The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1908-09-22
FOREST FIRES BURN TOWNS
FOUR THOUSAND HOMELESS AND
FLEEING BEFORE FLAMES.
Residents or Other Places Have Goods
Packed on Trains Ready to Desert
Homes Surrounded by Walls OF Fire
Drought ans Damage Widespread.

Packed on Trains Ready to Desert
Homes Surrounded by Walls OF Fire
Drought and Damage Widespread
R~H1NELANDEH, Wis. Sept. II -Gager
and Woodboro. on the 500 line, were
destroyed by forest fires yesterday, Men
women and children fought to save Their
homes, but without avail. Each place had
about 1900 population. end all are home
less. 1t Is reported that nothing is left
Of Gagen.
Women carrying children in their arms
end men and boys with packs on their
backs fed before the flames toward
Rhinelander, many falling PROSTATE in
the heat. only to be helped on by the
stronger refugees. Nearly all those
burned out at Gagen reached Rhinelander
last night and are cared for.
Few Woodboro people are here and 1t
is not known what has become Of oil OF
them. When the blaze started the wind
was from the west, and 1t wa feared
that Rhinelander, which has 5000 popu-
Iation, was doomed also, but a change
in the direction Of the wind saved the
city.
MosINEE. Wis. Sept. 7l.-Forest fires
completely surround this place. The vii
lage of Moon. six miles southwest Of
Here, is completely hemmed in. Nearly
zoo, 900 feet Of hardwood logs burned
yesterday afternoon. Several hundred
thousand feet of standing timber has
also burned.
DETROIT. Sept. 2i.-During the past
t~wenty-four hours reports have been
received of a very Encouraging nature
from the forest fire district Of northern
Michigan. Creeping along the shores Of
Green Bay and eastward from the timber
and mining country Of Wisconsin and the
western end Of the upper peninsula, the
fires have finally surrounded four towns
in that eection and the Inhabitants have
abandoned their homes to the flames and
are fleeing for their lives. The doomed
villages are Forest City. with-a popula-
Jon of $50; Niagara. Commonwealth and
Spread Eagle. with populations Of from
100 to 200 each.
Forest City has been wholly destroyed.
The fires have crept in from the timber
and taken hold Of the mills and cottages
Of other towns. ~
The best information obtainatse is
that nothing can be saved. Logging
trains are bringing many of the fleeing
people out Of the district. There ara re-
ports that several lives have been lost.
but the reports cannot be confirmed
At Iron Mountain this morning the
families II twelve farmers were driven
from their bones and taken out on a re-
lief train. Efforts are being made to
reach others In the moro remote district
toward whi6h the flames are advancing
with great speed.
Hermansville. where a biz woodenware
plant is located, has been surrounded by
flames for twelve hours. A relief train
was ent through the FIRE line and a num-
her Of families were taken out.
MINNEAPOLIS. Sept. 21.-Fanned by a
strong wind the forest fires that have been
burning in northern Wisconsin and Michi-
gan for weeks spread to-day. and tonight
several villages and towns are In serious
danger.
The town CT Fifeld. Wis. is reported
on fire in q telephone message from New
Richmond. Communications with the
town are cut Off and details cannot be
had. Minneapolis and st. Paul were
called on for help late this afternoon and
both cities shipped fire apparatus manned
by fremen to Fifeld on special trains.
Lac Labelle. nor tn Calumet. Mich.
and Rete de Girls are threatened and a
large force Of men are fighting the ap-
preaching flames in both towns. At
Bette de Girls the Government lighthouse
and United States ship canal buildings are
thought to be doomed
Ashland, Wis, is surrounded by forest
fires tonight and the smoke has hung
over the town 20 black to-day that IL
was necessary to light the street lamps.
On northern Lake Superior the smoke
hangs over the water like a dense fog
ing. On the 500 line to-day a freight
train ran into a hs ndcar hidden in the
smoke.
MENoMINEE. Mich. Sept. 2l.-Never
since 1871, when forest fires swept Menom-
inee and Marinette counties, causing the
loss Of 1900 lives and millions OF dollars
worth Of timber, has the danger Of a wide
spread oonfagration been 30 great as at
the present time. SO close are the fires
to Niagara. Faithorn junction and Ingalls,
that everything is packed and trains are
ready to carry the people away. The
railroad bridge OF the 500 Line across
the Menominee River at Faithorn was
on fire several times last night but was
SAVED by the efforts of the section crews.
MILWAUKEE,, Sept. Pinot for thirty
seven years has Wisconsin experiences
such a drought as the present. Major
H. B. Hersey OF the weather bureau
said to-day that this dry season breaks.
all records since 1871. when the weather
bureau was established here.
Special prayers for rain were said in
all the Catholic churches in the city and
throughout the Milwaukee archdiocese
on Sunday in compliance with a request
sent out by Archbishop Messmer. These
prayers will be continued until the dry
spell is broken.
DETROIT. Sept. 2i.-Supt. B. F. Emery
Of Mackinac Island State Park. said to-
day:
The losses and hardships are greater
than the newspapers have reported.
In the Mackinaw region the whole country
tack Of st, Ignace and the Snow Islands
Ia burning Clear down the ebors from