The Centre reporter. [volume] (Centre Hall, Pa.) 1871-1940, 1871-11-24
The Wisconsin Fires.

A correspondent Of the Milwaukee
HIseoHsiH, who has travelled through
the burned regions in Wisconsin, thus
sums up the loss Of life and property In
the country through which he has
passed
After making u deduction for cxag-
gorationa, had supposed that five hun
lred would cover the number Of dead ON
the west side Of tho bay. now learn
from reliable sources that the actual
number of interments up b. Monday
night counted up to five hundred aud
four. Add another hundred for remains
Of ashes aud charred bones at Peshtigo,
and | think We have not far from the
hundred aud fifty for the east side
making seven hundred and fifty ia all -
and the death roll In nearly complete.
1T in impossible 30 figure the aggre-
gate losses Of pine timber aud farm
property with any degree Of closenesa.
Ii Is the interest of mill men 10 under
rate the amount OF fallen pine that must
be secured this winter 90 save II. A me-
dium estimate of damage 30 pine lands
in the Green Bay regions il SiOO, 600.
The damage on the Wolf is figured al
$500, 900. There is abundance of hard
wood left in places the damage 10 indi-
vidunls may amount 10 100000. The
loss Of the fifteen saw-mills burned is
put at S225, 900. The loss Of eordwood,
ties, hemloGk bark, etc, is set at 5000,
COO. The losses of fences, buildings,
wagons, cattle, crops, among the SIX
hundred farmers cannot be less than
S600,0OO Making total aggregate OF
more than s3 100000, aside from those
al PeshtigO.
"Theie are three hundred or more
wounded sufferers remaining at hotels,
boarding houses, and hospitals about
the bay. Fifty Of the Peshtigo sufferers
were at the Dunlap House, Marinette.
Half Of them we're able 10 be about
Burned ears, faces, hands and feet were
common 10 nearly all. Many in rooms
could hardly stir in bed. There were
women with great burns on the sides
aud limbs, with faces like kettles, aud
hands like claws, burned to the bones.
Men could fight better aud dare more
than women. Most Of them persisted
10y suilOeatiOn. Little children are sadly
MANNED in their feet and faces. ] saw
one with heel gone. and another with
an eve. Nearly all will recover without
loss Of sight or limb. / could ill book
with stories of the hospital. Moft OF
them suffer more from hurts of mind
than body. have sad memory Of a
poor widow who lost her crippled boy,
who went ON crutches, and a Sprightly
little girl who fell between the burning
logs. They were all her family. The
screams Of both, she said, seemed for
ever sounding ia NV ears. There is a
future, and, no doubt, compensation for
all these suffering ones.
Most Of these cabins that are left are
crowded with two and three families
each. i saw one with four men, five wo-
meR and sixteen children-two Of them
sucking. They had just received an
outfit of clothing-wArm stockings, knit
hoods, thiE shaWls, thin gniiers, and
hght-c0lorei dresses for the women and
girls old-fashioned hats, burst boots,
thin Jackets, and summer coats and
pants for the men and boys. There
were some occasions Of laughter, but
none Of ridicule all were glad and sur
prised at getting what they did. / saw
no immediate want Of provisions. Flour,
pork, and hard bread are distributed 10
all, packages of tea and coffee 30 most.
There are nearly potatoes enough in the
country, if distributed. Their stock
that il left has been driven off 10 mea-
dovs and fields not burned over. One
large hearted old farmer was keeping
eighty odd cattle belonging 10 his unfor-
tunate neighbors. Without stopping 30
consider the ways Of Providence OF the
uses Of philosophy, these simple minded
people seem 10 have understood the art
Of helping one another"