The Butler weekly times. (Butler, Mo.) 1881-1918, 1894-08-02
FIERCE FOREST FIRES.
Several Wisconsin Towns Are Wippd
Out If Existence.

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fires are producing great suffering
and los. tniou. Lout the vicinity,
and railroad companies have never
before experienced such damage
from fires On the Wisconsin cen
trail railroad it is impossible to move
trains. Phillips, the headquarters
of the Johu r. Davis Lumber COM
pany, q manufacturing town of
$500 is destroyed by fire and only a
few buildings remain standing. A
dispatch just received from Fifeld,
small station this side of Phillips,
say that 500 women and children
from Phillips are in the woods there
without shelter. They sent a re.
quest for food and supply at Fi6eld
is very short. The train that start
ed from here this evening was oblig-
ed to return as the bridges are
totally destroyed few miles south.
Communication with Fifeld is now
shut off and it is feared that town is
also on fire.
Along the Omaha line the fires
are raging with terrible 6erceness.
Shores crossing, a little village s
miles west of Ashland, was destroy
ed this afternoon, not building re-
mained standing, aud the homeless
families were brought to Ashland.
The railroad bridges near there were
destroyed, and at 4 o'clock this
afternoon fast Omaha freight and
sixteen loaded cars were entirely
burned. Both the engineer and
fireman were injured, and the brake.
men are missing. Loss to cars and
freight many thousand dollars. Ma.
son, a small town south of the Oma-
ha line, caught fire this afternoon.
The White River Lumber compauy's
mill, with 10000, 900 feet of lumber
in the yards, was destroyed, and at
6 o'clock, the latest report received
here saws the entire town was threat.
ened.
The Omaha bridge across the
White river at Mason is burned.
Railroad officials say the loss at
Mason is fully S1,OOc,0OO, with
$25O,00O insurance.
Homesteaders in the outlying dis
tricts are all fleeing into the nearest
towns, leaving their homes to the
fury Of the flames. So far no loss
of life is reported. The fire depart
ment is carefully guarding the out
side limits of Ashland and the city
is not in any immediate danger.
News from Hurley states that
town has been enveloped iii a dense
cloud of smoke all day, with fires
on nearly every side.
FIGHLING FOR THEIR LIVES.
Medford, Wis, July 27.-Wha,
is known as Powelrs Mills, eight
miles west of here, sent word early
this morning asking for assistance
on account of forest fires. The hand
engine was dispatched at once with
teams and one hundred men wen,
to the rescue, and arrived none too
soon to save the mill and rssidenc.
for the time being. Small farmer.
in the vicinity moved their families
and what little they could gather or
q wagon and came to the mill site
For two hours this afternoon Isl
men, women and children were con
fined on FIVE acres of ground, sur
rounded by one seething mass o
flames, and Que must see a fores
fire to realize how much danger
there is with sitting clouds Of smoke
and aii communication or means o
escape cut off 1t was . case o
pump or take to the mill pond.
Live stock is dying by the side o
the road, burned to crisp. Grea
fears are entertained for dozel
farmers who live northeast of Pow
ellis Mills. whose one road OF exit i
surrounded by fire. Word has bee
received here that six families be
tween Chelsea and Rib Lake wer
burned out.