Report of the Forest Commission. 79 



Forest Fires Cause Lake Wrecks. 

 Dense Smoke, Like a Pall, Settles Over the Water — Vessels Injured- 



The forest fires which are causing such widespread destruction through Wis. 

 consin and the upper end of the lower Michigan peninsula have covered the 

 lake with a thick pall of smoke, and navigation has become decidedly danger- 

 ous. A half dozen wrecks have occurred the last few days, and the captains 

 of incoming boats report that the smoke is becoming steadily worse. 



The steamer " W. H. Barnum,'' which stranded Thursday afternoon on the 

 Wisconsin shore four miles above Cleveland, reached Milwaukee'yesterday and 

 went into dry dock for repairs. After his boat struck the beach Capt. G. W. 

 Case went ashore to summon assistance. He succeeded in getting the wreck- 

 ing tug "Arctic" from Manitowoc to go to the wreck. Yesterday morning the 

 captain went to where he supposed his steamer lay. The smoke was so thick 

 that he could only see a short distance, and he spent all the morning trying to 

 locate the wreck. At noon the smoke lifted from the water slightly, and then 

 he saw that his boat was certainly gone. The tug had succeeded in pulling it 

 off the beach, and the mate did not wait for the captain, but came on to 

 Milwaukee . 



The most serious wreck on account of the smoke was that of the big Chicago 

 schooner "James Mowatt," which went on the rocks at Keweenaw Point, Lake 

 Superior, 12 miles north of Eagle River, Thursday evening. Capt. Calvin 

 N. Becker succeeded in getting the crew ashore in safety. Telegrams from 

 Calumet, Mich., last night, said the boat was in danger of going to pieces 

 before morning. The wreck lies in an exposed position with a heavy sea 

 breaking over it. 



Black River Falls, Wis , September 17.— A. S. Irows' cranberry marsh, 

 northeast of this city, was totally destroyed by fire. The loss is about $15,000, 

 which includes several buildings on the marsh in which were stored about|l,500 

 barrels of cranberries. 



Cumberland, Wis., Sept. 2. — Baronette, with 500 population, eight miles 

 north of this city, and Granite Lake, a small town four miles north of here, 

 were completely wiped out of existence last night. The people barely escaped 

 with their lives, and have been brought to this city. Five families are still 

 missing, and it is thought they may have perished in the flames. Great 

 excitement prevails here. Fifty million feet of lumber was burned at Baronette 

 and 5,000,000 feet at Granite Lake. The fire is raging violently over a territory 

 10 miles square southeast of this city, and hundreds of farmers are homeless, 

 barely escaping with their lives. The damage is impossible to estimate at this 

 hour. The wind is blowing a gale, and there is great apprehension with fire 

 completely surrounding the city. 



South Dakota. 



{From the Omaha Bee.) 



Deadwood, S. D., September 15.— [Special telegram to Thr Bee.]— A sleep- 

 less, restless, anxious night was spent by the residents of Deadwood, and this 



