The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1898-10-02
LIVES ARE LOST
IN WISCONSIN
Charred Bodies Found
in Fiery Pathways.
HERDS OF CATTLE PERISH
PROPERTY OF ENoRMoUsVALUE
ALSO DESTROYED.
HERDS OF CATTLE PERISH
Some Thrilling Escapes and Adven-
- lures of Men Who Encoun-
tered the Sweeping
Flames. :
Special Dispatch to The Call.


MILWAUKEE, Wis, Oct. IA spe-
cial to the Journal from Rice Lake
says: Relief parties are now out
through the burned districts south and
west of this city. The loss of life from
the disastrous forest fires cannot now
be estimated, but it will be great. The
work of getting to the burned district
is slow, as all the bridges are down.
Over 100 people are missing. -:
Many dead bodies have been found
and they are burned beyond recognl-
ton. The remains of one man by the
name of Nelson were found this morn
ing at the bottom of a well, whittier he
had gone to escape the fire. AT another
place a woman and two children were
found in a we'll. The woman was SO
badly burned that she will die: In one
instance a man had been Flowing IN a
field and his charred+ remains ana the
carcasses of his horses were found to-
getFer. All the cattle, horses and other
stock in a large district have been
burned to death Even the wild animals
could not escape the Hames:=
The wind is southeast and blowing at
a rate of about forty. miles. AN houI.
Fires are now raging in the hard Wooc
timber lands between this city ana
Cumberland but, fortunately, the eols-.
trict is lightly populated
" The mills in this city have been shut
down and another reserve IRE .QepdIt-
ment has been ordered out:
CHIPPEWA FALLS, Wis, Oct: L.
August Mason OF: this city, one Of. the
most extensive 1Oggers in Wisconsin,
returned to-day from a trip to his
camps at Cedar Lake, Barron county:
He had an exciting experience :Mltn lol-
est fires and reports the entire loss OF
all his camps and outfits at CEDAR Lake.
He also believes that four of his h.en
have lost their: lives in the flames. MT.
Mason. left the camps with his crew.
Thursday morning for the railway sta :
ton. and they narrowly escaped Qeaih.
When they started the IRE was elght
miles away, but the wind was blowing
q gale and the flames We're rapidly
gaining on them. All rushed for lake
a mile away. and when the edge OF the
water was reached the fire was. upon
them. Men and horses plunged into the.
lake and remained there until the
flames had passed over. The neat ana
smoke We're almost unbearaole.
-Four of the: men. of the crew, VINO
were in the rear of the larger party,
are missing, and Mr.: Mason says: there
is 30 hope that they are safe: They.
were Sam Popple, William Brown and
the two McGill brothers; all residents
of Chippewa County.
. The scene, Mr.. Mason says, was ter
rible. or every side. there: was a sea of
fire. rapidly growing and destroying
everything Knapp, Stout & Co S out.
fits in that locality are all burned. also
over. 500 oxen. The means of the anil:
mails could be heard in all directions.
Dozens of farm houses which Mason
passed in the morning were ashes In the
afternoon Many buildings that were at
least a quarter of mile from the
woods were destroyed the flames run
ming along the meadows and fences.
Hundreds are homeless, many even
losing all their household goods. Fred
erick Weishauser has just returned
from a trip through the fire regions. He
can give no estimate of the amount of
his. pine losses.
The following estimate of losses were
made by prominent lumberman here:
Northwestern Lumber Company, 1922
000 August Mason, $4,000; Mississippi
River Lumber Company, $50 900; Chip
pewa Logging Company $50 900; Knapp,
Stout & Co, $225, 900.
The losses include standing timber,
logs, camps and camp outfits. The loss
of farm property In Clark, Barron and
Chippewa counties is estimated at $780,
000
--latest reports say that all hopes of
checking the flames have been aban-
doned. Nothing but rain will save the
enormous amount of property that is
now burning or threatened.