The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1898-10-01
HAVOC OF FOREST FIRES
Hundreds Of Miles Burned Over by
i, the Fierce Flames.
WISCONSIN TOWNS ENDANGERED.

The Devastated District In That state
Covers an Area of 1hree Hundred
Square Mlles-rhe Greater Part of
COlOrado's Forests May beWIpcd 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 endeavor to save
the standing pine. 1t Is estimated that
already 500.000000 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 an
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 tlnder.
Cumberland, Wis, dispatch says:
Cumberland presents a sad sight to-
day. The mill portion Of the country
1s smouldering heap of ruins. The
loss Is about $3.50 Forest fires We're
swept into the city from the southwest
about s o'clock Thursday night by
tornado. The air was filled with smoke
and burning cinders, and the Ere
caught on the east and west sides of
town at about the same time. The
names spread with 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 bust
ness portion of the city. A timely
downpour of rain, lasting about 20
minutes. enabled the fremen 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, 90
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
YareSt fires in that vicinity were check
ed by light rains Thursday night. Fif-
ty farmers near Rice Lake lost all their
possessions. The Johnson Brothers |
Lumber company, six miles west lost |
their mill and stock of hard wood lum-
Der, with no insurance.
The town of Alemena, near Rice |
Lake, Is reported destroyed. The 500 |
railway bridge, near Alemena, was
burned, stopping all the trains on that
line No loss of life has been reported. |
The greatest damage has been done
In the townships of Cumberland, Tur-
th Lake, Clinton, Stanford, Barron,
Oak Grove and Cedar Lake.
a special from Eau Clair says the
Lumber company lost
z.oOOOOO feet of saw logs above that
city
Fitield, Wis, reports much damage
In that region. The road from the
Pike Lake summer resort to Fitield is
lmpassable on account of fallen timber,
and number of guests will be obliged
to remain there until the road Is
eleared
New Richmond. Wis, reports the fires
around Clear Lake and Glcnwood,
Rhch for time threatened to destroy
those towns. are now nearly out, al
.hough much damage has been done.
Sprague, small town on the Omaha
cad, is rumored to have been partially
destroyed. Communication with the
)lace Is interrupted.