of the People.
Wild Scenes.


ASHLAND, Wis. July 29.-Forest fires
are producing great suffering and loss
throughout this vicinity, and railroad
companies have never before ex-
perienced such damage from fires. On
the Wisconsin Central railroad it is inn
possible to move trains. Phillips. the
headquarters of the John r. Davis
Lumber Co., a manufacturing town of
$500, is destroyed by fire and only
few buildings remain standing. A dis
patch just received from Fifield, a
small station a few miles this side of
Phillips, says that 500 women and chill
dren from Phillias are in the woods
there without shelter. They sent a re-
quest for food and supplies as the sup
ply at Fifield is very short. The train
that started from here last evening was
obliged to return as the bridges are
totally destroyed few miles south.
Along the Omaha line fires are rag
ing with terrible ferceness. Shores
Crossing, . little village miles west
of Ashland, was destroyed yesterday
afternoon, not building remaining
standing, and the homeless families
were brought to Ashland. The rail-
road bridges near there were destroyed.
and in the afternoon a fast Omaha
freight and sixteen loaded cars were
entirely burned. Both the engineer
and fireman were injured, and the
brakemen are missing. Loss to cars
and freight many thousand dollars.
Mason, small town south of the
Omaha line caught fire in the after
noon. The White River Lumber Co. g
mill, with 10000, 900 feet of lumber in
the yards, was destroyed, and at 6
o'clock, the latest report received here,
says the entire town was threatened.
The Omaha bridge across the White
river at Mason is burned. Railroad Of
ficials say the loss at Mason is fully
81. ZOO, 600, with $3.50, 900 insurance.
Town Annihilated.
MILWAUKEE. July 31.-A special to
the Wisconsin from Phillips, Wis, says:
Three thousand people have been made
homeless there by the forest fires. Not
building is left standing in the town,
and property valued at between 81 800,
600 and s., 600, 900 has been swept away.
All day yesterday the flames surround
ed the village. Hundreds of men bat
tied with the fire, but without sue
cess. The pine forests were as dry as
parchment, and the flames leaped
from tree to tree with such rapid ty
that the air seemed on fire. The bak-
ing soil sent up gas that ignited and
the atmosphere seemed to blaze. When
the fire reached the city it swept from
house to house, and in an hour had
wrapped the entire village in flames.
The people fled to Midway where trains
were standing and they were hastily
conveyed to neighboring towns.
Nothing but few personal effects
were saved.
Families are separated, some mem
bers having been taken to one place
and others to another town, and it is
impossible to learn whether or not all
have escaped. The heaviest losses by
the fire are those of the John r. Davis
Lumber Co., 100000, and Fayette
Shaw, tanner, 100000.
A heavy loss of life resulted at Phil
lips from the fire. It is estimated that
between fifteen and twenty-five per
sons were either burned to death OF
drowned in their efforts to escape from
the flames that destroyed the town.
The only refuge from the fire was the
lake, and hundreds of people fed to
the water to avoid death in the fire.
In the rush the weaker ones fell down
or were carried into the deep water
and persisted. Others. overcome by the
heat and smoke, fell in the streets and
were burned to death where they lay.
The entire northern part of the state
is sea of flame. The country is dot
ted with the homes of farmers and
homesteaders 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.
Probably many have lost their lives.
SimsrOtt's RuinOus Work.