The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1894-07-29
THREE THOUSAND HOMELESS.
Stories From the Town of Phillips
That Almost Surpass Belief.

Ih6t Almost SurpaSS Belief.
Milwaukee. Wis, July 2S.-The Senti-
ners special from Phillips, says:
Thirty-nine buildings out of zoo stand
amid smoke and ashes on the site of
what was yesterday the flourishing city
of Phillips, the county seat of Price
county, and one of the wealthieSt and
most prosperous of all the towns in
the timber regions of Wisconsin.
Three thousand people are homeless
and except those who have been Of
fered shelter in the neighboring towns,
whose people will themselves pass a
sleepless night through the fear that
the fires raging in the forest on all
sides will sweep away their homes at
any hour, viii have no covering for
their Wornout bodies tonight. Worse
than all, al least thirteen people are
known to- have lost tls%ir lives. The
dead are:
James Locke, butcher. wife and five
children.
Frank CHss, in charge Of the dry
kilns of the John r. Davis Lumber COM
pany and two year old child.
Mrs. David Dryden. wife of the fore
man of the Fayette Shaw tannery, and
two children.
Mr.. Dryden was also supposed TO
have died, but returned here tonight,
having been away from the city, only
to hear that his family had persisted.
Unknown man.
All the dead were drowned in Elk
lake while trying TO escape from the
fire except the unknown man, whose
body was found in the ruins of the
house of T. W. Sackett, editor Of the
Phillips Times.
Property Loss Il Great.
The property loss cannot at this time
be accurately estimated, but it will
reach at least S1,250, 600.
The immense plant of the John r.
Davis Lumber company is a total loss,
amounting to between $500, 600 and $780,
0e0. on this property there is an insur-
ance equal to about four-fifths of the
value In the rest of the city about
half the property was insured. Many
of the poorer people carried no insur-
aace on their homes, and they have lost
everything. There were many fine bust
ness Blocks and private residneces, and
every one was burned to the ground
Many of the residences cost upwards of
Sc, 600, and were handsome for = city of
this size.
-Four gales of fire following each other
as soon as one had accomplished its
work OF destruction cut four swaths
through the city, leaving standing only
the Lutheran church and some dwell
fngs near the southern limits and freak
ishly jumping over the Worcester town
hall and a group of dwellings, in the
very heart of the burned district. A
system Of water works, which would
ordinarily be ample protection against
the blazing forests, was rendered use
less by the burning Of the pumping sta
ton in the first fire. The volunteer fire
department, consisting Of 81 men, and
having 1000 feet of hoshe. had been
working two days in the swamp to the
81 fne rif 10 tho
Ginning into the town.
Driven by the increasing wind, the
fire rea ched the southwest limits Of the
city about o'clock yesterday after
coon. Across the miles of swamp where
the water was from six inches to a foot
in depth, it could be heard roaring for
fully an hOur-a sound that rendered
the people panic-stIicken. The firemen
fought it until it drove them back, with
blistered hands and faces, and then
they sought to stop its progress with
dynamite explosions. This they did ac-
complish after the north end of the city
had been destroyed-ttle entire First
and part of the Second ward, including
the box factory of the John r. Davis
Lumber company and the school house.
They Flee in Vain.
Just then another cyclone of fire
struck the western side, sweeping
dence portion Of the city, destroying
the rest of the Davis company plant
The path of the fire took in the city
nail. court house, jail and the Wiscon-
sin Central depot and swept everything
to the lake. Thirteen prisoners were in
the Jail and three of them made their
escape from the sheriff.
It was during the first fire that the
loss of life occurred. Driven frantic by
the rushing gale of flames the families
of James Lock, Frank Cliss and Dave
Dryden gathered hurriedly in their
arms all the possessions they could, and
made for a floating boathouse that was
ted to the town bridge near the box
factory. After they had gone a short
distance, the craft began to sink and
death by fire staring them in the face
on enc side and drowning on the other,
the boats were resorted TO; but in the
gale they capsized almost instantly. All
persisted with the exception of Mrs.
Cliss, who was found floating this MORN
ing on the opposite side of the lake,
clinging with desperation to boat
When it became evident that the city