The Oroville weekly gazette. [volume] (Oroville, Wash.) 1905-19??, 1911-07-21
IN TIE PORCUPINE FIRE.
Rea Mine the Only One Saved in a Radius
OF 600 Miles-Letter From
a Survivor.

Last week terrible forest fire
swept over the Porcupine mining dis
trict, in Ontario, destroying towns as
well as timber. A former we'll known
resident of Oroville. Mrs. l.. 4. Her
klmer, was at Porcupine at the time,
and had narrow escape. Her hus-
band is the manager of the Rea Con-
solidated mine, with one exception
the only mine within radius of sev-
eral hundred miles that escaped de-
struction. The following are cNrracts
from a letter Just received from Mrs
Herkbner, written to her mother, Mrs
c. c. 'rilley:
South forcupine. July 10. al
thankful that we are alive We have
had most terrible experience and no
one could be able to describe what we
have been through here for the past
few days. The whole country was on
fire Sunday, and on Tuesday the fire
reached us at about o'clock in the
morning. Theo Cher husbandD rang
the alarm and got all the men out to
fight fire. He was totally exhausted
last night, but was compelled to stay
on watch. Tonight the air is nearly
clear. Capt Memor and Lord Las
celles, aid-de-camp of Earl Grey, were
in here and assisted in fighting fire.
AT 2 o'clock yesterday the smoke
and fire was so bad we could hardly
breathe, and we thought that we
would Suffocate. When the fire was
nearest, the mine pump broke down.
and Theo went down the shaft 230
feet and managed to put it in working
order. and the men were so cheered
up that they made another effort and
saved the property. The fire came
within ten feet of my shack. My
clothes were down the shaft, but Theo
expecting them to burn had them
brought up and buried in the rock
pile. 1t was all we had, because our
trunks were at the Northern Ontario
railway camp. The fire about us was
finally gotten under control, and Theo
has been warmly congratulated, as
this, and one other camp, are the only
buildings left standing. The fire swept
directly through the mining district,
burning everything n its path. The
Vipond, Pearl Lake, Jupiter, Foley &;
OBrien, Dome West Dome, Imperial,
Crown Chart, and in fact every mine
in the county was wiped out. The
manager, Robert Weisse, and his wife
and child, the assayer, his wife and
three children, the mine captain and
his wife, and 20 men were burned to
death at the West Dome. South Por-
cupine, Pottsville, @. & \. O. camp
and McDougal are burned out. abso-
lutely nothing left. not even the
wharves. Golden City had about 80
buildings burned. All horses and dogs
were burned. and the estimated loss
of life is 200 burned and drowned. AT
the big dome mine they had 400 men,
and they are burying the dead as fast
as they can be found. The waves on
the lake We're nearly ten feet high
People waded ntO the lake to keep out
of the fire. The wind blew the flames
400 feet out over the water. and it is
said it will never be known how many
were drowned. car load of dyna-
mite exploded at South Porcupine and
killed three men. Some pieces flew
across the lake, one of them cutting
mans arm off. | can not commence
to tell you of the terrible sight. A
special train left last night loaded
with cripples, and three relief trains
came in today. Free transportation is
given to any one desiring to leave.
Some 200G are going away today and
tomorrow. A friend who has been to
Golden City says he saw at least 30
men lying dead in the streets. 1t is
believed that hundreds of miners and
prOspectOrS have lost their lives in
the brush and the bodies never will
be found. The mine is closed down
entirely and the men are bcak-fring
tonight, in order to stop fire that
is heading this way"