The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1908-10-18
Residents of Lumber Regions
Caught Like Rats in Traps
BY Fire and Many Are Gre
mated.
ENTIRE FAMILIES
WIPED OUT BY FIRE
Horrible Story of Sufferings
Just Beginning to Be Re-
veaIed-Refugees Are Hun
cry and PenniIess.

Detroit, Mich, Oct. 17.--From 2rac-
aically every church in Northern
Michigan tomorrow morning will go
up the prayers of 100000 people for
rain and relief from the great forest
fires which are sweeping across that
whole section of the states. From
Bay City to the Straits of Mackinac,
In the lower peninsula, from the 500
to the Eagle river district in the up
per peninsula, all those who dare quit
their battle with the flames for an
hour will kneel together and offer their
petitions that the Almighty check the
devastations of that restless wall of
flame which has long gone beyond all
human control
The death roll from the forest fire
has now grown to As. Scores more of
the refugees who may have fed from
their homes to a near by settlement
are missing. Many farm homes that
were In the path of the flames are sure
to have been destroyed. and with them
undoubtedly were burned many of the
residents. 1t is probable that the to-
tai number of dead will never be
known, but it can hardly be less than
100 and may be more. Scores of 9TH
ers after battling in vain day and night
to save their homes. have given up be-
fore the onrush of those roaring, in
domitable flames and have after in
Vulnerable escapes, come into towns,
showing fearful marks of the conflict
faces, hands, bodies burned and
SCARED, blinded, desperate.
Losses lncaIcuIabIe.
The property loss is simply incalcu-
liable. The value of the timber de-
stroyed will run into millions. The
aggregate losses of hundreds of small
farmers and residents in the three
towns wiped out, Metz, Bolton, and
South Rogers, is probably hundreds of
thousands. There are perhaps 1000
persons homeless as a result of the
fires of the last two days, and most of
these have lost everything they pos
eessed.
Further information shows that at
least twenty-eight persons lost their
lives in the burning of the wrecked
relief train from Metz. Nearly all of
these were women and children. No
less than sixteen children, none of
them more than ten years old, were
burned to death.
Nearly every hour today reports
came into Alpena and Millersburg of
families of farmers wiped out by the
flames. The six children of VIM.
Dust, a Metz township farmer, were
found on the road near their home.
What became of their parents is not
known. Mrs. John Sezerski and her
three children were burned to death
in the destruction of their home near
Rogers City. Sezerski and two hired
men fought their way through the
burned forests and reached Rogers
City alive. though all three were badly
20 years old, cook of her fathers lum-
Der camp near Wolf Creek. Alpena
county, was burned to death. Her
father and two brothers were awak.
ened by the cracking Of the flames
and found their cabin on fire. They
awoke the girl and themselves escaped
She reached the door, but half suffo-
Gated and dazed. stumbled, fell back
into the blazing shack and was burned
before their eyes.
Meet Horrible Deaths.
Charles Brinny, who had charge OF
another lumber camp on Big Wolf
creek, was awakened by the barking
Of his dog. He saw a leaping wall of
flames coming through the forest to.
ward the camp. He awakened his wife
and their nine children and in their
night clothing the family ran through
the woods to clearing not far off.
There they crouched half suffocated