The Dickinson press., 1894-08-04

Loss Is Enormous.
Ashland, Wis, July 3O.-Millions of
dollars of property destroyed in the two
cities of Mason and Phillips ard several
villages, including Coolridgc and Shores
Crossing, in ruins; an immelSe tract of
standing rine in a state of desolatiOn;
several freight trains burned to frag-
ments, many railroad bridges wrecked
and score or more of lives lost are some
of the results of the terrible forest fires
that so fercely ragged over Northern Wis
consin. At Philips seventeen persons
met death in the fire. Most of the deaths
were caused by drowning, but several
persons met death fl ON the effects of the
intense heat and smoke. When the fire
first struck the town it spread with
,m:lZing {, rupi.lity. No one lad time to
secure his personal ,.ffc. is, and when the
box factory, in wi ich the water plant
was located, caught fire there was mad
rush by the inhabita1 Is to seek places Of
safety. Most Of them started for the
wC.nls. but many of them SC lred boats
al i inlprovised r.fts and rushed out into
tie millpond. 1t WAS upon these pet'plc
in boats and RATS that the storm of fame
:. bent its greatest fury The pond :s but
small one, ard though the boats were
in the cent,r, the livil cinders fell IN
every side, burning the boats to the
waters edge and forcing those unAEle to
swim t. seek a wattry grave.
Those who escaped by cling;ng to pieces
of drift wood say the cries of their COM
panions rs they fell back exhausted and
overcome by the heat and smoke were
heartrending. One family consisting Of
husband, wife and six children, entered
O floating boat house and pushed away
from shore. They were unable to man
age the awkward box and flames reached
out from the burning buildings on the
shore and it was quickly burned, the un-
fortunate occupants being literally roast-
ed alive. 1t was terrible sight, and no
one could help them. Every one was in
tent OH saving his own life. The flames
advanced with the roar of cyclone in
the shape of solid wall of fire hum
dred feet high. The entire town was
composed mostly Of wooden structures,
and it onl.' took til" 1cmes two hours to
destroy nil" hundred buildings ind leave
il ruins city of 1900 inhah;tants. Nin.-
teen houses standing Oh Il liill apart from
the rest ere al! that rom: ins
(;oolridgc, SNAIL viilt &C five miles
this side of Phillips. containing II mill
ans thirty houses, WIS also "ipcd out,
but no fatalities are reported from there.
The secretary Of the John r. Davis
Lumber company teiegr griph.l here. that
80 far as it has been learned twenty-five
lives were lost. Besides this miDy per-
sons We're burned, but not fatally, and
severa! iireiucn received serious wounds
IN their vain enile ,:rr to save the town.
The people there have no food, which
must eoon lie forthct ming, or many lives
will be lost from starvation. This mor1l-
ing a small quantity of food was sent
them from Fiheld, a1d later car load
was sent from here. Three hundred of
the people have gone to Prentice and 9th
ers to Fiield, but the main portion, COM
rrising over 1000 souls. arc yet at Phil
lips waiting for aid. Several tents sent
from here have been erected, and with
the few houses standing most of the
women and children ere sheltered, but
many of them have but scanty attire, so
that supplies of clothing must accompany
food. Yesterday collections in all the
locfl Churches were taken up to purchase
supplies for the homeless people.
The loss at PhilliI is now estimated at
a million dollars. The lumber company
lost 20.OO0.OOO feet of lumber besides
saw mill, box factory, planning mill and .
large general store. The financial loss
at Mason will likely exceed this.