The evening world., 1894-07-28
FOREST FIRES RAGE.
Whole Villages Swept Away in
the Great Northwest,
People Of Phi Hips. Wis. Fugitves
from the Flames.
Men, Women and Children Ilc1gcd
bN Fire ~ poMril'> Mills.

MiI.WAl kEE, July -, y spowI FROM
phlu,-. VS., say}' tire, thousand ps'-
pi, hay, been mad" homciosS there by
enc forest lr"s N"t II building Ia left
Standing IN tn" town. and property val
ucd Il, fru,u 81 juyWc to s2rto,vr has been
sw"pt away.
Al day Yesterday the flamos sur
rounded tn" village. Huudrchs Of men
hattlci with the fire but without sue.
cess. The pine forests were AS dry as
parchment. and tn" flames lcapcd from
tree to tree with such rapidity that the
air seemed on fire. The baking soil
sent UP a gas that ignited. and tn,
atmosphere Itself seemed TO blaze.
When the fire reached the city II
swept from house to house, and in an
hour had wrapped the entire village In
flames. The people hcd to the railway,
where tralus were standing, and they
were hastily conveyed to neighboring
towns, Nothing but few personal
effects wer" saved. There are rumors
OF losses OF life, hut in the confusion
they cannot b" confirmed
fhmIll"s are separated, some members
having been taken to one place and
others to another, and 1t Is impossible
To learn whether or not all have es-
capped.
| The heaviest losses 10y the fire are
thus" Of III" John H. Davis Lumber
tanner $1tO.oOr
4 despatch from Chiffon. Wis. says
nine buildings were consumed by ire
At Hilbert this morning. The wind was
blowing heavy gal" aud the whole
| Gown was Threatened with dcstruction
\ tire steamer aud company from chill
ton rendered assistance.
ASHLAND, Wis, july 2S.--forest
| irrS ar" producing great suffering and
loss throughout this vicinity. and rail-
road companies have never before eX-
pcrienCed such damage from fires. ON
tn" Wisconsin Central road II is inn
possible to mov, trains.
Philips, the headquarters Of John r..
I Davis Lumber Company, a manufacture
Ing town of 1000 people, is totally de-
StroNed 10y tire, ana only Il few buildings
remain standing.
Five hundred women and children
from Phillips We're reported in the " GODS
here without shelter.
,mmunrnti,on with. Fihell is now
smut on. and It is feared that that
line the fires are raging with terrible
iierCeneSs.
shores Crossing, a little village eight
miles west of Ashland, was destroyed,
and the homeless families were brought
To Ashland.
Mason, IA small town south on the
Omaha line. cluglt IRE at . o'clock yes
to-day. The White River Lumber COM
runN's mill. with 40Un, coo feet of lumber
IN the yards, WIS destroyed, and the
latest report rec lived here said the en-
tire town was threatened Railroad Off
calls say the loss at Mason Is fully a
million dollars.
MEpFnMr, Wis, July 2S.-What. is
west of here. sen, word yesteriny. ask
| ing for assistance on account Of forest
! fires The hand engine WAS despatc lcd
men went To the rescue. and arrived
none too soon to save the mill and resi-
dences for the time being.
small farmers in the vicinity moved
| their families and what little they could
| gather uu Il wagon tn the mill site.
For two hours during the afternoon 15t
men, women and children were confined
on five acres of ground surrounded by
one seething mass of flames.
| kALSD. Wash, July rs. The losses
| SO far reported from the awful forest
fires raging throughout the mountains
Of this section aggregate about sl25, 900
| The people of the Slocum district are
left destitute and without shelter OF
food. \ relief partvh as gone there
| hut II IL feared there Will be great SUI.
fering before 1t pushes its way through
| the burning forest.
Fires have been burning around the
III -fa,ed towns for, several days, hu
swept down the mountain. lifting high
! In the air tops ana limbs of burnint
trees and carrying them long distances
| az brands to start new fires in a thou
Sand different places.
Almost instantaneously dozen fire,
| We're raging in Three Forks. The terror
stricken people had t. flee for their lives
leaving everything behind them. A
| Beas Lake Mr. Mahoney. who ran
hotel. with his wife and two small chill
dren, walrd out into the water OF tn
lake and remained there for hours.
II is almost certain that "A number q
lives have been lost among the prospec
tors.
The total loss at Three Forks is ahou
s& coo; 1T Watson. about $4,000; at Bea
Like. S25,n0
II is feared that Callahan, the tele
grSph operator at Watson, and Franl
Price, who was on the north fork @
Carpenter Creek, have persisted. Tn
line OF the fire Is Twenty-Five miles long
ana the damage to valuable timber |
81 , rmous.
buildings at the Tam OShanter min
and the lilur liell mine We're hurnec
At KAlso alarm Is felt for the safety q
the town. \ big fire has been hurnin
on the lake shore within "A quarter g
"a tnilr Of the town