Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1895-07-13
DRIVEN BY FLAMES.
Whole Towns Destroyed by Fierce
Forest Fires in Michigan.
The Damage Will be Enormous-No Loss OF
Life Yet Reported.

Detroit, Mich, July 12.-The upper
part OF the lower peninsula of Michigan
was dotted, last night, with many forest
fires Already the lumber towns of Wal
lin, in Benzie county, and Cleary, another
little town, have been levelled to the
ground, several people have been badly
burned, and no one knows how far the
damage has extended.
The Thumb" has been invaded and
the town of Kendel is girded with fire and
ashes and black leaves are sitting down
on the people in the resorts to the north.
Wallin, as far as can be learned, was
totally destroyed. The Sullivan Lumber
Company's mills there and 1000, 900 feet
of lumber were burned, together with 30
houses that made up the little settlement.
The people lost all they had.
Late dispatches from Thomsonville
show that about 20 people who have been
taken there from Wallin were all more or
less injured One little child Is missing
from Wallin.
Two Chicago and West Michigan trains
are blocked by fire just below Wallin, and
the telegraph poles are burned and all
wires are down.
Late last night, intelligence was re-
ceived that CleaIy, small lumber town
near Wallin, was burned last evening.
The fires which have been burning for
several days suddenly grew worse, and
before the inhabitants were aware of it,
they were nearly hemmed in. They made
push from the burning town, and as far
as known left no one behind.
From Kindee in the Thumb" where
the great forest fires occurred a few years
ago, come the most alarming reports.
The town is surrounded by flames that
every moment are sweeping nearer the
place. The news as sent from towns near
by is that the people of Kindee are
wetting the roofs of their houses and
plastering the sides with wet blankets in
the hope that they may save their property.
1t is feared that the town will go, and
messages urging the people to flee for their
lives have been sent from several places.
Reports from Traverse City, Petoskey,
Charlevoix and other towns are all of the
same tenor, that the fires have been
burning for two weeks and that sudden
strong wind has famed them into alarm
ing activity. Already number of farm
houses have been burned and the people
are coming into town telling that they
have lost all they had.
Father Smoke, one of the remnants of
the Chippewa Indian tribes in the Petos-
key vicinity, lost his cabin, yesterday.
Late reports from the western edge of
the state are that there is little improve
ment in the situation, but it is feared that
the hot cinders have worked havoc among
the famous orchards of that vicinity.
A special to the Detroit Journal from
Thompsonville, Mich, says: Forest
fires are still raging north and south of
here. Wallin,a small town swept by fire,
yesterday, presented desolate appearance,
this morning. Mrs. Griffin and her three
small children, wrapped in led clothes, were
found buried in the sand and are In O
very precarious condition. The fire had
swept over and scorched them severely
Johnny Payne, aged =, was found in the
Betsey river with the fire raging on both
sides of him. He had laid in the stream
all night.
So far no actual loss of life Is reported,
but three or four persons are reported
missing. The town of Clary, said to have
been destroyed, is thought to be safe, as
the residents had back fires on all sides.
The railroad company is fighting fire
around their section house south of here
with small hope of saving it,"
A special from Grand Rapids says the
town of Wallin was owned chiefly by the
Wallin Leather Co. and Sullivan Leather
Co. with headquarters In that city Grand
Rapids & Indiana Railroad officials say
that danger to other towns is not passed
and nothing but heavy rains can avert
enormous losses. The railroad off cials
state that there was no loss of life at
WalliD