THE FOREST FIRE DISASTERS

THE FOREST FIRE DISASTERSBY ERNEST P. BICKNELL

BY ERNEST P. BICKNELL

All the country knows of the forest fires which caused loss of life and property in Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, New York and other States, in September and October, 1908. It has been estimated that the losses to property amounted to $50,000,000, most of which lay in the destruction of forests, of which thousands of square miles were swept by fire.

In their progress the fires destroyed several towns and villages and many farm houses. Chisholm, Minnesota, a town of probably 5,000 population, seventy-five miles north of Duluth, was destroyed in an hour. At 5:30 o’clock in the afternoon of September 6, a sudden shift of wind deluged the place in a moment with an overwhelming rain of burning leaves and embers. Almost every building in the town took fire at once. The surprised and panic-stricken people could do nothing but seize a few valuables and run for their lives. When the fire died out it was found that only sixty-five structures of any kind remained standing, but that not a life had been lost. Prompt relief measures were taken, with a state commission in charge. A relief fund of about $130,000 was contributed. Mr. Ernest P. Bicknell, National Director of the Red Cross, visited Chisholm and inspected the progress and methods of relief October 13 to 16, and reported that the methods were good and that normal conditions were being restored rapidly. Hundreds of men were employed in rebuilding the town and houses were going up like magic. Eighty-seven cottages have been built by the relief committee. Employment in the iron mines surrounding the town was not interrupted by the fire. This fact greatly simplified the work of relief, as the usual income of that part of the population least able to endure loss, was preserved.

Michigan Forest Fires—Some of the Homeless.

While in Duluth on October 16, the National Director of the Red Cross learned of a disastrous forest fire, which had occurred in the northern part of the southern peninsula of Michigan on the preceding day. He hurried to the scene, reaching there on the 17th, and for two weeks devoted his time to the work of relief in that State. Following are extracts from the report of the National Director covering this work:—Editor.

“The summer and fall had been excessively dry here, as elsewhere, and there had been little wind. Farmers had been clearing up their lands, burning logs and stumps and accumulated rubbish, as is their custom at the end of the summer. In thousands of places fire was smouldering in log heaps, and in the roots of stumps and in the peaty soil which, when dry, will burn without flame and with little smoke until extinguished by rain.

“Early in the afternoon of October 15, a strong wind from the southwest sprang up and almost in a moment these smouldering fires burst into flames. The effect was as though the entire country had taken fire at once. The wind, whose velocity is estimated to have been fifty miles an hour, carried a vast wave of flame which destroyed everything combustible in its path. Several men whose homes were destroyed assured me, with entire seriousness, that the air was on fire. The area damaged extends approximately seventy-five miles along the northeastern shore of the lower peninsula and reaches back inland from fifteen to twenty-five miles. The center and worst of the fire covered an area perhaps twenty-five miles long and ten miles wide. Within this smaller area were the villages of Metz, Posen and Bolton, surrounded by an agricultural country occupied by Polish and German families in moderate circumstances. The Detroit and Mackinac Railroad passes through this district and each of the villages named is upon the line of the road.

“The village of Metz was completely destroyed, not a structure of any character remaining. The village of Bolton was also completely destroyed with the exception of a small church. Posen was saved by a desperate fight. The open farming country offered little hindrance to the progress of the fire, which in many instances leaped across treeless spaces of a quarter of a mile or more, destroying all buildings and fences between. The number of homes destroyed in an area ten miles square was 177. The number of persons made homeless and temporarily destitute by the fire in an area twenty-five miles long and ten miles wide was about 2,000.

Ruins of Chisholm.

One of the Shacks Constructed by Relief Committee.

“When the people of Metz, early in the afternoon of October 15, realized that the village was in danger, they telegraphed to the railroad company for a relief train to carry the women and children to safety. At 2:30 P. M. an engine arrived with a steel gondola car—a steel box with solid walls about four feet high and without roof. The danger did not appear immediate when the train arrived and the people delayed to gather up their more valuable portable property and load it into the car. The trainmen urged haste, but the people were determined, and hours passed. At 5:30 P. M. the train started with about forty-five women and children huddled in the open car. Four trainmen were on board and a farmer and his wife, who were trying to reach home where their children had been left earlier in the day. Two miles from Metz a line of box cars stood on a siding close to the main track. On the opposite side of the track was a huge pile of cross ties awaiting shipment. Both box cars and cross tieswere burning. The heat had warped the rails of the main track, but the dense blanket of smoke prevented the engineer from seeing what had happened. The train dashed into the furnace between the burning cars and the burning cross ties and was wrecked. Seventeen of those on board were burned to death. The fireman and brakeman and the farmer were among the killed. The rest were women and children. Those who escaped clambered over the sides of the car and crawled along the ground to an open place where they lay on their faces several hours until the fire had subsided. The wreck occurred within fifty feet of the home of the farmer. The farmer’s wife escaped from the train and reached the burning house. She rushed in, in search of her children, and her bones were found later among the ashes. The three children, the oldest nine, had fled to a neighbor’s house near by and were saved. Many who escaped from the train were terribly burned.

Refugees at Posen.

“The men of Metz, who remained to fight the fire, escaped without loss of life. One of these men told me of his escape. He threw some small valuables into a large wooden candy pail and started to run along the road through the woods. Presently his hair began to burn and his face to blister. He felt himself failing. He emptied the contents from the pail and put it over his head. With this protection he managed to crawl along the road to a field and escaped, with clothing on fire and many injuries.

“After driving about the region a few hours, in order to gain an adequate idea of the extent of the loss, I took a train for Detroit for the purpose of conferring with officers of the State Branch of the Red Cross, concerning relief measures. Some relief supplies were already arriving, contributed by the people of the City of Alpena, twenty-five miles to the east, and hurried in by the railroad company. I found Detroit awakened to the situation. Mr. Emory W. Clark, treasurer of the State Branch, and Mr. Ralph M. Dyar, secretary, had been in conference the morning of my arrival. Mr. Clark took me to call upon the Mayor, who requested me to attend a meeting of business men, which he had called to assemble in his office at noon. The result of the meeting was the appointment of a relief committee. Mr. Clark was made the Red Cross representative upon this committee. The committee appointed Mr. J. D. Hawks, president of the Detroit and Mackinac Railroad, its representative in the field and requested me to return to the fire district with him to help organize and direct the work of relief. It was arranged that we should start to Metz that same evening.

Only Building Left in Bolton.

“In the afternoon, this being October 19, the Red Cross opened a large downtown room for the reception of clothing intended for the fire sufferers. Mrs. R. McD. Campau, an active and enthusiastic member of the Red Cross, took charge of the supply depot and plenty of volunteers joined her staff. The afternoon papers announced the arrangement conspicuously and before night supplies began coming in. In a week so much clothinghad been received that the supply room was closed and the public requested to send no more.

“In the fire district three relief stations were opened at Metz, Posen and Alpena. The Alpena relief committee, which was extremely active and efficient, had charge of the relief station in that city. A committee of women managed the clothing distribution, while the men’s committee handled other supplies, including hay for live stock. At Posen the railroad company gave the use of its freight house for relief headquarters. At Metz the railroad company placed freight cars upon a siding for relief supplies. The company also gave the services of a number of its capable officers for the work of relief. For example: President Hawks, of the railroad company, not only gave substantially all of his own time, but detailed the General Superintendent of the road, the Chief Engineer, the District Passenger and Freight Agent, and other men of proved ability. The railroad company also facilitated in every possible way the shipment of supplies of all kinds and put into service a daily relief train which transferred supplies as required from one relief station to another, carried the relief workers back and forth, etc.

“As the climate of northern Michigan is severe, and winter was close at hand, the providing of shelter was of immediate urgency. Mr. Waterman, the chief engineer of the railroad, designed a ‘shack’ which could be built quickly and cheaply and the work of housing the homeless, who in the meantime were crowded with almost incredible congestion into the homes of their more fortunate neighbors, began promptly and went forward with the utmost speed. The ‘shack’ consisted of unplaned lumber, long, upright boards forming the walls, rough boards forming the roof and floor, and the entire exterior of the structure covered with tar building paper. Each ‘shack’ was 14 by 16 feet and contained three small rooms. About twenty carpenters were gathered up along the line of the railroad and brought into the relief work. The plan of procedure was for the farmer to receive the lumber, paper, windows, hardware, etc., for a ‘shack’ and haul it to his farm. Then one carpenter would be sent to the place to direct operations and with the farmer and his neighbors helping, the ‘shack’ would be quickly completed. If two or three ‘shacks’ were to be in a group, one carpenter could supervise all at once.

“On October 29, exactly two weeks after the fire, thirty-eight ‘shacks’ were completed and occupied on the sites of burned homes and twenty-four ‘shacks’ going up. It was estimated that about 150 ‘shacks’ would have to be provided by the relief committee and almost as many more for horses and other domestic animals. These ‘shacks’ cost, complete, only $50 each.

“On October 24, Governor Warner announced the appointment of a State Relief Commission. It was composed of seven men, including Mr. Emory W. Clark as a representative of the Red Cross. It also included Mr. J. D. Hawks, president of the Detroit and Mackinac railroad. The Commission met on October 26, and elected Mr. Frank Buel, a prominent lumberman of Bay City, chairman, and Mr. B. M. Wynkoop, manager of the Bay City Times, secretary. The State Commission requested me to meet with it on October 30, and visit the fire district. This I did, and after a day with the members, became satisfied that they were men of affairs and that they had accepted appointment on the Commission for no purpose other than a sincere desire to serve the State. At this meeting it was decided to take over the relief work and put it upon a permanent basis with men in charge who would be paid for their services, but continuingsubstantially the same methods of administration then in use. As superintendent, the Commission employed Mr. F. E. Merrill, who had had a responsible position in the relief work from the beginning, and who was given leave of absence by the railroad company for the purpose.

“From two sources should come help which will materially lighten the burden of relief.

“First, from insurance. The total insurance upon the property burned was $149,000. Of this amount $95,000 was upon village property and $54,000 on farm property.

“Second, from the sale of lumber and from wages in lumbering operations. The trees which were killed by the fire will produce good lumber if sawed this winter, but if they remain longer they become almost valueless, except for fuel. Thus in order to save their lumber, the farmers must get their burned trees to the mill this winter. That will mean unusual activity in the woods. Those who own timber will realize some income from its sale and those who do not own timber will find employment with those who do.

Hut Constructed of Blankets—Only Shelter of Two Women.

“The total amount of relief funds collected in the various cities could not be accurately ascertained up to the time of my departure from Michigan, November 1, but was approximately $50,000, including $5,000 given through the State Branch of the Red Cross. This, with the contributions of provisions, clothing, lumber, etc., it is hoped will be enough to carry the work through to completion. In the event that it does not suffice to purchase seed grain for the farmers next spring, it is believed a small additional fund may be obtained by an appeal to the public, or perhaps through an appropriation by the State Legislature.”

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