The Escanaba Daily Press from Escanaba, Michigan • Page 2

PACE TWO A A 1 1 I. Ks I I ESI IA APUIL 11. 1931. ALL PROPERTY OF WELLS CO. IS DESTROYED Onei no more.

The fire Marte'd in the corner of a shed near l.arns whirh were almost Instantly in of persona sought to got 25 horses out of the got out 10 horses hut nwny and ran hack into the burning structure Only three saved. All Mgltt From then on all right long the fire raced, eat.nc from pile pile, lea ring each one an Indite! ual furnace ith scores of drafts between the rows of lumber The wind had into the west and the want driven steadily toward the In no time it had reached State St. which divides yards in about two erjual parts, and leaped that avenue to the sawmill plant and ramps. From then on it evident that the entire property was: doomed. foe Ho Long before the flames reached State street it was evident that loeai department would be uii- ahlo to check or even control fite was certain to he a clean sweep through to the hay no mat ter how many pumpers were on hand, but to retard the spread into the residence district with the possible threat of wiping out the nf're city, calls for aid were sent outside.

Marinette, the sister city, responded, as always, without the least hesitancy despite fire threats within her own borders Kscar-aba sent a pumper and volunteered Hnofher big outfit. Maiinette sent over a second pumper and other equipment end later in the morning tireen Hay sent a second pumper. Four pumpers were also to be enroufe from Milwaukee, sent herf by the insurance undei ers Families Move Out As the re jumped State spread Into the sawmill and flooring plants and licked away at the warehouse filled to roof with dry, dressed hardwood a 100,000 building, with its the people of Menomi nep fully realized the danger to thejr own homes. They were hopeful. however, that the wind would tenia out of the west.

Residents of the vicinity started packing Firemen were concentrating on the George Foster and Cyrus Widger dwellings adjacent to the Wells ofljre which already were razed As the flames pressed fiercer and hotter, two families moved out thelv household cts. Then the flOO.Oufi warehouse cauehf. The fire burned out a north corner and got inside. Fire mrn could not endure the volcanh hraf of the street and had to re treat The fire roared through the warehouse hroke through the ventilator shafts and that build tin doomed By that time the sawmill was a of flame and the towering log plies on north end of the property about the lor pond were Ignited Two million feet of logs were soon ablare, the searing from there to the lumber docks Hfwkli TIirpHtcnisl the fire gained east of State st the inferno to the Went continued to roar and eat the along the of the yard St a thankfulness tliut the wind tontlnued from the west The Wells home, Welde mann's, im mod lately to the south of burning mill vnrds were feeling the heat and the Imminent threat Scores of workers manned hose and Dawn appeared over the red eastern horizon reflecting on the huge clouds of smoke which poured cost over Green brtv There were of relief davlight broke the wind ap pea red to riv ng down. Manv of the thousands who had watched the fire for prepared to lea vs.

or left for home to tret a llttie sleep before starting work for the dav As the red sun rlimb higher through the haze and the hours of anxiety over the fate of Menominee appeared at an end, a ripple flashed along the surface of the day. Iti a moment the entire surface was ruffled The dread of the night materialized If was a wind out of the northeast Within 10 minutes there were whitecaps on the bay ard regular out of the northeast The wind had ahaied. emrejy to shift The northeast g.tie halted and turned hack the flames and smoke which were pouring out over the bay. shunting them in the south and back to clean up the fringes missed on the forward onslaught In leas than the it takes to tell, all the fearful anxiety of fhei night had returned increased many fold. The flames were lick-1 Ing the rear of Ralph to destroy small buildings and aj warehouse on the premises and to) set fire to stone wnrf built up! on piling The Wtdemann.

Shock- ley and Prescott homes were dir- ectly in the path of the returning flames A big storage tark of gasoline in the sawmill yard, on which the had opened to prevent formation of gas, broke into flames and huge clouds of inky black smoke poured down over the State residential home (aught. The jumped the street to the Widow Ponto's dwelling The Foster and Widger homes in deluge of flame and a few minutes later viewed between of smoke they had I Joe He sen's residence broke fn- fo flames The jumped and pped from house to house Albert Pads home on Hpencer ave nue a a a mass of a few after the fire hit It. A dozen houses were on fire and there were of incipient blazes when the seven fire ers were concentrated to the south fire litio Hundreds of moving out or packing up ready to move Scores of trucks many of them sent over from Mar'nette, were volunteer movers. Furn.fure wsh strewed on streets on burnt Hundreds of men were voluntarily helping the movers and Mayor Danieli befng out of the city, Alderman Fred Rasor president of the citv mnn- was In charge of the situation when the pumpers were to hvdrants in every block along the line, concentrating every effort and every facility to prevert the fire breaking through formed by the first nf houses was the heroic work of the firemen who got the fires under control while the saw mill fire gradually subsided At it lock was announced by Fire t'hlef ColRns that the fire was under control and that the threat to Menomi! ce was over BLAZES CAUSE HE A VYLOSSES ON PENINSULA ft ontlnni'd from One fires that irush ed choice Ne buildings hull and ed st rucl res etti Menominee Once Had 67 Sawmills; Wells Plant Last Big One Fire the red demon that has been a I most teared by the lumberman has dealt to the city of Menominee a severe h.ow In the destruction of the .1 Wells Hum her modern plant on Monday. It was the big saw mill in the town, which in those booming days of the past, when pine was king, boa-ted of miiis on the river and the stinetion of being the largest lumber shipping port in the world.

Millions and millions of feet of pine were floated down the Menom jn operation the next year L.ke conflagration, how the big Peshtigo Are in October, 1871, raged through Menekau- nee Hke a tornado, sweeping the village away and also the Spaulding and Porter mill. Again, the company re built. N. Ludlngton Mill During tlie years 1856 and 1837. Hudington and company commenced breeding a mill at Marinette, on what was then ended Mission Point The owners of the null at that lime were Nelson hudington inee river every driving season, of Chicago Harrison Ludlngton and along with the timber came the Daniel Wells.

Jr of Milwaukee. In ro licking lumberjac ks to spend May. 1856, Isaac Stephenson bought hejr winter stakes in the bar Harrison fourth in- rooms, gambl ng dens, and the. tcrest and afterward Anthony G. houses where there was wine, worn haick's one-eighth interest, en and song.

Menominee was a This same company established hell roaring lumbering town in I mills on the Escanaha river at the eighties and nineties, known Flat and later at now throughout the country as good Hut today, with the last big sawmill gone, Menominee looks back to its days of glory with keen re gret, but with a hope that other industries will come to give employment to the more than three hundred men who lost their as a result of the J. W. Wells company fire. First Mill in 1832 It was back In 1832 that the mill was built on the Menominee liver by Farnsworth and Brush The second one was built in is 11 bv Charles at Twin Island Rapids, about eighteen nvles up river from its month, and was alse run by wafer. After dam of the Farnsworth and Brush mill broke away.

Dr Hail built another 11 higher up the The dam o' this mill built across the river from the Wisconsin side to an island, and from the is and to the Michigan The mill was erected on the Menominee side, and soon a whs built up on the bank This mil! was bui in and had a capacity for equal to 6.00 oon per year The next mill built on the Menominee river was completed in bv a corporation called the New York Lumber company. The mill was situated on the main shore: of the river at Meneknunee on the Wisconsin were expended was saved. About SCO. Charles Wells and Henry of Pennsylvania bought the property In 1861. Henry sold interest to Spading of Chicago The property was incorporated in 1872 under the name of the Menominee Rivet Lumber company.

In 1869. the first mi 1 was burned with all Its hut the owners built a much better plant, the new mills known as the I Stephenson Com pany. Trustees, property. The next mill built was what is the old Kirbv-Carpenter com mi which was also com menced in 1856 and got into con dition to saw lumber in 1857 This mill was built by Abner Kirby of Milwaukee on what then a bar in the river opposite Me nominee village. In 1867.

com pany built a new 11 a little down the river, which had capacity of 125.000 feet per lav. Other l's built on the Menomi river in the itv of Menominof ucl vicinity were Anson Bang-' n'll on River, 1 858; shingle nil1 by William Bagiev and Wll barn 1 857: Simon -traus mill. 1830; Ludlngton. Wells Van Schalck mill in Menominee. 1863 Ingallston milk 1866: William McCartney mill.

'866 Fred Carnev mill. 1867: George Hawthoni mi l. I860: Ham Verrvman componv in Mar inette, 1866 William Goddard and rompan' plan re and mill j. W. Wells Died 1921 John founder of the romnanv.

whose plant destroyed Monda', died in I021 He born in Iowa in 1818 Mr. Wells was engaged in the' lum her business at Oconto until 1875 when lie moved his mills to Menominee In 1 878. lie became audit is said $80.000 vice precedent end general mana on it before a of the Girard Lumber ompany of Menominee, and a president of the Bird Lumber com nany of and president o' the Wisrnnisn and North em railroad, A tire destroyed niant of the Girard Lumber com pBnv In 1010 and a new rT establishment erected at whh finie the business of the comparr included under the name of the W. company. Burk River, was destroyed Sun da' hut the saved Another barn on farm rear Wilson was destroyed Fifteen were raging at one time in this section residents sending emergency call to the Michigan conservation department in Escanaha for help.

Blazes at one time were within block of the village of Hark River Ottic'als of the Chicago and North Western railway here reported the loss of 2 6 cars 1n fires yesterday. Nineteen flat cars were burned in the J. W. Wells fire at nominee. and seven box cars, some of them loaded, were des troved along with the C.

N. W. railway station at Wallace, MacMillan estimated last night about 1.000 acres were burned over in Delta countv, and a similar acreage in Menominee county. Florence Not Hit Rumors that the' town of Florence, Wls along tlx' Menominee river opposite Iron Mountain, had been wiped out were found to be untrue. A fierce forest fire rnged In the vicinitv of the community, following the river, hut nnv- i seriously threatened the town The viliuge of Chfttinlug in Dickinson county was menaced by flames.

A Inrge crew of men war called out to fight the blaze It crept up to the edge of the tow i succeeding In quelling It before any damage was done Another report that the resort at Spread Eagle had been burned out proved to bo unfounded. Sev eral bad fires went into the heavily wooded area in the vicinity of the resort, crew of about forty fire fighters succeeded In getting them under control. A farmhouse was burned in the Pino Creek section near Norway yesterday morning. A large crew of men arc watching a fire at Mine, two miles north cast of Iron Mountain, which threatening 75 box cars spotted on a sidetrack of the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific rail a y.

District Warden Andrews re ported last night that Dickinson county had 14 major during the dav, all now under control. In Luce county, the first fires of the season yesterday called out Wardens Beach and Furlong with a pump and truck to Steuben, where the muck burning. The wardens report plains and marshes are unusually drv for this early part of the season. MENOMINEE HUES Menominee. Apr.

1.7 red flares rast flickering shnd ows over smoke-laden northern Wisconsin and upper Michigan to night as scorns nf forest and brush tires died down Thousands of acres were burned over; one fowl was destroyed; dozens of other buildings were razed and one man was reported missing. Tinder-drv marshes and woods, by last summer's drought ind lack of snow during the win ter, hurst into leaping flames as i heavy wind whipped at least 7 5 fires in Wisconsin and 50 In upper Michigan during the week end. I'ntll the wind died todny volunteer workmen augmenting forest crews, were unable to curb he fin Wallace. bote the brunt of the fire damage. Of the .7 1 buildings there, only six remained tonight among the ruins of the town.

The 150 inhabitants were forced to their homes mit their Near Iron River. Mich it feared a her mit known only as John life as consumed his isolated dugout home on the hank of Paint river Wisconsin was dappled with ranged from to flames that destroy timber and faint build Mauaton, 2 4 farm were burned town 1,7 houses were Tripoli rural were razed In Mar it tit A -udden shift of wind file fighters today and born flames hack Into burnt areas All serious fires In Wi onsin and Michigan ud bv forestrv officials to control Authorities would tot attempt to mate the? damage Smoke thick, they said, and a survey not yet possible LD III VKit I I BI Stephenson. April 13 oB) A which swept toward Cedar River today apparently was under control tonight, m1 from the A erew of fifty men a jrevenfing further nd of the flames, w-hlch already had destroyed the village of Wallace and threatened Ingalls. The Stephens fire department saved In gulls from destruction and diverted the flames from HOPING MAIN Lansing. April 1.7 Michigan conservation terming the presort forest fire menace as gravest at this elate of any time in the history of the -date, were hoping for relief the fotni of immediate rainfall.

George Hogarth, state director of conservation, said unless showers fall over northern Michigan. much of the dwindling timber land In that section of statp will be threatened with desfrur- ion Hogarth sa that 148 fires had been reported to his office today. Most of them were in the upper peninsula hut a number were In Newaygo, and Mason counties in Western Michigan. He was unable to determine the specific acreage affected by the fires. A fire fighting of .750 wardens called into service and stands ready for constant vigllanc e.

HERMIT M1S8TNG Iron April 13 than 500 men were fighting forest and grasH fires in Dickinson county today, with thousands of dollars in fire loss estimated and one man missing. Three families were made homeless in the Buck Lake district and several head of rattle perished in the flames, which spread too fast to allow rescue work. The missing man known only John and "John the who has not been seen since his dug-out on the bank of he Paint river was burned over Fire fighters not found his body EIRE LINES ont in nevi from Page- He still of the pa mas. his Gorp- c.V high school hoys rd residents of the area tie Wdls fire carry out and also aided firemen in hand.ing Schools were closed for as prae fRally everv home 1 threat which endangered the citv and required every hit of help ava abe All business -borthanded to start the day Work e-rs remained home to thesr property nnd belongings. Ruins of the old Thompson Wells sawmill were completely wiped out As Wells yard tin 1 swept a cross StRte stree mi elevated ramps It swept info vard to the north enveloping the Id mill ruins At that the, plant of the Menomi Lumber yard, recently rebuilt after a disastrous fire, appeared! certain of destruction hut w.o out of the path of tin and As fire, swept to mm mill 'ard.

a North Western freight engine, on tracks skirting, the crept through crowds nnd around blazing warehouse to hook on a string of 1 14 box cars and loaded and hauled them out tc safety. All North Western road trains, and freight, crept past the fire most cautiously It was the right-of-way of the railroad that ltkelv saved many huiblings along Broadway The right-of-way formed a fire safety zone which confined the flames to the Wells yard on the west The right of wav zone no doubt saved the Broadway warehouses of the Menominee Lumber yard The Bresnahan lumber plant nf the northw-pst corner of the burred area was Just outside the fire zone although it was continually threat ened In afternoon plant will ate tomorrow and all prese work i are expectad to be on the Job Most of the Lloyd working spent ,1 great part of the nig it and his morning protecting tin Lloyd company property as well as as the oca! and outs fire fighting in protecting fhf city were only too to turn available man and any facili ties which we had to pro tectlon of Lar-, son. manager, said todav adding power lines In the plant will condition for Tuesday nper at ion The Menominee Red Gros was providing aid for the Wallace commuait v. today rickon the Firemen were fed during night and by residents of the tire area and hv John Farnsworth came over from Man nefte with crullers and hot coffee for the Marinette firemen and oth and Schmidt's bak "rv brought rolls and baking Mrs Joseph Peitseh, distributed a great number of hei delicious to the fire fighters. Vents of the large gasoline tank in the Wells yard were opened to prevent formation of is nnd the of content burned furiously without explosion There an estimated run of months of logs on hand at the mill.

fnot was destroyed. Office furniture and many import ant records of the Wells company were removed from the office building shortly after the fire started and were taken to the homo of A r. Wells WALLACE HIT BY I 00 FIRE SUND A Many thousands of feet of beau tifu 1 hirdfi-eye maple, dressed and drv, were housed in the big ware- building which continued to burn fiercely all day. The ware- i house was packed with expensive i lumber and burned as solid I dry block. There was no mail delivery this morning until after 10 Sev-1 eral of the mail carriers resided in the immediate vicinity of the fire Carrier James dwelling was one of the first to catch fire.

Nearby the dwelling of C. P. Ahearn was on fire in a lmlf dozen a number of times. Just ,70 ago the original Menominee Wells mill destroy ed bv a fire which also threatened the city Great pieces of burning beards were blown about the city in a very high wind. The modern mill destroyed this morning wa- bullt in 1915.

it was modern in everv respect and believed to be near fireproof as jt is possible io build type of structure. There remains but one mill on the Me nominee river the Sawyer flood man in Marinette- and that is not expected to operate much longer. Long distance telephone service to the north, interrupted by the Wallace and Wells fire, was restored this afternoon. 1 Dixon, chief nf the F. P.

Michigan Bell announced at 4 Miles of I wire have been restored in the Inst few hours Now read the FlaasiflccJ in SINESS DUE TO HOLD EVEN THIS SUMMER (Continued from Pairc One) period of a year ago Coal load inrs for the week were sltghtl) above 1930, while grain products and livestock also made a favorable showing in comparison with movements of a year ago. It is possible of course that figures on car loadings will not ha'e the Importance In the fu that they have had in past, due to increased use of mo tor trucks, growth in oil lines and greater use of electric power instead of conl. Horxe Entitled to Hite tinman Flesh Los Angeles, April 13 The municipal court here todny ruled a hors is entitled to one bite of human flesh, having equal with a dog. Judge Lucius E. Orften so held in denying Harry junk collector, a claim for $7 2c5 dim from owning a horse.

Goldstein said tin horse hit his hand. Injuring it so lie could not work for a month. Defonse attorneys held no proof established the horse rs vielous and since courts previous Iv held a dog was not vicious until he had bitten more than one man urged horse should have like consideration. judge agreed and granted the motion for a non-suit. Marinette Woman Hunted to Death Marin'tte charred body nf 5 August Roglin, 66, widowed was found Sunday morning about after the house in which she to the rear of 222 6 Carney avenue, w-as destroyed by fire.

The structure was discovered to lie at 5-30 by Policeman Schroeder, who celled the department and when the flumes had subsided the glnuitly discovery was made of the body of the woman Th presence of a kerosene can near the stove and a cup In the vic hands gave to the be lief that woman had endeavor to start a with tliu kerosene and that un explosion occurred She had been away from home the preceding day visiting her daughter, William Gnron this city It though that there may have been in the stove at the time the attempt was made to start the fire. On DAY gim her your PHOTOGRAPH Railways of Britain ing hnlf-lnterests in bus linen. are buy- municipal (Continued from thereeffort. Here and there were some endeavoring to salvage whatever they could from the debris. The creamery, which not been operated the death of Mr.

Koehn, will not be rebuilt. Joseph Melcholr, owner of the cheese factory, that ho does not intend to rebuild for cheese making, but w-as considering t-be possibilities of the site for a gasoline service station. new radio and automobile were carried out of the Fries garage1, but were later Ignited by the flames and destroyed. A half dozen other automobiles were lost at the two garages. About two dozen telephone poles were torn down, and it was not until his afternoon that communication wus resumed.

Appeals for clothing and household goods to aid the fire victims have been issued. The Hal vation Army and officials of the Menominee chapter of the Red Cross society were on the job today, looking after the needs of the community. Local furniture rages and truck furniture and in stored household houses aided ga in moving many instances effects for fam YV. L. CHIROPRACTOR Massaging Electrical Treatments OFFICE OVER HENS Ml SIC STORE Phone 400 44 Bov A Big Husky Two Ply Bicycle Tire SJ.50 We make a specialty of Bicycle Repairing.

All work guaranteed. E. F. BOLGER Bicycle 100f) 2nd Ave. S.

is nothing Mother would appreciate more than a recent photograph of you. Telephone us for an appointment. Day Is Sunday, May 10th Selkirk Studio ve. So. IMioni 801 First Ave.

So. Phono 128 Toto-i Mordcenl. found guilty it Cardiff Wales, for running down -nd killing a mnn. has been ed to three venrs and forbidden in drive an automobile until he is 59 'ears ilies forced to move out. A Milwaukee Journal airplane carrying two photographers left Milwaukee at 6:15 and was here shortly after soaring over the flaming area but not venturing very low.

Rosenblatt and Hofmann of theatre got motion pictures of the fire during the night and after daylight. Conant and Rosenmeyer, local commercial pho tographers. got. numerous of the flames in night, day The management of the Lloyd) Manufacturing company announced i ONE CENT A DAY PAYS UP TO $100 A MONTH The Postal Life Casualty Insurance 74 50 Dierks Building. Kansas City, is offering a new accident policy that pays up to $100 a month for 2 4 months for disability and $1,000.00 for less than 1c day $3.50 a year.

Over 68,000 already have this protection. Men. women and children. ages I 0 to 70, eligible. Send no money.

Simply send name, address, age. name and relationship and they will this policy on 10 inspection. No examination is required. This offer is limited, so write them today. Once A Mistress Has Dora Macy The Right To Happiness As A Wife? Burning pages from the telltale book of confessions the author dared not sign! A drama all women will understand.

DELFT THEATRE FOR TWO DA YS STARTING TODAY Bebe DANIELS As Dora Mae In Plain Dresses and Coats Dry Cleaned and One Dollar exil.s and I'lewted Slightly Higher) Phone 1051 Nu-YYav Cleaners Important Notice! A City Ordinance prohibits the use of bank run gravel in sidewalk construction by specifically providing that material for this purpose be washed and screened. Why? Because bank gravel contain clay, silt, and vegetable matter, which if left in the mix are bound to cause flaws. Vo concrete job can possibly hold up and give satisfaction unless they are eliminated. This can only be done In thorough and scientific washing. The Ordinance safeguards your interests us to outside walks because they are of a quasi-public nature.

However, it is up to you to protect yourself on concrete construction of a private nature. Do your home improvements include the building of a private walk, wall, foundation, or floor? Then insist that you contractor uses washed sand and gravel. Most contractors do. Some don't. The fact that the City and State will not permit the use of bank gravel in concrete construction of any nature should convince you that you want it.

Bidder Brothers have the only gravel screening and washing plant in Delta County. If your material comes from there it will pass both City and State inspection, otherwise not. Ask any engineer. BicHler Bros. PHONF! 1600 703 LI DINGTON ST..