Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-05-19
A FIERCE FOREST FIRE
200 MILES SQUARE BURNED IN
NORTHERN MICHIGAN.

Reports from Escanaba and Gladstone,
Mich, via Detroit. state that disastrous
forest fire Is raging in the Upper Peninsula
in the neighborhood Of the two cities men
toned. 1t is reported that three towns
have been destroyed, that thirty square
miles of territory have been devastated and
that several persons have been burned to
death. The reports of loss Of life by the
forest fires are very vague and gnay prove
ungrounded. During the evening persistent
efforts were made by the Detroit news
papers to get into telegraphic communica-
ton with Escanaba via st. Ignace, but
without success. the telegraph lines having
evidently been badly crippled by the fires.
The Detroit News, however. received sew
eTal brief dispatches from Menominee and
| Marquette via Milwaukee and Chicago.
| According to dispatches fires have been
| burning northward along the Chicago and
Northwestern railway. which runs due
north from Menominee The village of Tai
| bot, twenty-eight miles north Of Menominee,
| II Is thought, will be totally destroyed.
| Daggett and Powers are in the direct path
| Of the flames and can hardly escape de-
struction. The latter village Is located at
| the junction. where the Chicago and North
western branches eastward and westward,
| the eastward branch running to Escanaba.
From Marquette comes the report that
dozen farmers have been burned out In
| what Is known as the Chocolay district,
| south Of Marquette. Great quantities OF
| timber have been destroyed, and many fish
| ing parties with which the woods are filed
at this season. narrowly escaped disaster.
Villages and Farm Houses Doomed.
| The village OF Saunders Is reported wiped
out of existence. Quinnesec, village of
| 900 population, about six miles from
| MenomInee, Is burning. Reports from
Menominee estimate that half dozen vii
40 Of hull limo H1yfn
| be entirely destroyed. The Menominee fire
department Is holding itself in readiness for
an expected appeal to try to save the viii
| lage OF Daxgett.
| A heavy pail OF smoke hangs over the city
of Menominee the moon and stars shining
| dignly through from a sky that is perfectly
| clear and the light Of the forest fires can
| be clearly seen to the northward. heavy
south wind that blew all day subsidized about
8 o'clock, but at GIG was again blowing a
| gale.
Fire Area 200 Miles Square.
dispatch from Marinette, Wis, last
night says: The best information obtain
| able at this hour is that the forest fire
! which is sweeping the county north of here
has reached Iron county. north Of Dickin-
| son. This makes four counties which are
| suffering from fire. The area is 200 square
! miles
| Inc country swept py tHe
| from pine timber land to barrens. Part Is
| iron mining country. and the district In
cludes immense tracts of hardwood which
| has never been touched by the ak. In the
| barrens settlers have taken UP their resi-
| dence and 1T is for these that the greatest
| anxiety Is felt.
Information received at Marinette is that
| the village of Shaffer, on the Metropolitan
| branch of the railway, in Dickinson county,
was wiped out No word could be received
| as to the loss OF life there IL any has oc-
| Cured. Shaffer Is a lumber town, owned
| by the Cleveland Cliff Company. The vii
| lage consisted OF big mill and a couple OF
| hotels. with warehouses and headquarters
| for the lumber camps. The village of
| Saunders, IN Iron county, a lumber town.
| directly north of Florence. Wis. has also
| been swept by the flames. Here, as at SHAFT
| fer. many may have met death. The town
| consists OF few residences. four saloons.
| a couple of hotels and q big sawmll.
| Six Blocks Burned.
| dispatch from Stanley. Wis, last night
| says: Fire. started by a spark from a saw
| mill, this afternoon burned 100 residences
| and dozen business buildings. entailing
| loss of 100000. Six blocks were burned
| out. The flames were blown by high wind
| from the west, and SO rapid was the prog
! ress of the fire that little was saved from
| the houses. The public library was on fire
| several times, but the walls of the build
ing and most of the books were saved. En-
gines and firemen from Thorpe, Eau Claire.
| and Chippewa Falls kept the flames out of
| the main business quarter.
Fire in the lumber yards of Phillips 6
| Menzmer at Marathon City, burned 5000.
600 feet of lumber valued at $4,000. The
| woods north OF Marathon City are burning
| fiercely.