The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1911-07-13
FIRE CHIEF Tells.
COMPLETE STORY ]
or HOLOCAUST
Thirty-sh Volunteers With Three
Hose Carts Fought Flames Till
They Reached Pumping Station,
When Operators Fled.
Merchant Thompson Pays Fine
Tribute To Capt. Myers Of the
Steamer Noh.

Among the 20 oscoda fre refugees
who came to Port Huron on the
steamer Nike from oscoda to Port
Huron, thence to Detroit by trolley,
Wednesday evening, was Eugene K.
Thompson, merchant and fre chief
Of Oscoda. In telling Of the IRE, he
said:
THE FIRST serious IRE on the out
skirts Of the town was discovered
Sunday, and crew fought II until II
was under control Monday nothing
was done, and on Tuesday, aided by
high winds IL burst out again with
. great fury.
The first alarm In oscoda came In
| at 8 o'clock, from Mrs. Archer's
| house, back OF the Catholic GENE
terry. President Cowlav and myself
procured pals from the Loud COM
pany's ONCE to night the flames that
had spread TO the cemetery. The
next alarm came In from the Au
Sable township slab piles. Just about
the time the hose was working we'll,
We got an alarm from the village Of
Oscoda and Au Sable canning fac
tory. The next building was A. J.
Christians meat market, In the very
4 center of the town. After that the
are was general, breaking out north.
east. south and west all at once.
"Our equipment Of three hose carts
and SO volunteers fought for an hour
and half. with n good water supply.
Then the flames reached the pump
ing station, which blew three warning
whistles and went out of commission.
!, The operators found refuge on the
north shore.
"In the meantime we had sent for
relief to Alpena, Bay City and Tawas,
N. j. Oliver, the company telegraph
operator, sending the messages.
"A few of the inhabitants. among
them myself and my father and
mother, went to the steamer Nike.
Capt. Meyers, which had landed ut
my own dock that day to take on a
load OF lumber for Chicago. II Is i'm
= possible to say enough In praise Of
Capt. Meyers. He acted the hero and
gentleman, remaining at the dock IN
til IL was a mass of flames and he
was Obliged to cut his cables. When
the boat finally drifted into the open
It was afire fore and aft. The ves-
sells apparatus put the flames out.
After he had pulled away into the
open. Capt. Meyers rounded to and
. stood by for an hour and half until
danger from flying sparks forced him
TO steam into the lake. BY remaining
he was enabled to pick up n fish boat
containing Napoleon Lovois, P.Js Nc
Phaii, who had cut the steamers
, lines. Alfred Johnson, Jesse Le
Feyre, and Lester Kellogg. He went
$50 miles out of his course to bring
us to Port Huron. and he and his
crew gave US everything they posses
sed, their beds and their food. There
were In all about 265 persons aboard,
80 OF whom were nursing children.
When we left the dock between
200 and 800 people were on 1t. cut
OF from shore. with the tramway
overhead afire There was no escape
Tor them unless they jumped into the
water. saw Peter Duval struggle
down the tramway with his aged faith
er-in-law on his back, but the flames
forced him back. and | cannot tell
whether he was saved. saw a wom-
an with two children In arms, appar-
emily twins, rush out on the dock.
One of the children fell into the wa
ter, and young man jumped In after
II and rescued II.
"It is impossible to say how many
were killed In the flames or the Wa
ter. The two townc had about $500
inhabitants In all.
when the fire started the wind
was blowing about SO miles al hour
from the southwest. Then II shift
ed TO the westward. and the flames
completely swept tho towns. Two
hours afterward Il shifted to the
northeast and swept the blaze back
over the ground II already had trav-
eled, licking up the whole OF Oscoda.
and An Sable city and township, for
q radius Of three miles.
Those who took refuge on the
north shore were saved. Whether
those who went to the south shore
escaped is not so certain, though the
beach 10 wide along the coast and
the water Is so shallow that one csn
wade out for $50 feet. There was alb
solutely no escape by land unless the
d. q NJ relief train which arrived
just as the Niko pulled out was able 10
take care OF some. There was no
clear territory nearby. The towns
were completely surrounded by jack
pine forests. Even open land would
have done little good. for the fire
got TO Oscoda across sawdust island
two miles wide and covered with
grass.
"Of course, some who were warned
early escaped In automobiles and
other vehicles, but these we're the for
tunate ones A few got away In gas
oline launches and others In rowboats
and sailboats.
II am one of the fortunates. Ny
loss was not more than $780, The
remainder IL covered by insurance.
Nine-tenths of the concerns carried no
insurance at all. Nearly every per-