The mountain sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1844-1853, 1853-06-09
Great Fire in Upper Canada.

F.gelve Townships Burnt Ooer-7tco Islands En-
tireLy Swept-Tsree Haadred and Thirty Fdnsi
lies Rendered aoaseless- Great Suffering.
From the Ottawa u. c Citizen, May 2s
The Upper Ottawa country has been yisite,
with terrible cslslnity. Hundreds of famI,e
sre houseles5 anu almost without fJod, aud ,
large extent Of country presents a blackciet
picture of desClstioa. Ui. the 10th inst a con
Eagratio-- s5>ict She couRtry from the Deep riv-
,er to within 6 short distance of the Bonnechere
river, destroying houses fences, barns, cattle,
provisions, grain, and every description of pro-
perty that came IN its way. 1t is miraculous
that the Lives of the inhabitants were saved, on
u two persons it appears having perished.
The fire originated from the burning of new
land in different parts of the country, and ow-
ing to the warm sunshine and high wind on
Monday, it suddenly increased and spread with
fearful rapidity. During the early past of the
day the wind blew from the southwest, and car
RED the FIRE from the rear of the townships in
Upper Canada northwards towards the settle
ments on the Ottawa river At the same time
il vas making alarming progress in Sheen and
Chichester, on the north of Lower Canada shore,
and on the upper or westerly part of Allumetta
Island. Soon after one o'clock the wind sud-
denly came round to the west and blew with in
creased violence. The fire, which till then was
scattered and spread over a considerable extent
Of country, through the townships of Pembroke,
Stafford, and Westmeath, which lie in order as
named, soon united and became dense mass OF
fame, and swept with fearful fury through the
Interior, passing over portions of Ross, Brom-
ley and Horton, towards the Bonnechere river.
During the greater part of the afternoon the
scene was truly terrific. On the Allumette ISL
snd the destruction going on, at the same time
Was equally dreadful. The island is fourteen
miles long, and was swept from head to foot
Only two or three dwellings remain out of about
enc hundred, thus leaving seventy-nine families
here alone houseiess. The Calamet Island also
suffered severely.
The country burnt over extends in Upper Ca
NADIA, from the upper part Of Pembroke and Stat
lord TO near the Bonuechere river, in Horton and
Adamstan, the distance in that direction being
nearly thirty miles, and from the best informa- |
non it appears that it would average some twelve
miles in width. The townships which suffer |
here are Pembroke, Stafford, Westmeath, Brom- |
ley, Ross and Horton, and about two hundred |
families are in them left houseless in fact to-
tally burned out"
The Allumette island is about fourteen by five |
miles in extent, with ninetyseYen families in a |
similar condition. The country on the north !
STORE being settled only short distance back |
rom the river, contains proportionally fewer
settlers; and there the number of sufferers may
be put at about thirty families. This would |
make altogether something three hundred
and thirty families sufferers by this calamity. !
Ia some instances the individual loss exceeds |
thousand pounds. The area of country
burned over is about four hundred and fifty |
square miles, total.
To provide seed for the ground and food for
four months to come will require, at the lowest
computation, seven thousand pounds. Less than
;hGt sum will not do it. One-fourth of this |
amount may perhaps be raised in this part of
Canada, bat where i. the remainder-over four
thousand pounds-to come from We look to
the Legislature for this assistance. For every
good reason it should be granted forthwith
The necessity of the case-the importance of the
awful nature of the calapIity-and
Withal the immense amount OF revenue derived
from this section Of Canada, should be grounds
sufficient to warrant the appropriation requ-
red. Let the Legislature speedily appropriate
FIVE thousand pounds at least to meet immediate
sad absolute necessities.