Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-05-20
-Four Towns Totally Wiped Out and Ten
Partially Destroyed
ANY PERSONS REPORTED MISSING
Four Bodies Recovered and it is Expected
Death List Will Be Large.
SURVIVORS TELL TALES OF MISERY
Back Fires started In Number
of Places Partially Protect
Towns and Farm
BuiIdings.

the Sentinel from Escanaba, Mich, bv 4
stan correspondent, says: -Four known
dead, score or more missing. hundreds
Of families homeless, several million dol
lars worth OF property bprned. four towns
wiped out entirely and a dozen more pay
TALLY, five counties devastated and iOo
square miles Of territory fre-swept. This
is the dreadful picture that the northern
Michigan peninsula presents today after the
worst forest fire since the Pestigo desaster
in 1871, has spent itself
General Superintendent w. Z. Wells Of
the Escauade and lake Superior road,
along whose right-of-way the creates; loss
occurred returned tonight from a trip NJ
inspection over the FIRE stricken area and
says that the flames have gone down am?
for the time being the danger is over unless
new gale arises TO again fan the cmbers
into flames
summary OF Damage.
The following summary briefly tells the
story:
PETER LA FOND, cook snothered in
a lumber camp near Kastos. body found
THREE unidentified children deah at
Quinnescc, Mich; separated from their par
ents while the village was burning and
Scores Of homesteaders and woodsmen are
missing and many have probably persisted
in the flames.
quette Menominee Delta, Alger and Dick
ensOn.
The territory nre-swept: 100 miles square.
Towns totally burned: Talbot. Mich. 300
population only a few houses left standing.
Quinnesec, Mich, 4oo population, only one
house remains.
Saunders. I5O population. all wiped ont
Niagara, Wis, 300 population, all wiped
i
Northland, Cornell Antoine, Spring VAL
ley, Kingsley, Woodlawn. Foster CITY
SAILS, Metropolitan.
Many Tales of Misery.
Details of the fire are gradually coming
out Of the burned territory. All day long
refugees and trainmen have been comins
in. telling tales Of misery and suffering
as well as of heroism and brave deeds that
were enacted while the fire was at It's
height. The reports show that the fre
was fully as serious as at FIRST reported
The burned district extends from a point
ten miles out OF Escanaba to Talbot on the
SOUTH to Claiming and Quinnessec on the
west. Sands on the north and back to Es-
canada. The flames were fiercest along
the Escanaba s. Lake Superior line. II IL
In this district that 1,000 or more OF the
small fires have been smoldering for weeks
Nothing was thought of these fires. because
they were not dangerous, but II only needed
a wind TO fan them into a mighty sheet
of flame The wind came on Friday after
noon. Toward noon the wind began to
blow from the west at thirty miles an
hour; at o'clock the velocity, was forty
miles an hour. and by o'clock the small
fires seemed 10 have united into one that
swept along with a fury that no human
hand could stay. The flames seemed 10
frOf, r1a ,t,d nd
from there swept down toward Escanaba.
WOOdsmen Fight Fire.
Throughout the territory hundreds OF
woodsmen were put to work to stay the
FIRE but it could not be fought It marched
on and It was only by divertlng its path
that some of the towns were saved. The
| first to be drive nout were the woodsmen
! in camp and homesteaders. Hundreds OF
small, prosperous farmers live in the terri
! tory and these hurried to the nearest town
Cattle and stock and houses and barns and
their contents were left for the flames.
Wagons We're hurriedly loaded with per
sonal effects and the race against the flames
| began. In some instances whole families
came in. In many cases however, some Of
! the members had been separated and left
behind Some Of the towns were hemmed
( in on all sides. Talbot and ouinnesec are
the most notable examples. At both a hard
/ fight was put up but in the end the places
/ had TO be abandoned.
! There was little that human effort could
do to check the flames, water was scarce
and even when It was plentiful II was OF
no avail In combating the flames Hun
dreds OF woodsmen fought in spots through
out the district, Step by step they would
back up, trying at each stand to backhrs
the flames.
Back Fires started.
/ Clearings were burned over with nres
! that could be controlled. Then when the
! flames reached there they found nothing
more TO consume In this manner many OF
the towns in the path OF the conhagration
were saved. While scenes OF horror and
despair were being enacted in the fre-
stricken territory there was also a panic
in neighborinE cities miles from the nre
/ line. Most OF the refugees were taken
! back today when it was reported that the
/ fires had died down, but many Of them
! found nothing when they reached the
I spot where their home stood. Gradually
! the wind died down and this morning il
| shifted and the flames began 20 lose their
! fury, but the fires are not out. While the
! fires are not spreading il will only need
4 fresh wind to start them again IN all their
/ fury. Talbot fought hard to ward on
the flames. but it failed. A score Of houses
and an entire logging train were burned
Daggett had sent fire engine 10 Talbot
Z but even this was burned up. Daggett
/ managed TO save Itself because OF the
shifting Of the wind. Quinnesec il still
isolated from this end and cannot be
reached. Trainmen say the entire town
is gone.