New-York tribune., 1906-05-20
BIG FIRE DYING OUT.
SWEPT FIVE COUNTIES.
-Four Keoson Dead-Four Tosoms
Entirely Wiped ont.

Milwaukee. May ia special dispatch to
The Milwaukee Sentinel" from Escanaba
Mich. says: Four known to be dead, a score
or more persons are missing hundreds of farni-
lies are homeless, property valued at several
millions of dollars is burned four towns are
wiped out and dozen more partly burned, five
counties partly devastated and one hundred
square miles Of territory fro swept as the re-
suit in the Northern Michigan peninsula of the
forest fire that ragged yesterday and last night
until it spent itself to-day
General Superintendent W. F. Wells of the
Escanaba & Lake Superior road. along which
the greatest loss occurred. returned tonight
fro4 trip Of inspection over the fire stricken
area and said that the fires had gone down For
the time being the danger is over unless new
gale arises to fan the embers into flames.
Peter Lafond cook was snnothered in a
lumber camp near Katos, and three children at
Quinesec, Mich. separated from their parents
while the village was burning, persisted
Scores Of homesteaders and woodsmen are
missing and some may have perished In the
flames
Five counties-Marquette Menominee Delta,
Alger and Dickenson-are devastated and the
following towns destroyed:
Talbot, Mich: 300 inhabitants: few houses
escaped.
$UiiilleSec' NIich-i 4VV inhabitants; only one
house left
Saunders; $50 population: wiped out
Niagara. Wis. 300 population; all burned
The towns of Northland. Cornell. Antonine,
Spring Valley, Kingsley, Woodlawn. Foster City,
Sala and Metropolitan are damaged
All day long refugees and trainmen have been
coming in, telling tales Of misery and suffering
as well as heroism and brave deeds enacted
while the fire was at its height
The burned area extends from a point ten
miles out of Escanaba to Talbot, on the SOUTH
to Claiming and Quinnesec, on the west. to
Sands on the north. and back to near Escanaba.
While this territory has not been swept clear
great tracts have been laid waste especially
toward the north
In this region a thousand small fires have been
smouldering for weeks. Nothing was thought Of
these fires because they were not dangerous, but
it needed only wind. which came Friday, to fan
them into sheet of fame.
Toward the wind began to blow from the
west thirty miles hour. BY 2 o'clock the We
locity was forty miles and by O'clock the
small fires seemed to have united into large one
that extended over fifty mile stretch and swept
along with fury.
Woodsmen were put to work to save property.
1t was only by diverting the path of the fire that
oOIIo IoHiIS "oIS S1Neu. I1ulluredS OF snla4l ana
prosperous farms were burned over. driving the
occupants to the nearest towns for shelter. Cat
tie and stock and houses and barns and their
contents were left for the fGunes Farmers load
ed wagons huruedy with personal effects and
ran before the flames.
In some instances families became separated
causing much anxiety to relatives who have
reached towns
There was little human e6olr could do TO check
the flames The heat was intense and the smoke
sitting. The wind from the west and north blew
the smoke into EsCana ba. At 4 O'Clock Friday
afternoon Escanaba seemed in darkness. A
heavy veil of smoke overhung the entire
rounding country. Everything of a green
ish hue. The sitting smoke threw women and
children into a panic.
Gradually the wind died down during last
night, and this morning the flames began to
lose their fury. The fires still shoulder. and
while they are not spreading, it viii need only
fresh wind to start them again. AS far as
the eye there is smoke.
Talbot fought hard to ward off the flames, but
failed. score of houses and entire logging
train were burned. The people then rushed
down the railroad tracks to Daggett, but the
flames kept pace with the refugees. Daggett
had sent a fire engine to Talbot but this
burned. Daggett was saved by the shifting Of
the wind
Quinneseo is still isolated. but the trainmen
say the town is burned
Many small fires burning between Powers
and Quinnesec and to the south of these places