Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1910-03-29

FIGHT FIRES.


The warm days, light winds and
sunshine Of the past two weeks
brought about conditions which made
1T dangerous TO start fires in the
woods. for burning brush heaps or
stumps. Reports in Milwaukee daily
newspapers the latter part of last
week stated that forest fires had
broken out in several localities in
Wisconsin.
This section got touch of it last
Thursday. Someone, in burning brush
piles along the Rib bottoms that day,
let fires get away from them. A high
west wind was blowing all day, which
famed the flames and drove them
toward the city. There is no green
vegetation at present and the earth
in that section is covered with a
blanket of dead leaves, grass, etc. In
a very short time the fire reached
the city limits and people living in
that section sent hurry up call to
the engine houses for assistance.
There being no fire plugs in that ter
ritory the tiremen could do little ex-
cept to dig trenches, etc.. to check
the fire. Two of the city sprinkling
wagons were taken down there and
proved very effective i'm wetting down
the ground and staying the progress
of the flames. In addition to the
tiremen, quite number of other citi-
zens and the Schubring Lumber Co.
mill crew turned out. The fire burned
over the entire area of w. r. Chellis'
addition, and was sweeping towards
the lumber yards of the Schubring
Lumber Co. Had it got into the
lumber yards, Wausau would have
experienced it's worst fire in years.
The wind blowing gale at the time
would have carried the burning Gin
ders to adjoining houses, and there is
no telling to what extent the damage
would have been. On the following
day party composed Of the chief of
the fire department, Frank Zielsdorf,
Mr.. Chellis, some of the men living
and working in that section, went out
and back fired to prevent any further
danger, for some pine stumps were
still burning.
The village of Brokaw had narrow
escape the same day. A fire started
on the east side of the river near the
dwelling houses, presumably from a
spark from the mill smoke stacks. In
less than five minutes a roaring flame
was sweeping onto the village. The
mill employees turncd out and fought
fire all afternoon. One of the men
informs us that the most effective
way of fighting the fire was to dig up
fresh earth End smother burning logs,
stumps, etc.
When the wind was blowing fiercest
that same day fires which had been
started the day before in the brush
piles along the river at Retiaschiids
were rekindled into a blaze and soon
spread and worked their way toward
the pavilion and threatened the des-
truction of that and other buildings
M. G. Ewing was notified of condi-
tions and went down on the first car
and soon had force of men at work
fighting fire. The fire was so danger
Gus at one time that most of the
goods of Frank Oswald,
who occupies the pavilion cottage,
were moved out of the house to places
of safety. After hard work the fire
was checked.
Arthur Ferris, who lives in the
town of Ringle on the town line road,
on the old Sam Meservey farm, suf-
fered a severe loss that same day. |
Situated close by is the Lodholz saw
mill, and it is supposed that spark
from the mill engine set a straw |
stack on fire. Within very few |
all of Mr.. Ferris farm build |
lngs, including his dwelling house |
was on fire. Very little if anything
was saved. He lost fine span of |
horses, some cattle, all his farm ma
etc. He carried insurance
for about half the amount of his loss.
A grass fire started on Harrison
Blvd. Friday noon, necessitating the
calling out of the firemen.