The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1906-05-25
HUNDRED NILES
SWEPT BY FIRE
Four Towns Gone in Michigan and
Wisconsin.
FOUR DEAD AND MANY MISSING.
Forest Fires Devastate Five Counties. Leav.
ing Hnndreds Of Families Homeless and
Burning Millions Of Dollars Worth Of Prop
er,y-Nlne Villages Partially Destroyed
Refugees Flee on Tralus.

Milwaukee, Wis, (Special).-A special
dispatch to the Milwaukee Sentinel from
Escanaba, Mich, says:
-Four known dead, a score or more
persons missing, hundreds Of families
homeless, several million dollars worth
of property burned, four towns wiped
out and a dozen more partly burned,
FIVE counties partly devastated and 100
square miles of territory fire swept.
This is the result in the Northern Michi-
gan peninsula of the forest hire that
ragged Friday and Saturday.
General Superintendent w. E. Wells,
of the Escanaha and Lake Superior road,
along which the greatest loss occurred,
returned from trip of inspection over
the fre-stricken area and said that the
fires had gone down. For the time be-
ing the danger is over, unless a new gale
arises 10 fan the embers into flames.
The following summary tells the story !:
"The dead:
Peter Lafond, a cook, smothered in
lumber camp, near Katos.
"Three children at Quinesec, Mich,
separated from parents while the village
was burning, and persisted
Scores of homesteaders and wood
men are missing and some may have
persisted in the flames.
Territory Devastated-Five Counties,
Marquette, Menominee, Delta, Alger, and
Dickinson.
TOWNS DESTROYED.
Talbot, Mich, 800 population; few
houses escaped.
"Quinnesec, Mich, 400 population only
one house left.
Saunders, $50 population; wiped out.
Niagara, Wis, 800 population; all
burned
"The towns damaged are Northland,
Cornell, Antoine, Spring Valley, Kings
ley, Woodlawn, Foster City, Sala and
Metropolitan.
Cali day long refugees and trainmen
have been coming telling tales of misery
and suffering, as we'll as heToism and
brave deeds, that were enacted while
the fire was at its height.
"The burned area extends from point
10 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 1000 small fires have
been smoldering for weeks. Nothing
was thought of these fires because they
were not dangerous. but it only needed
wind which came on Friday to fan them
into sheet of flame.
Toward noon the wind began to blow
from the west 80 miles an hour. By 2
P. NJ the velocity was 40 miles, and
by 4 P. NJ the small fires seemed to have
united into large one that extended over
a 5o-ni1e stretch. and swept along with
fury.
Throughout the affected territory hun
dreds of woodsmen were put to work to
save property. 1t was only by divert
ing the path of the fire that some towns
were saved. Hundreds of small and
prosperous farms were burned over, driv-
ing the occupants to the nearest towns
for shelter Cattle and stock and houses
and barns and their contents were left
for the flames FaImers loaded wagons
hurriedly with personal effects and ran
before the flames
"In some instances families became
separated, causing much anxiety to rela-
tives who have reached towns.
There was little that human effort
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 Escanaba. At P. NJ, Fri
day Escanaba seemed in darkness. A
heavy veil of smoke overhung the en-
tire surrounding country. Everything
was of greenish hue. The sitting
smoke threw women and children into
a panic.
Gradually the wind died down dur
ing the night and in the morning the
flames began to lose their fury. The
fires still smolder, and while they are not
spreading. it will only need fresh wind
to start them again. AS far as the eye
can see there is smoke"