Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1861-04-18
The Wonderful Fire Of Miramichi

IerlapS no portion 81 thc earth 5 surface
ever exhibited SO fearful a picture Of the . Fl
nal ContlNgratlon' rs that produced by the
great fire Of Miramichi, in the British Province
Of New Brunswick-the recital of which causes
the narrator and surviving behOlder to tremble
with dlslaay. To form some idea Of the horrors
attending this awful catastrophe, the reader
must imagine u vast primeyal forest, covering a
tract Of country estimated TO contain SIX thou
sand square miles, and this densely crowded with
evergreen trees, such as pine, h%emlock, spruce,
and fir, Astounding in pitch and resin.
From he LIST to the 9th OF October an unnat.
ural heat prevailed, consequent on the %protract
ed drought Of sumlncr On Octobrr 9th the
cracking sounds Of the fire and falling trees in
the distant forest announced the approach Of
the deyouring element. Tie mildness Of the
weather thusl far permitted the whole forest not
only to be parched and dried, but even heated
! nearly to ignition IN advance of the ltne.-
Blazcs now began to shoot up in the rear OF
Newcastle, Douglast0wn and Bartibog with a
hoarse, rumhling noise like distant thunder.
October Ith. about noon, a pale, sickly mist,
/ tinsed with purple as it emerged from the for
est, spread over the horizon. An irresistible
lussitudc settled upon tie people, succeeded w
a heavy, dark cloud which wrapped the land
ID tie deepest gloom, At 3 O'Clock p. NJ the
neat was nearly insupp0ftablc. The air was
stlll, while the distant forest shook with inces
SAINT thrilling, succeeded with rapid explosions.
uttering loud and boIsteroua sounds. Soon the
whole country appeared e|ncirclcd by a fiery
zone, advancing with rapid and most awful de
y~astation. About ! O'Clock black smoke clothed
the sky in sackcloth. At ) O'Clock or half past.
immense columns of smoke quickly mounted to
the sky, and astrong breeze sprang up. Soon
came showers OF flaming brands, ashes, and GIN
des. The now terror stricken inhabitants had
beforehand been warned b Mr.. Wright and
others, but gave no heed. Night came On with
its ter fc lorebodings. By-anI. by loud rolrs
Of thunder were heard, and about 9 o'clock it
was asccrtained that an awful tornado was
about to mingle It's fury with the flame I'm
medlately peal on peal, crash on crash, below
lng destruction, came rushing with awful yio-
lcncc, and earth, arr, water, and sky seemed
mingled IN 4 hurricane Of all deyouring flame
The river, foamIng IN rage, threw it's boiling
spray on the burning land. Amid this awful
thunder storm there was now a momontary ii
lence, then a sullen roar doomed through the
forest, and Newcastle, Douglastown, and the
Ui'As ~ NiitAl oliN VI ~ llNfAf AVl UNtI Dlt
hundred miles, became involved in one vast
sheet Of aamo, which swept swift destruction on
to the Gulf Of st. Lawrence, and is said to have
spread over an area OF six thousand square
miles. Lumb.rnen encamped in the woods.
suddenly enycl0ped in the ~conflIgration, ran to
the rlters and streams, plunged into the waters,
but soon, alas, found themselves in i boiling
caldrOu. The picture especially presented in
the mingled horrors OF this awful nigh, is q
large river, settled on both sides for one hun
drcd miles or more, with thirty towns, wooden
houses, barns and stables filed with cr,n.
stores flleG with provisions. gunpowdcrs ct,
with wild and tame animals driven before the
flame, the bowling OF the stoim dashing Of tie
broken, burning trees the boiling safg,s Of the
river, the confusion on board ono hundred and
fifty vessels, many Of them on fire and some
burncd-the shrlcks Of the dying inhabitants
while living from their houses, mngline their
cries of anguish with the roaring and believing
Of wild beasts and domestic animals, simuitanc.
ousiy perishing in the fames-mcn. women. and
children running, half naked, in wild disorder
and mothers, with their infants, rushing
through the flame.
IS daylight dawuel ON this night Of horrors.
a most heart rcuding scene was presented hu.
man bodies burned 10 ciudcrs Others. witbGesh
all consumed, blackened aud still smoking skcl.
etous, headlcss trunks and severed limbs 9th
ers, bloated and swollen, and lying in every 20.
sltlon Of conyulsiyc agony. Thousands Of wild
beasts persisted IN the woods, and myriads of
fishes, such as trout, bass, and salmon, with I'm.
numbered waterfowl, were found dead in the
streams,
Such was the Great Fire Of Miramichi, sup.
posed to have been kindled by Lightning. and
believed by most of the surviving eye witnesses
to have been u destruction OF the Almighty, sent
upon the wicked inhabitants as a punishment
Tor their sins. As an instance of the rapdity
OF the flame, Il lumberman says that he drove
his team INTO the forest, where he found his
comrades in camp playing cards. lie gave tho
alarm, sprang into the river near by, in time
only to save his lite, while his companions, with
the team, persisted in tie flames. 1t was noted
that cattle and geese, Of their own accord, left
their pastures aud places Of resort on the north.
ern side of the river, and swan over to Chath.
am, a distance Of three quarters Of a mile. some
hours before the approach Of the fire. The
ashes OF the contlagration were waited far west.
ward into the state of Maine.
1t is now thirty five years since this fearful
conilagration occurred Gin October, lS2jl. The
writer recently visited the extent of the deyas.
tation, where, in,tead of dense thickots of stur.
dy evergreen trees, he found a young virgin for.
est, with u large proportion of birch and pop
lar, the streams Astounding with the finest trout.
the hanks of the beautiful river Miralnichi re-.
sounding with the hum Of enterpriang indus.
try, greatly c%nliyened with beautiful locks and
/ herbs Ihn utnInnFu ,l Tho ur,ut g.. - .stt
fresh in the minds Of the elderly portion of the
population, and its moral effect upon the COM
mnnlty at large has been of great apparent util.
ity. MOUNTAIN SiiErnERp.
We hear that MIR. Morrill,, member of Con.
eress from this district, will endorse no petitions
Tor the removal and appointment Of post masters
for political reasons alone, after the republicans
- IL .