Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1911-07-21
TOWNS IN MICHIGAN
WIPED OUT DY FIRE
Blazes Dot Lower Peninsula oil
Wolverine State.
Flames Surround Many Little Towns
Women and Children Being Sent
Out Of Danger Zone-Men
Remain to Fight Fire.

The forests Of northern Michi
gan, parched under the intense heat
OF the past two weeks and dry as tin
der because of the lack of rain for
several weeks, are burning, and threat
eh1ng to wipe out several small towns
whose fire fighting apparatus is lin
tied.
Telephone and telegraph wires are
being cut of end women and children
are being sent south out Of the i'm
mediate danger zone ON every train
The men, in most cases, are remain
ing for last fight to save their
homes.
Northwest winds, said to be the
worst possible for a situation of the
kind, are blowing down over the burn.
ing districts of the northern portion
OF the lower peninsula, spreading fire
IN almost every direction.
There Is no rain in sight and the
weather men say that long and hot
spell is all the state can expect fol-
several days Without rain there is
certain to be much larger loss OF
property than at present and the fig
ures reported SO far will undoubtedly
reach $5,0tC,0OO
In the two towns of Oscoda and Au
Sable only school and dwelling In
the south end of Au Sable are stand
ing. Reports continue to be- received
OF loss of life at Oscoda and Au Sa
BILE. Such of the inhabitants as have
not escaped en- board the steamer Kon.
go, or tire Detroit and Mackinac relief
trains, are shelterless in the swamps
and fields about the burned towns.
The towns of Tower and Onaway
are reported to be partly destroyed by
forest fires, with heavy losses at Mil
lersburg, Metz, Posen and LaRoque
FIenchtown, a thickly settled portion
of Onaway, is said to have been com.
pletely wiped out
A carload of food hastily collected
in Detroit by Mayor Woodruff and a
volunteer committee, was sent to CISCO.
da and Au Sable, as about 1,2O0 per.
sons remain about the ash heaps that
were once their homes, having nothing
to eat.
The fire. under the influence of a
fifty mile wind, spread with such ra.
pidity that men and women dashed
from their orses, dropping such bun.
Gles of vaiuablcs and clothing as they
had started to collect. Many people
living on the shore side of the town
started for safety along the beach, but
within ten minutes the heat was SO in.
tense that they were driven into the
water and continued their way wading
along the shore.
The heaviest loser is H. M. Loud's
Sons company, of whSh Congressman
George A. Loud of the Tenth Michigan
district is the head. The company's
loss is nearly s375,OOO. Its property
consisted of two sawmills, planning
mill, shingle mill, bolt mill. lumber
yard, cedar yard, pumphouses. stores
and residences. The total losses are
probably in excess of $1,500,OO0.
In Beaver township, Crawford coun.
ty, several farm houses and the town
hall were burned. The Boyne City
Lumber companys camp No. 6, near
Boyne City, is reported surrounded by
flames
In Montmorenci county extensive
forest fires are damaging standing tim
ber. Several camps are reported in
extreme danger owing to the high
wind.
As the result of fires that are sweep.
ing unche ecked through northern On.
tario, at least 300 lives are lost many
have been injured, hundreds are miss
ing and it is feared scores of these
will be added to the fatalities.
Fifteen men were drowned at South
Porcupine when they were driven into
the lake by the dense clouds OF smoke
and rolling waves of fire. Two were
buried to death at El6orado mine and
another met similar fate at the Unit.
ed Porcupine mine. Three towns have
been wiped of the map Hundreds Of
refugees are facing starvation.
A train containing 600 women and
children was rushed out of Cochrane
as the wall Of flames advanced toward
the village. The town of $500 inhab-
itants was soon a mass of fire, and Is
entirely destroyed. South Porcupine
and Pittsville are charred ruins.