Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1870-06-02
THE .SAGTENAT RIVER.

The Quebec Chronicle of the 21th gives
the following account of the great flre
which has been raging on the Saguenay
River:
On the afternoon of the 10th inst, tre-
mendous confiagration was reported along the
Sapuenay River. From Misfasslnie to st.
| Alphonsc the greatest part OF the habitatlons
are DESTROYED by fire and over 5000 persons
are without shelter and deprived of every
thing. Six lives were lost. The total num-
Der of families who are destitute is 655. The
fire covered an area of about five miles wide
by thirty in length, and extended from
Lake St. John to Chicoutimi. All the build
ings were destroyed by fire between o clock
in the afternoon and 8 o'clock in the evening
of the same day. We learn, through Mr..
Tremblay, NJ. p. for Chicoutmi, who has just
returned from the burned district, that the
fire in its ravages swept everything before it,
and has left the number of families above
quoted in absolute poverty and ruin The
fire travelled in circuitous direction,
covering over 800 miles in superfces, and
100 miles from one extreme point to the other.
This irregular course, it is supposed, is at
tributable to the wind, which changed three
or four times. while the fire was going on.
The poor people who were so unexpectedly
driven from their happy and comfortable
homes had to seek shelter in the swamps ana
underground places, as every building stand
ing within the march of the fire was leveed to
the ground. Some of the sufferings which the
poor inhabitants have had to endure are pain
full to contemplate. One poor woman who
had just passed through the pains of child
birth but few hours before the hre had
reached her domicile, was removed, with the
new born infant, by the husband to swamp,
l. lslxa x,rxIt ,ln n
band had returned to the house to save some
of bis wearing apparel, hut found in the mean
time that the fire had cut off the cOmmunica-
ton with the swamp where his wife sought
shelter. Another man, finding escape lmpos-
sible. Jumped into his well, where he passed
the whole night and part of the following day,
while the fire swept over his head. Even
here the heat at times become so intense that
he was compelled occasionally to slip below
the surface of the water to avoid being
scorchcd. number of families sought shell
ter on the lake shore, but were compelled to
wade into it over the waist, as the fire in ITS
rayages had burnt up everything down to the
very edge of the water,
The origin Of this fire is attributable to the
stupidity of certain farmers who had set fire
to the woods in different places to make clear
ances and burn up the underbrush. Had
these people only thought seriously Of the re-
suit which might follow their rash act they
would not have set fire to the woods, when
they know, aftert the dry season through which
we have just passed that the trees would be like
so much punk. 1t is not only the great dan
ger the people residing in isolated districts
incur by setting the fire, but as the member
for Gaspe pointed out at the last session OF the
Local Parliament, the whole country suffers
through this reckless destruction of our for
ests A law was passed to prevent the setting
fire to the woods during certain seasons; but
this law, like great many others, will be
either allowed to remain in allegiance or be
altogether disregarded.