Knoxville weekly chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1875, 1870-06-08
The Fire on the Saguenay River-Nearly
Seven Hundred Families Homeless-Suiler-
ings-Seekimg Safety in Swamps.

'fNNH..t'S
The Quebec Chronicle of the 9th ult. has
an account of the great fire which has been
raging on the Saguenay River, as follows
On the afternoon of the 10Th inst. tre-
mendous confiagration was reported along
the Saguenay River. From Mistassinie
to st. Alphonse the greatest part of the
habitations are destroyed by fire, and over
5000 persons are without shelter and de-
prived of everything. Six lives Were lost
The total number Of families who are des-
titute is 655. The fire covered al area of
about five miles wide 10y thirty-siX in
length, and extended from lake St. John
to Chicoutimi. All the buildings were
destroyed by fire between o'clock in the
afternoon and O'Clock in the evening of
the same day. We learn, through Mr..
Tremblay, NJ. p for Chicouimi, who has
just returned from the burned district, that
the fire in its ravages swept everything
before it, and has left the number of FAM
lilies above quoted in absolute poverty and
ruin. The fire travelled in a circuitious
direction, covering over 300 miles in
superfices, and 100 miles from one extreme
point to the other. This irregular course,
it is supposed, is attributable to the wind,
which changed three or four times while
the fire was going on. The poor people
who were 80 unexpectedly driven from
their happy and comfortable homes had to
seek shelter in the swamps and under
ground places, rs every building standing
within the march of the fire was leveled to
the ground. Some of the sufterings which
the poor inhabitants had to endure are
painful to contemplate. One poor woman
who had passed through the pains of
childbirth but a few hours before the fire
had reached her domicile, was removed,
with the newborn infant, by the husband
to swamp, where she passed the night
alone, as the husband had returned to
the house to save some of his wearing
apparel, but found in the mean time that
the fire had cut off the communication
with the swamp where the wife sought
shelter. Another man, finding escape
impossible, 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 Mt times be-
came so intense that he was compelled oc-
casionally to slip below the surface of the
water to avoid being scorched a number
of families sought shelter on the lake
shore, but were compelled to wade into ii
over the waist, as the fire in its ravages
had burnt up everything down to the very
edge of the water.
The origin of this fire is attributable to
| the stupidity ofcertain farmers who had
set fire to the woods in different places to
make clearances and burn up the under
brush. Had these people only thought Sc
riously of the result which might follow
| their rash act they would not have set fire
| to the woods, when they know, after the
| dry season though 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 these isolated
districts incur by setting the fire, but, as
| the member for Gaspe pointed out at the
last session of the Local Parliament, the
l whole country suffers through this reckless
| destruction of our forests. A law was pass
ed to prevent the setting fire to the woods
| during certain seasons but this law, like
| a great many others, will be either allowed
to remain in allegiance or be altogether dis
| regarded