The Fremont weekly journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County, Ohio) 1867-1877, 1871-10-13
Terrible Fires-3, 900 Square Miles
OF Conflagration-Fearful Losses.

MILWAUKEE,, Oct. A special to the Ne10s
to-day, from Gfeen Bay, says the fires which
have been raging in the woods between there
ana Lake Michigan have extended across the
FOX river and covered a strip of thirty miles
wide In Shawana and Oconto counties, and
the big numbering towns of Marinette and
Peshtigo are threatened with destruction.
The fires are now raging over 5000 square
miles of territory. One hundred families are
burned of their homes. The refugees are in
Green Bay and other towns, and at least one
hundred others are in an equally bad condi-
ton. Houses, barns, farm buildings, bridges,
fences, and absolutely everything has been de-
stroyed. Thousands of square miles of valu-
able pine forests are destroyed. The bears
and other wild beasts have been driven in dis
may from the woods, and are fleeing IN every
direction across the fields. The entire popu-
lation are fighting the fire without success,and
many have fallen down suffocated by the heat
and smoke, and been carried by their com
rades to places OF safety. All supplies for
man and beast in at least fifty townships have
been destroyed, and starvation during tb q
coming winter stares them in the face.
GREEN BAY, Wis, Oct. 4.-The fires which
are now prevailing in the six or seven north
eastern counties OF Wisconsin have never had
parallel since the settlement of the country,
The drouth which has prevailed since early
IL @AHtSuo0 heAo uAAoo up bl6 springs, Sbredffl5
and all vegetation, and has parched the
ground to such depth below the surface that
the soll itself acts as a conductor, ana living
trees are falling from the action of the fire
which undermines them All outstanding
property is swept away, there being so little
water in available situations to stop the fires.
Barns and their contents, hay stacks, cord
wood and other property, together with hun
dreds of miles OF fences, are burned, as no re-
sistence could be offered to the approaching
fires. There are yet no authentic accounts of
the loss of life, although family in Kewenac
county and some Indians in Slawana county
are reported burned. The hardest fight against
the flames was made at the many saw mills
which are located amog the pine forests in
this region, but many of them have been
burned. All the available force which could
be obtained from the adjacent villages has been
called to the assistance of the threatened mills
and settlements, in some cases with avail and
in others not. The work has been long and |
harrassing, and the men are SO tired with the |
smoke and fatigue, that in many places the |
contest has been given up. In places where |
there was no water, the only available plan |
has been to dig trenches around the property |
but the least wind carries large fakes of burn |
ing bark through the air and renders all such |
means useless.
The AdUOcGte of to-day has an account of |
the fire in the counties of Brown, Kewanee, /
Boor, Oconto, 0utagomie, Manitowoc and /
Shawana. 1t estimates that an area of 1900 |
square miles are definitely known to be burn
ed. Others are said to be burned, but the re-
ports need confirmation. In KeWanee county
from sixty TO eighty dwelling houses and
barns have been burned, and the inhabitants
are seeking the lake shore for safety.
at Horns Pier, a store with goods, six
dwelling houses and shops, with barns and
other buildings were burned, and it is said
that the inhabitants saved themselved by fee
ing to the pier and taking up the planks COM
with the shore. Two Rivers, Two
Creeks, Ahaupee and Kewanee and other vii
lagos have been more or less damaged. Ia
Door county, next north, great quantities of
cord wood, railroad ties, telegraph poles and
other property got out for shipment, have
been burned, in addition to the losses in barns,
fences, etc. On the west side of Green Bay
and Fox River, the flames extend from Menom-
inee to Oshkosh, distance of 100 miles in
length and 80 in breadth. This region is one |
of alternate pine and hardwood timber, and is /
thickly settled with milling and farming set |
lers. Hay stacks, fences, and bridges on roads, |
are mostly gone. In some cases large lots of |
pine logs in dried up streams a-s burned. |
Very little travel is practicable, and it is with |
that any definite particulars can be
Along the line of the G. 81 n. W Railway, |
the fire extends close up to the track on either
side, for many miles between Depaw and APP |
pleton, threatening bridges and culverts, burn |
ing fences, ties and cordwood. and requiring |
the closest vigilance in operating the road |
Along the extension of the same road, now |
bdilding nortbward, considerable amount of |
ties, and one of the laborers' shanties, with all |
its contents, have been consumed. Deer and |
bears come out on the railroad and wagon |
roads, and could be shot, but nobody has time |
to devote to that.
On the line of the Green Bay & Lake Pepin
grade of half mile of corduroy |
substructure, three thousand ties and hundreds |
of cords of wood, belonging to the road, are
burned besides property of much greater value |
belonging to farmers. All the bridges on the |
line of the Manitowoc road, for twenty miles |
east of Green Bay, are consumed.
The fire extends 10 ths city hInits of Green |
Bay on the east, and is running over the ad-
jacent marshes. The city is not regarded as
in danger, though cindeTs and ashes are falling
in the streets. The smoke is so dense to-day
that buildings two blocks distant are not visi-
bic. On the west the fire has approached the
village limits of Fort Howard, Immediately
opposite on the river, and large forces of men
are engaged in staying its progress. What
will be the result to the standing pine and
other timber of these counties cannot yet be
ascertained. No access to the forests is prac-
ticable, and nothing can be estimated except
from the effects Of the fire on the settlements,
where it penetrates the ground from one to
two feet, and destroyes the life of the trees.
The atmosphere is foggy, with some appear
ance of rain. 1t will take heavy and drenoh-
ing rain to saturate the ground completely
and stop the progress of the fire.