The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-08-27

MARQUETTE, Mich, Aug. 26.-Fur-
ther details of the great fire at Onto
MACON were received here at an early
hour this morning.
The losses of the Diamond Match
company at Ontonagon, so far as re-
ported, are:
Vast 1iles of lumber and logs. two
saw mills. dry laln, box factory, planning
mill, machine and blacksmith shops,
barns and sheds, brick store building
end contents.
The loss on buildings is s5OOoOo and
Joss on stock as much more. The store
had the largest floor space of any store
in the state of Michigan.
Ontonagon itself is in ruins The
town is no lons, er entitled to place on
the map The fine residences of the
local officers Of the match company are
gone, and all that represented the bust
mess industries of the place.
AMONG THE HEAVY LOSERS
are: Sargent, Jennings and Gilkey Of
Oconto, lumber loss s10O. 600; Louis Reid
enger OF Marquette. lumber on dock,
S25 600; James Monitor of Ewing, lum-
Der on dock, $4,000; D. J. Norton of
Ewing. lumber on dock. $4,000; Will
Lam McFarlan of Bruce Crossing, lum-
Der on dock, $4,000.
Lowe house, four-story hotel, $4,000;
Centennial hotel $4,000; Paul House,
$4,000; John Bawley's big store, total
loss, $50 geo; Bank of Octonagon, $1,000;
Chicago, Milwaukee & st. Paul depot;
postoffice, court house, Jail and school
house, $4,000; James MERGERS large
warehouse, dock and coal sheds. $50
600; Ontonagon Miner, newspaper, ST.
900; Octonagon Herald, newspaper, 81
800; waterworlzs plant and government
breakwaters seriously damaged.
FIVE HUNDRED RESIDENCES.
Number of residences reported de-
stroyed, ECO The property loss in On
aonagon itself independent of the de-
strcctioh of the Diamond Match COM
many plant is $500 900 Women and chill
dreE practically without clothes; men
burned and singed by the flames that
they braHely but uselessly fought, are
being axe INTO the smaller villages near
for shelter and food. At least $500 peo-
pie are left not only homeless, but des-
fitnte and penniless.
For a week past the forest and swamp
fires so common in this region of pine
and stumpage have been smouldering
and filing the atmosphere with a dense
smoke that hung Over the lake shores
like pain. The residents of Ontonagon.
Trout Greek. Greenland, Rockland and
other threatened PORTS, however, felt
no alarm. Early in the morning, a
heavy south wind sprang up. 1t was a
gale OF possibly between twenty-five
and thirty miles an hour. Trout Creek
and Ontouagon were in its path and
both Of hem had about them fires that
leede6 My a wllirlwind to make them
destructive TO life and property. The
Diamond Match company's fire brigade
MADE A HEROIC FIGHT
against fearful Odds They were Joined
hu. their efforts to check the progress
of the fire were unavailing. The flames
burned their way to the lake, leaving
only ruin behind them.
The most serious feature of the fire,
aside from the probable loss OF life, is
that the destruction of Ontonagon IS
in all probability permanent The thriv-
ing place. the oldest town on the upper
peninsula, viii never be rebuilt.
The pine forests, which gave it prom
inence for years and led the Diamond
Match Co. to make it the headquarters
OF their Misunderstanding interests. have
disappeared. There is no more timber
to be cut. That the mills will be re
built no enc believes. There is not a
business block nor house of any value
standing. The homeless are being shell
tered in box cars so far as possible. All
that made the town place of business
importance has gone with the flames
and $500 people are left wanderers on
the face of the earth
The loss viii aggregate between ST.
poo, 900 and 100000.