The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1894-08-04
FOREST FIRES RAGE
GREAT DESTRUCTION IN NORTH
WESTERN WISCONSIN,.
Phillips, a Manufacturing Town
and Mason Are Entirely Destroyed
nd Other Towns Arc In Danger
Many Lives Probably Lost.

hN OtlCr TOWNS Arc IN
Many Lives Probably Lost.
Ashland. Wis, July 2S.-Forest fires
are producing vast suffering and less
through this vicinity, and the railroad
companies have never before experienced
such damage by fires.
On the Wisconsin Central it is impossi-
ble 10 move trains. Phillips, the head
quarters of the John r. Davis Lumber
company, a manufacturing town of 1000
population, is totally destroyed by fire,
and only a few buildings remain stand
ing.
A dispatch just received from Fifield, a
small station a few miles this side of
Phillips, says that 500 women and chill
drcr. from Phillips are in the woods there
without shelter. They sent a request for
food, as the supply at Fifeld is very
short, but the train that started from
here last evening was obliged to return,
as the bridges are totally destroyed Il few
miles south. Communication with Fl
field is now shut off and it is feared that
the town is also on fire. Along the Oma-
ha line fires ragged with terrible fierceness.
Shores Crossing, a little, village eight
miles west of Ashland, was destroyed to-
day. Not a building remains standing.
and the homeless families were brought
to Ashland. The railroad bridges hear
there were destroyed and u fast Omaha
freight train was ditchcl aud the engine
anil sixteen loaded cars were entirely
burned. Both the engineer and fireman
were injured and the brakemen are miss
ing. The loss ON cars and freight is
lnany thousand dollars.
Mason. a small town on the Omaha
Lumber coupany's mill, with 4O,000,O00
stroyed. The entire town was threatened.
The Omaha bridge across White river at
Mason is burned. Railroad officials say
the loss at Mason is fully $1,O0o,000
with $2250,000 Insurance. The mill be-
lonsed TO the Weyerhauser syndicate.
Homcstcaders in outlying districts 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 department is carefully guarding the
outside limits of Ashland. and the city IS
rot in any imminent danger. A dispatcl.
frc:a Hurley states that the town has
been enve!nrc.l in Il dense cloud Of smoke
all day with fires on nearly every side.
Ii;e mayor and a committee are low
gathering supplies which will BE- sent to
Fiheld iii the morning if the train can get
through the flames raging between here
end there. DIR. Bartoe, whose family
reside at Phillips, received the following
message from Fifeld: "Your wife aud
baby are in the woods near Phillips with.
out food and clotlipg." He is half
crazed With grief, but is unable to send
any help. 1t is feared ths t many lives
are lost, US with hundreds Of women
ard children in the Gods and fire sill
o them, some must surely perish.
The ;anntry and immense numbering con-
Germs at Phillips are among the ruins,
so that the loss will be appalling. The
Central passenger, due here from Mil
waukee, is at Chelsea, unable to pass
Phillips. The Omaha freight train de-
stroycd near Shores Crossing was loaded
with wheat. A wrecking crew is now at
work, but the only part of the train will
be thee engine. The fire came upon Shores
Crossing with terrible rapidity, and
many residents there lost everything they
possessed. Not a structure of any kind
remoins starding. A dozen bridges on
the Omaha line have been burned, and
railroad men say it will take two weeks
to rebuild the n destroyed ut Mason.
At 10 o'clock a welcome rain beg N
falling, the first in many days, but un
fortunately lasted only IL few minutes, 50
that it will not put out fires IL any tx
tent.
A freight engine with q caboose has
just arrived from Mason, and the worst
rel orts of the fire there are confirmed.
The town is literally wiped out of ex-
istence. The fire started in the lumber
yard Of the White River Lumber COM
pany from sparks from forest fires, and
though the 400 employees worked nobly
in defense of their homes, the resistless
flames swept through the town.
Hayward, Wis, July 2S.-Bridges ut
Mason and Forest City have been burned.
The wires are down and no definite in
formation can be secured. The country
surrounding this town is all on fire, and
the smoke is very dense. If no rain falls
soon there is imminent danger to oil.
towns in this vicinity. A crew is going
on q special train to repair the BRIDGES.
Twenty-Five People Perish.
Ashland, Wis, July 3O.-Mllions of
dollars of property destroyed in the two
cities Of Mason and Phillips ard several
villages, including Coolridge and Shores
Crossing, in ruins; an immense tract of
standing pine in a state of desolation;
several freight trains burned to frag-
ments, many railroad bridges wrecked
and a score or more of lives lost are some
of the results of the terrible forest fires
that so fiercely 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 from the effects of the
intense heat and smoke. When the fire
first struck the town it spread with
tmazipg rapidity. No n had time to
secure his personal sfe. is, and when the
box factory, in which the water plant
was located. cauctt fire there was q mad