The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1906-05-19
Great FOREST fires
WIPING OUT VILLAGES
TRACTOF MICHIGAN LAND FIFTY
MILES SQUARE BURNED
OYER.

thing Behind-Hundreds Homeless
Families of Several HOmesteaders
Missing-Trains Sent to Pick Up
Refugees.
Escanaba, Mich, May 1S.-Driven by
a gale, a destructive forest fire this
afternoon and evening laid waste a
tract of land fifty miles square and
at late hour tonight wa sill spread
ing. 1t is known thai the following
villages have been wiped out: Quinne-
sec, population 1000; schaefer, $50;
Ralph, 400; Calvoie, ZOO Cornell, 500;
Woodlawn, 200, and Talbot, 400.
At North, and several points on the
line of the Escanada and Lake Super
ior road at 6 o'clock tonight, when
communication was cut off, the fire had
reached the outskirts of the villages
and no hope Of saving any Of the
property was offered.
Hundreds of people are homeless and
are coming to Escanaba as fast as
trains can be sent to the burned area,
In addition to several sawmills and
other buildings, millions of feet Of cut
timber have been burned and great
tracts of standing timber damaged.
The loss of the I. Stephenson Co., of
Wells, from burning timber alone, 1t is
believed Tonight, will approximate sew
eral hundred thousand dollars.
| AS far as can be learned tonight no
lives have been lost although families
of several homesteaders are missing.
Refugees arriving tonight tell terrible
tales of their experiences in escaping
1 from the sweeping flames. One man
declared that the flames were advanc-
ing in the vicinity Of Cornell at the
rate of twenty miles an hour when he
and half the residents of that place
were taken out on a relief train. Home
steaders carrying packs of few per-
sonal effects, driven from their homes,
were found by train crews at all points
along the road and were brought into
| IloGciieADds nc CICN "a UIlb lulllbCtlIlS
camp, together with fifty horses, fed
before the fire for twelve miles and
found safety at Princeton tonight.
1t is reported that several railroad
bridges have been destroyed and that
entire trains of cars have been burned
on the tracks. All freight traffic on
both the Northwestern and the Esca-
naba and Lake Superior roads was sus-
pended early to-day and the entire at.
tention of the train crews given to re-
lief trains sent out to move residents
Of burned towns to places of safety
Railroad tracks have been warped by
the terrific heat in many places, max
ing 1t necessary to lay new rails, and
the progress of the trains was slow
Some train crews have not yet beer
heard from. A cloud of smoke hune
over the city, and tonight the entire
surrounding country is lighted up BY
flames, which are moving toward Els.
canada.
Marinette, Wis, May Is, II p. m.-Tht
best information obtainable at this houl
80 llAclb liiC AOLGpL AAIO WlliIH lb bWbGpluf
the country north of here has reached
: Iron county, north of Dickinson. Thi.
makes four counties which are suffer
ing from fire. The area is 200 mile.
square
The country swept by the flames va
rles from pine timber land to barrens
Part is iron mining country, and th
= / n tat "a
hard wood which has never beef
: touched by the axe. In the barren set
tiers have taken up their residences ant
1t is for these that the greatest anxiet,
! is felt.
Information received at Marinette /
that the village of Shaffer, on the Met
. ropolitan branch of the Northwestern
! railway in Dickinson county, was wipe,
i out. No word has been received as t
the loss Of life there, If any has oc
" Cured. Shaffer is a lumber town own
: ed by the Cleveland Cliff company. TIL
village consisted of a big mill and
couple Of hotels, with warehouses an
: headquarters for the lumber camps.
The village of Saunders, in Iron coun
n ty, a lumber town, directly north G
Florence, Wis, has also been swept b
the flames. Here, as at Shaffer, man
may have met death. The town con
/ sists of few residences, four saloon,
h a couple of hotels and big sawnill.
I Menominee. Mich, May IS. - Fores
q fires are raging tonight in a lare
n area in Menominee county, having a.
= ready one much damage. Talbot, wit
: 300 population, twenty-five miles mort
of Menominee, was wiped out by fiji
this evening. Several other Village
many farm buildings. including lare
lumber stocks, are in danger. I'll
Menominee fire department has bee
e called on for help.
/, The wind rose rapidly during tt
If evening and endangered Daggett, Pow
e ers and other towns. It is reporte
n that Saunders, 300 inhabitants, we
e burned. Quinneseo, 1000 population,
d reported on fire. The station agent ;
+ Daggett at 10 o'clock wired that tt
fire was half a mile from town ar
blowing directly toward the village.
Milwaukee, Wis, May 1S.-Specials
n the Sentinel say forest fires are ra.
N ing tonight in Northern Wisconsin
81 Stanley, Chippewa county Wis, vii
le 5000 inhabitants, is reported to be
lie flames. The village of Auburndal
ID Wood county, was swept by fire, whic