The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1896-08-29
|ONrONAGON is NO MORE.
q The Northern Michigan Town Complet.
tely Wiped out by
b. Fire.
A MILLION AND A HALLP BURNED Up.
Diamond Hatch Company Loses
About One l-TiIlion
Dollars.

Grean Bay, Wis Aug. IS, a. n--on-
touagon, Mich, was wiped out by fire
yesterday photographic: communication
which WIS cut off at o'clock has at last
been made With this city. The fire mas
left absolutely nothing 81 the town ana
the scene is c1so of abject horror Two
thousand people who were comfortably
housed Tuesday murning are now nome
less and without food or shelter. "A mess
age received from the Mayor OF tslntona~
gon at 12:45 a. m to the mayor or Green
Bay asked for assistance saying shay want
tents and food for 1.50o people The ruin
involves the extensive lumber and box
manufacturing plant OF the diamond
Match company an establishment alone
worth upward tf 81 900, 900 and reported to
Der and plant.
Ontonagt;li is Tiln county scat of OEtOna-
xpn county aud the oldest settlement IN
the copper district. Its population is
about 1000 1t Is thu lake Superior terminus
OF tho Chicago. milwaukee, and 81. Paul
railroad system. Yesterday catas.rophe
began with In" small fires in the swamp
just south of town I, which no attention
WAS paid as they were not considered
dangerous. But yesterday morning the
wind 1reshened to d gale from the south,
the swamp fires were driven INTO the sea
soned lumber piles-its-ca0se proximity ana
before effective defense could be made the
flames ware beyond control and driving
straight for the village at q rate SO rapid
that nothing vas thought OF but the say
ing of human lives The railroad com
panies sent ali available engines and ears
there. At O'CLOCK yesterday afternoon
the operators in the telegraph offices we're
driven from their keys and at that office
was centrally located there can be no
doubt that the entire town was wiped oul.
The loss is we'll covered by insurance ana
some cornpan MES notably the Mechanics OF
Milwaukee are reported very neavy losers;
The CHICAGO, milwaukee, & ST. Paul
railroad transported the homeless people
to Rocklaud III box cars where they were
given shelter The loss will aggregate
se!era, million dollars and it is doubtful
II ;he mills destroyed will ever he rebuilt
as nearly all the pine in that county has
been cut. The town has on had a system OF
waterworks but it appears to have be-
come disabled early and was of little use
in fighting the fire. Many Of the people
lost al they possessed and are not only
homeless but pcrn(ess as we'll. ana Will
have to receive outside assistance OF sui
Fey from cold and hunger this winter. On
touagan was the oldest town in the uppe,
peninsula and will hardly be rebuilt.
Among the heavy losers are Sargent,
Jennings and Gilkey of Oconto, lumber
loss. $780, GOO: Louis Reidenger Of Mar
.,uette lumber on dock S2o.Goc: JAS. Nor
con lumber on dock, $4,000; u. j. Merton,
lumber on dock, $4,000; VIM. McF'arlane,
lumber on dock, $4,000: Lowe House, four
story hotel, $4,000: Centennial Hotel 3d.
600: Paul House. $1,000: John HaWley's
big store. total loss $4,000; Bank Of On
tonason, 5000; Chicago. Milwaukee & st.
Paul depot: looStuf!ce, court house. Jail
and school house. $4,000: JAS. MERGERS
large warehouse, dock and coal sheds $50
600: {)ntonagon Miner, Newspaper $2.oA};
Ontouago Herald, newspaper $1,000:
Water Works plant and govelnnent
breakwaters seriously damaged. Number
of residences reported destroyed, 500.
The property loss in OEtOnagon itself ill.,
dependent of the destruction Of the Dia-
1nond Macth Company plant is $5oo,0OO.
Great forest fires are reported in the VI
cinity of Trout creek and the mills OF the
Trout Creek Lumber Company with 49,
10000 feet OF lun,bec-~AsserE reported in
great danger and could only be saved by
change in the wind. That occurred about
SHUTDOWN and light showers have since
fallen Nothing more being heard from
Trout Greek since it is believed the place
is safe.
Ashland. Wis. Aug. 26.--F'orest fires are
surrounding Cheuuenlagon BAY and the
air is filled with smoke ali day. So far
the fire has not reached near enough to
Mace the city in danger. The fire has
swept over e wide area OF territory west
Of town and several honesteaders have
been burned out.
Ironwood, MICA. Aug 26.-This city
and Hurley. Wis, Just across the Mon-
treal river from lronwood> narrowly es-
capped total destruction by fire yesterday
aud for some time it locked as if there
would be repetition of the Phillips and
Hinckley disasters of last summer. A
terrific wind from the south started
about noon and blowing the smor!dering
forest fires surrounding the places into
flames soon covered the cities With a
dense smoke and flying cinders. The
lire departments from both cities re-
spontled and the citizens turned out in d
body and fought the flames back for
hours Several houses were soon on fire
and although every effort was made to
save them, four dwellings of poor FAM
lilies were burned. AS evening came on
the wind changed and the danger was
ayerted.