Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1898-10-01
SEVERAL VILLAGES BURNED
BURNING OF TELEGRAPH LINES
MAKES DETAILS MEAGER.
Rains and Subsidence of Wind Have
Served to Check the Flames Some-
what-Hundreds of People
Driven From Their
Homes.

ST. PAUL, MINI, Sept. 3O.-The forest
fires which have been burning in various
places throughout Western Wisconsin for
the past few days were famed into furious
storms of flame by yesterdays winds, and
did great damage through Chippewa Bar
ron, Dunn. St. CroiX and Peak counties.
A very general destruction of telegraph
wires makes the reports very incomplete,
but it seems the villages OF Clayton. Ale
mena and Poskin have been wholly or
partly destroyed; that Cumberland has suf-
fered heavy losses, and that Glenwood,
Barron. Prentice, Phillips and Turtle Lake
We're saved only by great efforts. Reports
of loss of life are coming in. but have not
been verified, except in one instance.
A railroad bridge and trestle over 100 feet
long, on the 500 line, west of Barron, was
burned last night, and trains are running
by another route.
Fires have been checked in places by
rains, and the subsistence of the winds. A
rough estimate places the aggregate loss
at from S5,0oO,000 to S5,OOj,0J0
A dispatch from Rice Lake says the for
est fires in that vicinity We're checked by
light rains last night. Fifty farmers near
Rice Lake lost all their possessions. The
Johnson Bros. Lumber Company, six miles
west, lost their mill and stock of hardwood
| lumber, with no insurance.
| The town Of Alemena, near Rice Lake, is
| reported destroyed. The 500 railroad bridge
| near Alemena was burned stopping all
| trains on that line. No loss of life has
| been reported. The greatest damage has
| been done in the townships of Cumber-
| land, Turtle Lake, Clinton. Stanford, Bar
| ron, Oak Grove and Cedar Lake.
A special from Eau Claire says the
| Northwestern Lumber Company lost 2,OOO-
| faat Of ayuln a
Fified, Wis, reports much damage in
| that region. The road from the Pike Lake
| summer resort to Fifield is impossible on
account of fallen timber and a number of
| guests will be obliged to remain there un-
| til the road is cleared. Rain last night
| has checked the fires.
New Richmond, Wis, reports the fires
| around Clear Lake and Glenwood, which
| for time threatened to destroy those
| towns, are now nearly out, although much
| damage has been done.
| Sprague, a small town on the Omaha
road, is rumored to have been partially
| destroyed. Communication with the place
| is interrupted.
| RICE LAKE, WIS, Sept. So.-The forest
| fires in this vicinity are nearly abated.
| but great damage has been wrought for
| miles west of the city. Nels Nelson, a
| farmer attempted to save himself by 60
| ing into his well. The well house caught
| fire and Nelson perished. 1t is estimated
| the losses in Barron, Pol, Washburn and
| Sawyer counties has been at least a mil
lion and a half dollars, principally to the
lumbermen.
People were driven from their homes
| without saving any of their household eff
fects and with nothing but the clothing
| they had on. Probably fifty families are
| left homeless.
CHIPPEWA FALLS, WIS. Sept. 30
Forest fires which have been spreading for
days show no signs of abatement in Chippe-
wa and Clark counties. Outside these two
counties the fires have generally been check.
ed by rain or have burned everything in
sight.
The devastated district extends through
the counties running from Abbottsforc
along the Wisconsin Central for 200 miles
and north for seventy-five or 100 miles. II
is estimated that 50O.coo,0oO feet of pine have
been destroyed. Many farm houses have
been destroyed. Many hundred farms tr
this county alone have lost all their build
ings and grain. Organized bands OF farm
ers have been trying to stop the flames
but with little success.
No estimate can be placed upon the dam
age done to gathered crops buD iings, Inni
be- and growing timber. Tn fires ar
MADISON, WIS, Sept. SO.-Governo
| Scofeld to-day received 4 telegram fror
the president of the village of Turtle Lake
| Wis, saying that fifty-five families ar
| left destitute there as a result of the for
est fires and asking aid. The governor or
dered Adjutant General Boardman to stag
at once for Turtle Lake to report on tn
| situation. General Boardman will vis
other places in the burned district and re
| port to the governor.