Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes Co., O. [Ohio]) 1870-1895, 1870-09-01
the FlREslM CANADA.

tHE fenE3 IN O0NRofs
From the Ottawa Times we gel
the following accoant of the ter
rible fires that have been raging
around that city:
The progress Of the flames in the
distant woods had been watched
with some degree of anxiety during
the afternoon and evening, though
| few people thought that the rafting
'Iground was in any immediate dang
er. Suddenly, however, furious
hurricane arose, and as it tore madly
through the forest, BENDING the
stoutest trees before it, the cloud OF
smoke which had been visible be-
fore began to vomit forth fame like
flashes of lightning" Soon the
mass of smoke changed into wal
of fire, and then it came leaping and
roaring across the stu5ble fields and
along the fences, and the people at
the rafting ground began to realize
their danger and to look about them
for some means of escape. Racing
along at a speed which seems to
have been certainly not less than a
mile in four or five minutes the fire
bore down upon them. Women with
\ their little ones clinging to them
screamed in wild alright, hardy
men stood aghast. The cry arose,
ITO the river" Immediately be-
yond where the little cluster Of cot
tages stood the ground slopes down
abruptly toward the river Gatineau.
Down this bank the inhabitants ran.
There was not moment to be lost.
No effort was or could be made to
save property. All they sought to
preserve was their lives, and in a
few minutes they found themselves
huddled together near the river S
side at the bottom of the slope, with
all their worldly possessions sud
denly snatched from them, some of
them with scarcely any clothing on
them.
Upon RATS hastily put together
the poor houseless wanderers en-
barked, and with the ruins of their
late homes blazing above them and
the cold pitiless wind beating furi-
ously upon them, they set forth up
on their yenturesOme way. After a
voyage attended with many perils
and hairbreadth escapes, they at
length made Catineau Point, where
they remained for the night, and
have since obtained shelter, some
among their friends in that vicinity,
and some in Ottawa and other
places. After the village and rather
more than 100000 feet of lumber
had been consumed, the fire turned
southwark into the woods, sweeping
everything before it, and changing,
in few minutes, what had been a
fruitful land into a barren wilder
ness.
In the city of Ottawa many per-
sons fed by rail from the threatened
city, merchants had their goods
packed prepared for removal, while
some actually removed their goods
to safe locality. The market sup
plies were not forthcoming, and the
city people were put ON short allow
ance for vegetables, butter, &C.,
while in the country, hay, grass,
straw and even browse would have
been burned. Wherever the devour-
ing fire has made it's march of de-
vastation the country is turned into
one vast blackened, burned, dismal
looking field. Farmers can scarce
ly tell where their property lies, the
division lines, the fences, being in
ashes. Horses and cattle are wand
ering in promiscuous focks over the
country, vainly seeking food where
not even green twig is to be seen.
1t is impossible to say how many
farmers are irretrievably ruined,
their houses, barns, farm imple-
ments, crops and their all are de-
stroyed; not food left them for
day, nor shelter of any description.
What cattle have survived the fire
must be either sold or killed. The
fire has had so ruinous an effort even
upon the wealthiest of farmers that
four or five years hard and continu-
GUS labor will be necessary torepair
the damages alone. As to retriev-
ing the loss we are not over estima-
ting the time required by putting it
at twenty years. --.
Even the bears fled from the burnt
district, and have become very bold,
seeking food even in the oat fields.
Four large bears were found dead
near Aylmer, in the water, from the
fire, but were probably sufocated
by the ashes and drowned. Several
were also seen in the bush more or
less burned. The burned woods are
literally strewn in some places with
dead pigeons, partridges and other
birds, which, unlike the owl, could
not make good their escape from
the flames in the dark.