The Western news., 1906-05-23
fierce FORESTFIRES.
NORTHERN Mich GAN PENINSULA
DEVASTATED BY FLAMES.
The Northern Michigan Peninsula
Fire Swept Five Counties-Several
Million Dollars of Property Destroy
ed-Wind Was Blowing a Gale-50
Mile Stretch Burned.


known dead, score or more persons
missing, hundreds of families home
less, several millions of dollars OF
property burned. four towns wiped out
entirely and dozen more partially;
five counties devastated and hundreds
of square miles of territory fire swept.
This is the dreadful picture that the
northern Michigan peninsula presents
today after the worst forest fire since
the Peshtigo disaster in 1871.
General Superintendent w E. Wells
OF the Escanaba & Lake Superior rail
way, along whose right of way the
greatest loss occurred has returned
from a trip Of inspection over the fire
stricken area and says that the flames
have gone down, and for the time be-
ing the danger is over unless new
gale arises to again fan the embers
into flames.
The following summary briefly tells
the story. The dead:
Peter LaFond, cook, smothered in
lumber camp near katos; body found
tonight.
Three unknown children dead at
Quinnesec, Mich: separated from
their parents while the village was
burning and perished.
Scores of homesteaders and woods
men are missing and many have prob
ably pershed in the flames.
Territory devastated-Five counties,
Marquette, Menominee. Delta, Alger
and Dickinson.
The territory fire swept is SO 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, Wis, 800 population; all
wiped out.
Towns partially destroyed:
Northland, Cornell. Antoine, Spring
Valley, Kingsley, Woodlawn, Foster
| City, Sala and Metropolitan.
Details of the fire are gradually COM
| ing out of the burned territory. All
| day long refugees and trainmen have
| been coming in, telling tales of misery
and suffering. as we'll as heroism and
brave deeds that were enacted while
| the fire was at it's height. The reports
all show that the fire was fully as Sc
rious as first reported. The burned
| over district extends from a 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 Escanaba. The flames were
fiercest along the Escanaba & Lake
Superior line.
Thousand Fires Famed by Wind.
| 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 need
ed a wind to fan them into a mighty
sheet of flame. This wind came on
| Friday afternoon.
Toward noon the wind began to blow
| from the west at the rate of 80 miles
an hour By O'CLOCK the velocity
was 40 miles, and by o'clock the fires
seemed to have united into one large
one that extended to a so mile stretch,
and swept along with a fury that no
human hand could stay. The flames
seemed to center from a place called
Northland, and from there swept down
toward Escanaba. Throughout the fire
area thousands of woodsmen were put
to work to stay the fire, but it could
not be fought.
| The first to be driven in were the
Woodsmen in camp and the homestead
ers. Hundreds of small and prosper
GUS farmers lived there, and occupants
OF these farms hurried to the nearest
towns for shelter. Cattle and stock
| and houses and barns ana their con-
tents were hurriedly loaded with per
sonal effects and the race against the
! flames began.
In some instances whole families
came in. Many, however, reported
that some of the members had been
separated and left behind. Some of
| the towns We're hemmed on all sides
At Talbot and Quinnesec a hard fight
was put up, but in the end fine places
had to be abandoned
Later Report.
The fire ragged for a distance of Cd
miles along the line of the Escanaba
& Lake Superior railroad, and for sc
miles beyond Charming, the terminus
OF the road 1t seems certain that
5000 persons are homeless in that dis
trict. and that 1000 are left desolate
at Quinnesec.
The Quinnesec fire, however, was Of
a different origin than the Escanaba
fire, having started in field where
men were pulling stumps and burning
debris. This fire spread into the city
and wiped out all the buildings ex
cept three residences and the pape
mills. Then the fire spread into thu
timber and. running north 40 miles
finally joined the flames sweepin,
east of Escanaba. 1t was also learned
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