Middletown transcript., 1871-11-11
ssoaneas . rnn saaA4 =

noaaeas - rnn snaAs sd
Tho Gre which dsSssoysa pseaalp,
occurred on tho evening u yhs - 81
and history hss never hruisht4 ! lE1G y
Of 10 tsfribls dsitfpstisu6Ys5. okGuG1v
sflsr tho ehssoh-geis9 psspls - sslnu6~
cd from the stc6IS9 ssrvics. - eulnon6
sound Hsi hoard. Ike tho diseaae seofilG
increased 10 intensity. and soos ~ -
habitauts became alarmed sd appeoksD;
sivs Of coming dsngss. Balls Of IL wsls
observed to fall liks meseoss Y The tsNo.
igniting whatever they esmo u eootG6e
with. BY this time tie wbols popul1l36o
we're thoroughly aroused sud slss.sd -
caught up their ehildssn sud whss ssloss
bles they could hastily seiss sad ~ ~
place Of safety. Now : bright light -.
peared in the southwest horison, Gfs9ufas
y increasing til the heavens wsss aS9sw
with light. But lev ssomcnts slapssd
sltsr this before tho horrible sssusds -
Ore camo upon tho people. .cnveloping d.
in fame, smoke, burning sand and ele-
ders. Those who had not now reached
the river. Or some other place of asittj.
we're sndoca.ed aud burned to eindsr -
fore they could advance half dosen saepe
further. God only knovs the horror ~
terrible suffering Of The whole town d
Pcshtigo on that ,ncmbtsble Sunday nieht.
Il scclncd ~ II the love Of Ged had 6ess
Withdrawn from the place. and tho fssj
dends Of hell had besn looscnod TO sss.
tonly vex and torment the people.
No tongue can tell no pom esn dcssstbs.
no brush can depict the realities d that
night. Exaggcratiou would Be utterly
impossible. Il de6es human ingenuity.
II was the destruction OF Sodom re. enact.
cd. 1t seems that tho wickedpcss Of the
place had Knocked God until his 6ery thua.
derbolts were loosened for its destruction.
But now, he who had been boldcst in sia
was the first to call upon his Makor for
succor. The character Of this 6re was m.
like any We have ever seen described be.
fore. 1t was fame famed BY hurri.
cane, and accompanied BY various electric
cal phenomena. Those that survived the
tarriblc ordeal testify that they received
electrical shocks, while they saw clsctri.
cal flames fash in the air aud dance over
the surface Of the earth around them. But
the fury Of the fash was past in half %
hour, though the fire continued To busa
more or less Gereely during tho whole
night.
The full effects Of The storm were not
apparent until daylight, returned, and the
survivors came forth from thsir retreats.
A party of 100 fortunately ran togcther
upon low meadow below the bridge. aud
oil were saved. A family Of Ave persona
saved themselves by Jumping into shall.
low well. Another family Of the same
number were all sufloea,ed by . like rss
sort. 4 large number threw ihcmselveA
into the pond and sustained themselves By
clingiug 10 the boom and floating logs. st
the same time continually weitiug shs
head TO prevent II from roasting.
We saw many children. some only oss
month old. which had been kept in The
water the whole night, and yet survived.
Some who were too i'll 10 walk were taken
from their beds and thrown into tho ~.
ter.
A large numbc, were drowned. SONG
by being ,ramplcd upon or thrown Of their
legs by the cattle aud horses that. mad.
dened BY the FIRE. rushed into the water
Many entire families pcrished. Elayau
were lost out Of one family.
Some Of the bodies were so thoroughly
burned and consumed that they could BE-
seoopcd up and held in the double hand,
But the details and incidents are too hst-
rowing to relate.
The tornado came from tho southwss
and swep, over o section Of country eight
or ten miles in width. and Of indefinite
length. The timber in its course wss
felled BY the wind aud burnt BY tho dre,
and every yestigc Of fence and building
was swept away. with two or three exccp.
,ions. Sometimes the wind struck The
earth with such force that the small IN.
dergrow.h was torn up aud kept In win.
rows, while at other times il would skip
away from the earth. The whole popula-
ton Of Pcsh,igo village proper. and Of the
farm-lands in the vicinity. was 1900. and
fully one-third Of those pcrished on sbss
fearful night. On tie east shore of tbs
bay reports place the loss Of life fully %
high as at Peshtigo, making the entire
loss Of life the fearfully large number Is