The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1898-10-01
HAVOC OF FOREST FIRES
Hundreds Of Miles Burned Over by
the Fierce Flames.
WISCONSIN TOWNS ENDANGERED.

The Devastated District I'm That state
Covers an Area of Three Hundred
Square Miles-rhe Greater Part of
Colorado's Forests May bewiped Out
Milwaukee. Wis, Oct. IA dispatch
from Chippewa Falls, Wis, says: The
forest fires are still creating great
havoc through this section Of the state.
No rain has yet fallen In the district
tributary to this point, and the lumber
companies are sending hundreds of men
into the woods in an endeavoe e save
the standing pine. 1t Is estimated that
already 500 900 feet have been de-
stroyed. All trains coming into Chip
pewa Falls from the north and west
are hours late. The Wisconsin Cen
trail is experiencing great difficulty in
handling traffic, and its wires are all
down. A movement has been started
to assist the homeless farmers who
have been burned out. Thousands are
still fighting the flames, but are making
little headway, as everything Is dry
as tinder.
A Cumberland, Wis, dispatch says:
Cumberland presents a sad sight to-
day. The mill portion of the country
is a smoulderng heap of ruins. The
loss Is about S1S5, 900. Forest fires were
swept into the city from the southwest
about 3 o'clock Thursday night by
tornado. The air was filled with smoke
and burning cinders, and the fire
caught on the east and west sides of
town at about the same time. The
flames spread with a rapidity that
threatened not only the entire city. but
the lives of the Inhabitants. Every
part of the town was filled with smoke
and flying firebrands, and the people
were running in every direction panic
stricken. Two freight trains standing
here took about 200 people to Shell
Lake, and hundreds more sought the
western lake shore for safety. Mean
while the. volunteer fire department did
heroic work in trying to save the busi-
ness portion of the city A timely
downpour of rain, lasting about 70
minutes, enabled the firemen to check
the progress of the flames on the west
side of the city, but nothing could save
the city east of the Omaha road, includ-
ing the lumber yard and the mills of
the Beaver Dam Lumber company, %
residences, boarding house, livery barn
and saloon. About 40 farmers south
east of the city lost their homes and
crops.
A dispatch from Rice Lake says the
forest fires in that vicinity were check
ed by light rains Thursday night. Flf-
ty farmers near Rice Lake lost all thetI
possessions. The Johnson Brothers
Lumber company, six miles west, los,
their mill and stock of hard wood lum
Der, with no insurance.
The town of Alemena, near Rice
Lake is reported destroyed. The Soc
| railway bridge, near Alemena, was
burned stopping all the trains on thai
| line. No loss of life has been reported
The greatest damage has been done
IN the townships of Cumberland, Tur
tie Lake, Clinton, Stanford, Barron
| Oak Grove and Cedar Lake.
A special from Eau Clair says th'
| Northwestern Lumber company los
100000 feet of saw logs above tina
| city
| .Fifeld, Wis, reports much damage
In that region. The road from TIL
| Pike Lake summer resort to Fifield Il
impossible on account of fallen timber
and a number of guests will be obliged
to remain there until the road Il
cleared.
New Richmond, Wis, reports the fire
around Clear Lake and Glenwood
which for a time threatened to destro,
those towns, are now nearly out, al
though much damage has been done.
Sprague, a small town on the Omahi
road, is rumored to have been PARTIAL,
destroyed. Communication with tn
| place is interrupted.