The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1911-07-21
Hermann TELLS
GRAPHIC STORY
CONTINUED from Page onso

the flames. fanned nA "A wind blowing
rs miles an hour. swept with almost
lightning like velocity. the fuel burn
ing clean Off the ground as quickly as
touched by the furnace Of flames.
Fires had been burning through the
district for several weeks and prob
ably started I'm the first place from the
camphres of carless prospectors and
woodsmen. many Of whom paid for
their folly and neglect with their
lives. Suddenly the big wind came up.
famed the fires into a great line tnat
swept everything before it and de-
vastating the entire region, sweeping
forests. towns. mining sites and the
swamp lands.
The people who lost their lives
were of all classes. minrs. pTospectors.
young men from colleges and univer-
stiles who were In the Porcupine dis
trict for the summer months only and
few women and children. There
were. perhaps. 500 women and children
IN the district and Mr. Hermann says
he does not believe more than eight
or nine of them lost their lives Most
of the women and children were hust-
led into launches. several of which
were used as ferries on Porcupine
lake. or on TO scows and were taken
over to Golden City, where they were
safe from the flames. Only a small
portion OF Golden City was consumed.
The men showed little regard for their
own lives when IL came to saving
those of the women and children, he
said. The women and children who
lost their lives were on the south side
of the lake. where the town of South
Porcupine. a place of about 1900 in
habitants. was totally destroyed.
Towns are Swept
Pottsville. which is on the north
side of the lake. was also entirely de-
struyed Mr.. Hermann was In Potts
vile at the time of the fire. 1t took
only about an hour for the flames to
clean off the townsite. Pottsville was
town of about 500 people The post
office was located there. Here the fire
seemed to work back against the wind,
probably feeding on the great clouds
] of small particles of carbon and on
| the gases which were created by the
| flames.
About a quarter of a mile across the
| end of the lake from Pottsville was
Golden City, the best part of which
| was saved through the heroic efforts
of the residents and miners and others
who were there. South Porcupine. To-
| Gated on the southern side of the lake,
| could not possibly have been saved.
| Mr.. Hermann says that the greater
number of the people who were burn
| ed I'm the settlements were at South
Porcupine.
Mining Plants Destroyed.
| Speaking of the destruction of the
mining plants. offices. etc. MIR. Her
mann says that everything about the
Big Dome district. where the Dome
| Mining Co. a close corporation. is OPP
| Grating, was destroyed Two and a
half miles west of the Big Dome mine
| Is located the HolIander. the second
/ most important mine I'm the district,
and the only thing destroyed there
| was the Vipond mine plant of the
Porcupine Gold Mining Co. Some of
| the other companies lost their camps,
| offices and other buildings and much
| of their surface works. The Hollinger
mine in located i'm the Pearl lake dis
| trict.
| Within two weeks. says Mr.. Her
mann. the mining companies will have
their new plants. bigger and better
| than the ones destroyed. ON the ground
and ready to install. Within three
| months the Big Dome will have It's
plant in operation again. The Big
I Dome had forty stamp mill of 200
ton per day capacity. a small cynanide
plant and other plants destroyed. maxi
ing loss. probably OF 100000 or
more This company also lost Its
electrical plant. its two electric hoists
and its 25-drill compressor. as well as
it's offices. All of the men who were
| at work underground were saved. al
| though some of them were uncon-
scious when brought to surface. Prob
ably fifteen or twenty lost their lives
at the Dome. while several others lost
their lives at the West Dome.
The Big Dome. says Mr.. Hermann,
Is a fabulously rich property, and has
enough ore blocked out on the fifty
foot level to keep forty-head stamp
mill working for ten years. About 30
per cent OF the people In the Porcu-
pine district. Mr. Hermann says, are
Americans. although II Is impossible
to say how many Americans lost their
lives.
The reason the mining companies
are putting In larger plants Is that
they had progressed far enough with
their old plants to make larger equip
ment necessary. One good effect OF
the fire. therefore. will be that the
mining companies will be able to go
ahead with their work on much
larger scale almost at once than they
could have done with their old equip
ments.
| Tells Of Nathan Haas.
Speaking of the manner In which
Nathan Haas. brother OF Edward,
Mart and Isaac Haas of Houghton and
Of Herman Haas OF Calumet lost his
life. Mr.. Hermann gave a very graph
| &c description of the scene on the lake