The Nevada journal., 1853-07-08
Great Fire i'm Upper Canada;

Great Fire i'm Upper CanadaI
7welue Townships Burnt over Ttro Is.
lands entirely slrept-Ihree hundred
and thirtg families rendered houseless-
Great Suffering.
From the Ottawa u. c. Citizen May %.
The Upper Ottawa country has been
visited with terrible calamity. Hun
dreds Of families are houseless and al
most without food, and o large extent
Of the country presents a blackened pic
ture of desolation. On the 10th inst. a
COZ Hagration swept the country from
the Deep river to within short distance
of Bonnechere river, destroying houses,
fences, barns, cattle, provisions, grain,
and every description of property that
came in its way 1t is miraculous that
the lives Of the inhabitants were saved,
only two persons it appears having per-
ished.
The Ere originated from the burning
of new lands in different parts OF the
country, and owing to the warm sum
shine and high wind on Monday it sud
denly increased and spread with fearful
rapidity. During the early part of the
day the wind blew from the southwest
and carried the FIRE from the rear of the
townships in Upper Canada n0rthwards
towards the settlements on the Ot-
tawa river. At the same time it was
making alarming progress in Sheen and
Chichester, on the north of Lower Can
ada shore, and on the upper or westerly
part of Allunaette Island. Soon after l
o'clock the wind suddenly came round
to the west and blew with increased vio-
lence. The fre which till then was
scattered and spread oyera siderable
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 in
terror passing. over portions of Ross,
Bromley and Horton towards the Bonne-
chere river During the greater part
the afternoon the scene was truly terri
flo. On the Annette Island the destruc~
tion going on, at the same time, was
equally dreadful. The island is four
teen miles long, and was swept from
head to feet. Only two or three dwell-
ings remain out Of about one hundred,
thus leaving seventy-nine families here
alone houseless. The Calumet Island
also suffered severely. sa5
The country burnt ever extends in
Upper Canada, from the upper part of
Pembroke and Stafford to near the Bon
nechere river, in Horton and Adamsten,
the distance in that direction being
nearly thirty miles, and from the best
Information it appears that it would ay-
erage some. twelve miles in width. The
townships which suffer here are Penn
broke, Stafford, Westmeath, Bromley,
Ross and Horton, and about two hundred
families are in them left houseless in
fact, totally "burned out" .tc4.
The Ailumette island is about four
teen by Eve miles III extent, with n'ne-
! ty-seven families, in similar condition.
The country On tho north shore being
settled only short distance back from
the river, contains proportionally fewer
settlers; and there the number of suf-
ferers may be put at about thirty fami-
lies. This would make altogether some
thing near three hundred and thirty
families sufferers by this calamity. In
some instances the individual loss ex-
ceeds one thousand pounds. The area
of country burned over is about four
hundred and fifty square miles, total.