Weekly Watertown leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1908-1909, 1908-09-25
SAWYER COUNTY AFIRE
WINTER, RADISSON AND DRAPER
THREATENED.
Farmers Flee from Homes and Take
Refuge Along the Banks of
Chippewa River.

RADlSSON, Wis, Sept. 22-[Spc-
ciai. I-ThousandS of feet of logs and
standing timber have been destroyed
clearings have been devastated and set
tiers driven from their homes by the for
est hres that have been raging through
out Sawyer county for the past few
days. The towns of Radisson, Winter
and Draper have been fighting the flames
back since Saturday, and although prop
erty within the villages has been saved
from destruction the loss to the lumber
companies will be heav5.
The most thrilling fight that the in
habltants of the town engaged in was
the fight to save the Wallace school and
the corduroy bridge across the Chip
pewa river. The fire was eating its way
up from the south when the alarm was
given and the entire population turned
out to save the school house. The build
lngs surrounding the school were dam
aged, but after hours of incessant fight
ing the school itself was saved. Equally
as exciting was the fight put up by
Frank Shimcusky and his wife and
daughter 10 save the corduroy bridge,
the only span across the Chippewa river
here, and had it not been for their eff
forts the town would have been deprived
of its roadway across the river.
While the owner was out fighting the
fires, the farm belonging to A. Rynda
was burned. A lumber yard adjacent
to the house was destroyed. but the saw
mill was saved after Il hard fight. H. a.
Sweeney, who is at present away from
home, lost his house and barn and all
LnlI l.
northwest Of here is devastated. Fami-
lies to the south are moving their effects
near the river to be ready in case the
fire sweeps down upon them unexpected
ly.
ESCANABA, Mich, Sept. 22.-[Spe-
cial. IA brisk wind which developed to-
day made conditions in the forest fire
district about Escanaba more critical.
With almost complete absence of wind
the fires about the the threatened villages
have been held in check for forty eight
hours by an army of fire fighters and
with no indication of rain the gale is
feared. Train crews here have been or
dered to be in readiness to report imme-
diately if sending relief trains to the
threatened towns is necessary.
The forest fires late this afternoon
broke through the line of fire fighters.
Bark River, one of the largest villages
i'll the peninsula, is now burning.
WINTER, Wis, Sept. 22.-[ Special. |
Forest fires are raging all around this
village and unless rain falls fears are
entertained for its safety. A dense pail
of smoke obScures the sun and the peo-
pie are forced to keep the lamps lighted
during the day.
The French settlement school house
south of here has been burned, and three
farm houses destroyed by the flames. \
family named Hart narrowly escaped be-
ing caught in the fire trap when they
made an attempt to save their belong
ings. Phelan's lumber camps to the
north are in flames. Superintendent Ne
Donald brought his wife and family 10
Winter and returned for a load of house
hold goods. He was stopped on the way
by the fires, and was forced to hurry
back to the town. The flames leaned
thirty feet in the air sweeping everything
before them. The fires are approaching
here from Radisson, eleven miles to the
west, but back fires have been set to
keep the village from being beset on that
side.
WAUSAU, Wis, Sept. 22-[S Special. !
1t has been thirty-siX days since rain
fell in Marathon county, and the finder
like grass and leaves about the unset
tied part of the county burns before the
general forest fires like oiled wood 4
big fire swept around the base of Rib
+,
Sunday and Monday, and, getting into
old hemlocl slashings, ragged tiercely.
The heat from the fire could be plainly
felt in the southwestern part of the city.
School was abandoned temporarily in
two school districts in the town of
Flieth because of the smoke The city
is not in great danger, however unless
a heavy wind comes, in which event it
will take hard fight to save Wausau
from destruction. A conservative esti-
mate Of the damage in Marathon county
by forest fires to date is S1J0,0O0.
FIFIELD, Wis, Sept. 22.-Fifield's
fate depends on the wind. There seems
little prospect of rain TO put out the
smoldering fires all around the town
but if the wind does not rise so as tC
fan the flames up there is no danger OF
their getting beyond control as far as
entering Fifeld is concerned. This
morning the wind has been light, as was
the case yesterday. While the fires are
burning on all sides they are most dan
gerous on the southeast and are SO close
there that a high wind such as blew
Sunday would undoubtedly set the town
afire.