The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1894-08-02
A CONFEDERATION.
The Loss Placed at One Million and a
Half Dollars.
The Insurance Probably Half That Amount
Most Terrible of All, Sixteen Persons
Known to Have Been Burned or
Drowned-A Terrible Disaster.


PHILLIPS, Wis, July 3O-All that is
known of certainty, forty-eight hours
| after the destruction of this town, re-
garding the loss of human life in the
flaming sea, is that sixteen persons per-
ished by fire and water in the burning
of the raft on which they sought an es-
cape from the flames.
The charred bodies of many victims
are expected to be found in the debris
of the big lumber yard, near the bridge
which burned over the bayou. Women
and children fed there when the
bridge fell under the fiery wave. 1t is
certain that several women and chill
dren, who were crossing the bridge
when it burned, perished in the flaming
mass.
| A semblance of order was created out
of the smoking chaos Sunday morning,
on the arrival of Gov. Peck and his staff,
and relief parties with provisions from
Marshfield and Stevens Point. The
carloads of food were welcomed more
than the visitors All except 81 Of the
buildings are in ashes.
At daybreak Sunday morning a dense
hundred miles square. More than $500
persons hastened to the forests and to
the villages near by. The smoke was
so dense that the headlight of loco
motive could not be seen fifty feet
away.
As soon as he arrived Gov. Peck
called his staff together and directed
the work of unloading the provisions.
There were several carloads of food,
and a warehouse was opened in one of
the few buildings that are left stand
ing in the town.
Through the dense smoke Gov. Peck
made his way and found two heavy
walls that marked the place where the
two banks had stood. 1t was learned
that the vaults of the banks contained
$50, 900, and Gov. Peck Immediately
swore in dozen men to guard the
vaults.
The loss by the confagration in it's
entirety is difficult to estimate. Out
of eight hundred buildings in the town
only thirty-seven remain. b. w. Davis,
of the Davis Lumber Co., estimates the
total loss at S1,5Oo,O0O, scarcely half
covered by insurance.
The Davis Lumber Co. lost $500, 900;
fully insured. The next highest loss
is that of the Fayette-Shaw Tannery
Co., operating one of the largest tan
neries in the United States. The
tannery was destroyed with stock, ag-
gregating a loss of over $500, 900. The
Blatz Brewing Co., of Milwaukee, had
distributing depot here, which was
destroyed with loss of $4,000
There is no way of estimating the
number of lives lost in the fire, and
even after forty-eight hours have
passed no one can be found who ven
lures an opinion. When the people
fed before the wave of fire they be-
came separ ated and can give no ac-
count of each other. 1t is known that
sixteen persons perished on the raft
that burned in the bayou.
A bridge or trestle crossed the bayou,
and when the supports of this bridge
were burned away it fell. Women and
children were crossing at the time, and
some must have perished. The charred
body of Anton Flentzer can be seen in
the wreck of brick chimney. The
man was attempting to carry his trunk
: from a burning dwelling when the
chimney fell on him, crushing out his
: life.
AS the fire swept toward the bridge
a number of children were seen to take
refuge in the big lumber yard. Their
cries were heard by others who fed
: toward the water; but the children
: have never been found. OF the six.
teen persons who lost their lives on
: the raft that burned in the bayou,
eight are yet in the water.
The body of Frank Cliss, the machin.
list, was found under pile of driftwood
at noon Sunday. The bodies of his
wife and children were recovered after
ward. Dynamite was exploded all day
in the bayou, and a number of bodies
!, were raised by this means Jim Locks
, body was brought to the surface. He
was the butcher who was drowned
with his child in his arms.
The story of the launching of this ill.
fated raft has never been told. The
only man who tells comprehensive
narrative of the horror is Joseph Boil
len, lumberman. He was standing
near a boathouse when a number OF
!, women and children came toward him.
There were three or four men follow.
: ing. They went to the raft and at,
, tempted to push it from the shore,
when it caught fire. Some jumped
into small boats and others remained
!. on the raft. All perished, as the boats
: were overloaded and sunk. The raft
3 burned to the waters edge. The local
relief committee has issued astatemen,
: to the public, thanking the generous
3 citizens of the state for their liberal
s contributions.
: A Woman Aged liz Years.
l HnI.sBoRO, ILL.,, July 30.-Mrs. Kath
crime Nolan. residing on her great
: grandson's farm near here, fell anc
broke her leg. The attending physi
: clan noted her aged appearance ant
Z discovered that she was ll2 years old