Los Angeles herald., 1906-05-20
THOUSANDS ARE
NOW HOMELESS
Scores Are Missing
(Continued from Page One,
parents while the village was burning
and perished.

Scores Are Missing
Scores of homesteaders and woods
men are missing and many have prob
ably perished in the flames.
Territory devastated, five counties
Marquette, Menominee, Delta, Alger
and Dickinson.
The territory fre-swept Is 100 miles
square.
Towns totally burned:
Talbot, Mich, 100 population; only a
few houses left standing. Quinnesec,
Mich, 400 population: only one house
remains. Saunders $50 population; all
wiped out Niagara, Mich, 100 popu-
lation; all wiped out.
Towns Partially Destroyed
Northland, Cornell, Antoine. Spring
Valley, Kingsley. Woodlawn, Forest
City. Sala and Metropolitan. Details
of the fire are gradually coming out OF
the burned territory.
All day long refugees and trainmen
have been coming in, telling tales of
misery and suffering, as well as heroism
and brave deeds that were enacted
while the fire was at its height.
The reports all show that the fire
was fully as serious as first reported.
The burned-over district extends from
a point ten miles out of Escanaba to
Talbot on the south, to Charming and
Quinnesec on the west, to Sands on the
north and back to Escanaba. Flames
were the fiercest along the Escanaba
and Lake Superior line.
1t is in this district that thousand
or more of the small fires have been
smoldering for weeks. Nothing was
thought of these fires, because they
were not dangerous, but it only needed
a wind to fan them into a mighty sheet
of flame. This wind came on Friday
afternoon.
Wind Blows Forty Miles an Hour
Toward noon the wind began to blow
from the west at the rate Of thirty miles
an hour. At 2:3O o'clock the velocity
was forty miles. and by 5 o'clock the
forest seemed to have united into one
fire extending over a fiftymile stretch
and was blown along with fury which
no human hand could stay.
The flames seemed to center from a
place called Northland, and from there
swept down toward Escanaba. Through
out the territory hundreds of voodmen
were put to work to stay the fire, but 1t
could not be fought.
1t marched on and IL was only by
diverting its paths that some of the
towns were saved. First to be driven
out were the woodmen in camp and the
honnesteaders. Hundreds of small and
prosperous farmers live in this territory
and the occupants of these farms hur-
ried to the nearest towns for shelter.
Cattle and stock and houses and
barns and their contents were left for
the flames. The wagons were hur-
riedly loaded with personal effects and
the race with the flames began.
Many Left Behind
In some instances whole families
came in. Many, however, reported that
some of the members had separated
and been left behind.
Some of the towns were hemmed m
on all sides. Talbot and Quinnesec are
the most notable examples, Az both
hard fight was put up, but In the
end the places had to be abandoned
Water was scarce and even when II
was plentiful II was OF no avail II
combating the flames. Hundreds OF
woodmen fought in spots throughout
the district Step by step they woulc
back up trying at each stand to bach
fire the flames. Clearings were burned
over with fires that could not be con-
trolled.
Now when the flames reached ther'
they found nothing more to consume
In this manner many of the towns II
the path Of the confagration wer'
saved.
Wild Scenes Of Horror
While scenes of horror and despai
were being enacted in the fire-strickei
| territory there was also panic Il
neighboring cities miles from the fir
line. Most OF the refuge0s We're take
back today when It was supposed tina
the fires had died down, but most Q
them found nothing when they reache
the spot whore their homes had stooc
! Gradually the Wind died down an