New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-07-13
SEVERAL HUNDREDS DIE
IN F|RESWEPT FORESTS
Flames OevaState POrCupine
Mining District of North
ern Ontario.
AROUND PORCUPINE LAKE
Thousands Homeless from South
Porcupine, Pottsville, Golden
City and Michigan Villages
of Au Sable and Oscoda.

the Porcupine district from yesterday s
and the property loss will reach several
millions of dollars Only three of the
eightyfour employees Of West Dome
mine have been accounted for. and two
! hundred miners. muckers. etc. in the
! Dome mine have been suffocated.
The mines burned include the Dome
| the North Dome. the Preston East
Dome. the Vipond the Foley-O Brien.
the Philadelphia. the United Porcupine
tho Eldorado Porcupine. tho Standard,
the Imperial, West Dome and Success.
Among the dead are Robert Weiss.
manager Of the West Dome. and his wife
and child The Philadelphia mines loss
is about 10000. United Porcupine mines
loss $4,000; Eldorado Porcupine. all
buildings destroyed: Standard. about
! $4,000; Imperial. about $4,000: Sue
cess. probably totally destroyed; West
mines about $4,000
The above gives but a vague idea OF
the loss Of life as well as property I'm
|
total millions of dollars and hundreds Of
| lives. In the four hours beginning at
| 12:3O Yesterday afternoon the fire fend
wiped from the Standard mines right
| through 10 the shores Of Porcupine Lake
/ where il ate up the town site of South
/ Porcuplne. Pottsville and part of Cold
en- City, as well as many small build
| ings along the lake front
Penned in Mines by Flames.
While part of the loss of life occurred
/ in the vicinity Of Porcupine Lake. the
greatest havoc was wrought around the
main mines. notably West Dome and
| Big Dome. Here the entrapped miners.
cut off from escape by flames. were
| forced to take to the shafts for safety.
and, penned in by flames. pershed. This
was notably true at the Dome and West
! Dome mines
At Preston East Dime an untimbered
| shaft gave shelter and none perished.
| The streets of South Porcupine are
| streWn with dead persons horses. dogs
and cattle. Along the mine roads are
the charrod bodies of those overcome
trying TO escape
OF the staff of three hundred at the
Dome but a few were saved, and at the
West Dome but three out Of eighty-four
employees are known to be alive Along
the highway between West Dome and
South Porcupine, over a comparatively
open section. were found six charred
bodies In the ruins of the town Of
South POrcupine We're found the bodies
of William GOhr and his clerk Mac"
Smith. Captain George Runbar and
"Tom" Geddes.
Early yesterday morning the miners
saw dense clouds of smoke TO the south
west, where the fires were raging. They
gave small heed. Later i'm the day there
was a small blaze started close to the
Porcupine town site, but it passed al
most unnoticed because Of the frequency
of bush fires in the last few weeks OF
the dry spell.
It was not until noon that the dense
clouds began to roll over the Porcupine
district and screen the sun dull red.
Then the miners became alarmed and
the camps took on unusual activity.
Messengers were sent out and soon re-
turned with warnings that the fire was
! travelling through the forests at a rapid
( mace and was licking up many town
ships.
Fire Path Two Lilies Wide.
| BY noon the fire had covered an area
NJ nearly twenty-five miles In length
| and two miles in width and was licking
,,n tho base line of Tisdale. sweeping
over the Standard and Imperial mines
at Delore. and the Philadelphia, lnshaw,
E,ldorado and United mines in southern
! Whitney.
At o'clock the seriousness of the
situation was apparent at South Porcu-
nine. when 10 the southwark could be
eoen the sweeping wall Of flames. The
fire call was sounded with the Dome
,nino whistle, and was followed by re-
heated blasts from those Of other mines
! Miners and women and children began to
scurrv about i'm the dense smoke, pack
ing valuables and light baggage.
In another half hour the flames had
s,,.ont narcels Of land just vacated by the
miners They swept over the Foley
! O'Brien mine, then jumped TO the Pres
ton East Dome and followed over fhe
! name West Dome and North Dome. also
licking up what remained OF the Dome
cvtension after Sundays fire.
Hundreds fed before the flames which
,,.ro eating ND the shacks in the out
,,tre section OF South Porcupine The
dense clouds OF black smoke hung very
low over the land, and made hight dirl-
o,,,t Many perished from exhaustion,
ond lav prostrate before the raging FIRE
{, ewept over the town. The frame
buildings in the heart of the town puri''"
lin, . cracking sound that struck terror
:. the hearts of the fleeing people
1,aantv minutes after the flames struck
,,.o outskirts of South Porcupine the
.ao,r was In ashes, 80 quickly did the
FIRE sweep on 10 the north. All OF those
,rbo escaped the flames made for the
uater. where all sorts OF water craft
,orrcbes canoes, scows and skfs were
reouisitioned into service
yyomen and children were first mud
,,od into The small boats and started Off
for Pottsville and Golden CITY where
,hev were temporarily safe from the
eames. Many miners lost their lives In
ooorts 70 save others. and some were
| drowned.
Lar