Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1871-10-23
burning Of Villages and Forests.

nuEHAHS OA S2AAAScS aHN TSEcstS.
On Sunday night last Mr.. James B. Clark, Of
Detroit, was in Uniontown, Wisconsin. Fires
were blazing through the forests and along tho
was a strong breeze which at o clock increas.
ed to furious gale, blowing toward the lake.
The whole surface of the country to the west
ward, eastward, and southwark seemed to be
one mass of fame, which almost reached tc
the lowering clouds, and rushed along at race
horse speed Even where Mr. Clark was the
heat was intense. Beyond, toward the lake,
was the settlement of Williamson's Mills, COM
prising about fourteen families. The fire sad
denly made rush, like the fash of train oi
gunpowder, and swept in the shape of a cres-
cent around the settlement. 1t is almost i'm
possible to conceive the frightful rapidity OF
the advance of the flames. The rushing fire
seemed to eat up and aunihilate the trees.
The roar of the blast was as loud as the whirr
Of great mill AS wo looked on, say at about
10 o'clock, wo heard another strange sound
Straning our eyes toward tho fre-about seven
miles distant-wo could just discern something
moving now it would appear like black
mass, then it would separate into fragments,
swaying too and fro, and bobbing up and down.
of flames. So intense was the glarc of light all
about US that our eyes were dazed they ian
with water and We could see only by constant
ly using our handkerchiefs. AT last VIC mado
out by sight and sound that the moving mass
was stampede of cattle and horses laundering
along toward us away from the flames, below
ing, neighing and moaning as they galloped
On. Finally they came rushing past with fear
full speed, their eyeballs dilated and garing
with terror and every motion betokenlng de-
rium Of fright Some had been badly burned
and must have plunged through long space
of flame in the desperate effort to escape.
Following considerably behind came o sOlita-
ry horse, painting and snorting and nearly ex-
hausted. He was saddled and bridled, and,
az we first thought, had bag lashed to his
back. AS he came up we were startled at the
sight of young lad lying fallen over the ami
nal neck the bride wound around his hands,
and the name being clinched by the fingers:
Little effort was needed to stop the jaded horse
and at once release the helpless boy. He was
vas done but he had inhaled the smoke, and
was seemingly dying. Some time elapsed,
and he revived enough to speak. He told his
name, Patrick Byrnes, and said
Father and mother and the children got
into the wagon. / don't know what became OF
them. Everything is burned up. | am dy-
ing. Oh, is hell any worse than this
The poor fellow layin a critical condition when
left. The next morning we drove down to
the settlement The first house We came to
was that of Patrick Byrnes, father Of the lad
before spoken of. It was heap Of ashes:
The brick chimney, the cooking stove, aud
iron portions of farm tools were the only rem
nants of the place. The forest was burnt down
close to the ground, tho stumps only being lett,
Smouldcring and smoking. Everything was
hot Even the road was baked and cracked by
tho heat.
About a mile further on we came to horli-
lie spectacle. Alongside the road in q gully
Inv the bodies of six persons and two horses,
roasted 10 a crisp. The iron tires of the
wheels aud braces ond bolts Of the wagon wore
scattered about. Hero the fire had surround
cd and engulfcd them. Evidently the animals,
in their mad struggles, had reared, plunged,
and fallen headlong from the road to where
they died.
NIr. Byrnes was native of Tipperary coun-
~, Ireland, and with his wife had been in
America over thirty years. Formerly they IL
we'd in the Fourth Ward of New York where
he was employed as cartman. Seventeen
years ago he moved West, and by industry
had accumulated snug property. lie had
five children, the eldest being eighteen and
the youngest five years old.
We hurried on. All along the road lay the
carcaSsos Of cattle, sheep, hogs, and dogs, burnt
to q crisp. The smaller animals were almost
entirely consumed. Now we came to the vii
lagc Nothing was left but piles Of ashes,
smoking and smouldcring. In tho cellar OF
one house were found eight bodies. One Of %
man was in stopping position over that of a
child, as though he died trying to ward off the
flames. This was very likely the body of MIR,
Williamson, the owner of the mills, who, with
his entire family, is said to have pcrished. In
the rear ward of the next house were four bod
les, apparently those of mother and her chill
sron They were scorched, not burnt crisp,
and one cheek of the youngest, girl ct SIX, re.
taincd an expression of cafmness that seemed
to indicate painless death by suffocation:
But the most horrible Of all was at Boor-
mans well. Mr.. Boornans house was the
largest in the village, and in the center of the
yard, midway between the house and barn, was
large but shallow we'll. Several Of the neigh
bors wcre supplied with water from this toun-
tain, and it is likely that in the contagratloon'
when all hopo was cut OFT, the neighbors, IN
sane with terror, thronged with one purpose to
this we'll The ordinary chain and wheel pump
used in that place had been removed and the
last refuge. Boards had been thrown down to
rreyent them being drowned but evidently
the the relentless fury Of the fire drove them pell-
neil into the pit to struggle with each other
aud die-somc BY drowning, and others by lire
and sufocation. Mono escaped Thlrty-tWo
bodies were found there. They were in every
imaginable position; but the contortlons OF then
limbs and the agonized expressions OF their
faces told the awful tale =.
All the houses along the roads down to Stur-
gcon bay were reduced to ashes, and IN them ~
or near by, were the blackened corpses OF tue
ill.fatcd residents Twelve only are as ye'
known to have escaped. These ran to the laSe
aud plunged to their nocks in the water, : :
SULHIIITE OF LIME used to arrest fer.
- n:entation in cider and to preserve its
sparkling properties. Put up in bottles contain IN,
ing sufficient for one barrel EACH at 81 cents PEI P
Lnitln a la.orn snn,nly inst rpcaiYod and tOl