The Mathews journal. (Mathews C.H. [Court House]) 1903-1937, 1911-07-20
TOWN FAILS PREY
TO FOREST FIRES

DETROIT, MICH, SpeCial.-Half a
dozen towns destroyed. scores OF lives
lost, and fires raging i'm or near many
other towns and villages.
This is the toll made by the wall Of
hame which is sweeping over North
ern Michigan. carrying death and de-
Rtruction.
OScoda has been wiped out. and just
across the river from this &c i'.Nn OF
Au Sable is burning Hereby. g.. 3. 10
hope of saving <hy part Of it IS ell
Trainlo2& Of refugees have been
taken, rom the two towns To Tawas
o2bU Detroit and Mackinac hallway.
lind pitiful stories are told Of the
havoc and tradegy wrought.
Refugees told how relatives and
friends were caught by the flames.
Dead bodies were left i'm the streets
by the fear and northumberland
throng.
Starting from the forest ire. two
churches and several small houses
burned. Then the flames spread to
the big sawmill of Loud X Co, which
went up like finder. with a loss Of
more than 100000. Congressman
George a. Loud is one Of the principal
owners OF the mill.
The town OF TrOwbdiGe. on the
Michigan Central Railroad. was also
destroyed. Several persons were
burned to death.
Alpena is mass Of flames. and
raging at Sheboygan, and efforts OF
the fire department ana citizens TO
check the fire have SO far been vain.
The towns of Lewiston. Alger and
Turner or, rDported TO he in danger
of the hrc which is raging all about
them.
Villages In Ashes.
More than a score of smaller VIII
lagos have been reduced to ashes and
farm houses and crops burned to Gin
ders.
That the property loss will reach
far up into the millions is without
doubt. Disconnected reports from the
fire. which are reaching here over
crippled telegraph wires. indicate that
the loss Of life will be over a hundred.
and many times that number seriously
burned.
Fear today is that the flames will
spread beyond hope of control. and
that practically the whole peninsula
will be swept bare of habitation.
Find Refuge i'm Lake Huron.
The loss of lumber alone is enor-
nous. Thousands upon thousands OF
trees have crumpled up before the
intense heat of the flames. More than
a score Of sawmills have been de-
stroyed and all the dried-cured lum-
Der burned. The holocaust is many
times worse than the great fire ca
tastrophe which began in the village
OF Metz, october 16, 1905. In that
fire the town Of Metz and several
other villages We're destroyed. 4 late
report says that Miilersburg and
TowerVale. on the Detroit and Maca-
nae Railroad. also are burning.
Manager Little. of the Western
Union at Alpena. who escaped on a
train, told OF how the refugees fed
from the city. Hundreds raced for
their lives for Lake Huron. where
they spent hours in the water away
from the intense heat.
1000 Persons Homeless
Men and women spent the night in
terror. viewing the charred remains
of their hopes. Many Of them are
being taken TO East Tawas, where
temporary shelters have been ar
ranged.
Bay City, Mich, is the center of
the relief work. y special train made
its way to Oscodaad Au Sable carry
ing food for the 1000 persons whose
homes and fortunes have been swept
away.
Wholesale and retail grocery and
commission houses were opened with
generous hands and their supplies
taken on board the train. Mayor
Woodruff is heading the work.