The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1871-11-04
The Great Fires in the Northwest.
THE DESTRUCTION IN EASTERN
MICHIGAN.

A letter in the Detroit Post,
written by refugee at Port
Austin, contains the following
particulars of the conflagrations
which have devastated SO many
thousands of square miles of the
Northwestern States, and particu-
larly of Eastern Michigan. We
copy the following:
A CHASTITY SPECTACLE.
Back from Port Austin fifty
dead bodies, in all forms of
ghastly, horrid cookery, have
already been found. Some lie
on their faces suffocated only, in
the apparent attempt to crawl
under the Sitting smoke for a
breath of air. Others are crisp
and black. In the fields and
woods he also saw the bodies of
sheep, horses and cattle. On a
clay road running from Davis
vile to Pinnepog, and near the
town of Paris, back of White
Rock, passenger saw nearly one
thousand people sitting by the
roadside, still in the condition in
which the fire found them in
their beds, without clothing, help
less, dying groups of men, wo-
men and Children. Yet, on the
other hand, it ought to be said
that there are probably sufficient
crops of fpotatoes to sustain many
of these wretched beings, tenn
porarily, provided the subtle fire
under ground has not burned
even this, their last sustenance,
to cinders. In the whole region
around and including the town
of Paris, it is said not a house is
standing.
AN IDEA OF THE OBSTRUCTION.
Above Port Austin and along
the coast to Bay City, as far as
heard from, the region is unburn-
ed, but nearly the whole popula-
ton is worn out by incessant
contest with the fire. In many
places tho roads are still obstruct-
ed by the "wind falls'' of pines,
and the settlers, many Of them
without axes, have long task
before thern in clearing their way
from settlement to settlement.
Besides the loss of timber and
lumber the farms have been de-
stroyed. Not only the grain and
stores of this year have gone,
but the seed for next years har-
vests. In many places the fire
has actually eaten up the soil.
1t insidiorsly creeps on among
the roots, and in a few hours will
reduce all vegetable growth and
the productive resources of the
soil to a heap of ashes. Such
losses are too infinite and varied
to be calculated. But the ag-
eregate must be enormous.
Mr.. James Miller, of Port
Hope, who went over as much of
the burnt townships of Rubicon,
Merona and Sand Beach as was
possible, reported no dwelling
standing for fifteen miles. He
saw groups of homeless and half
naked families, who had nothing
to eat but the half-roasted pota-
toes remaining in the ground,
aud the meat of cattle burned to
death. Unless relief is speedily
sent to them, large numbers
must perish.
Seven years ago the town of
Sand Beach, now burned, was
destroyed, with the exception of
Carrington's house and the store.
Tho fire has again swept each
side of these two buildings and
left them standing alone again.
INCIDENTS.
The stage, with a large load of
passengers, was hemmed i'll by
the fire on the road between
Rock Falls and Elm Creek. The
driver and passengers escaped.
The horses and wagons were
burnt.
At Port Hope the fire rushed
through the village, cutting a
sharp, we'll defined swath, like
the course of Il cannon ball. 1t
cut off the piazza of a house and
left the house standing, and
moved down fences without
burning the buildings.
Several women and children at
Center Uarbor found shelter in a
shanty surrounded by the flames
Two or three men with them
drew shawls over their heads,
plunged through the fire and
smoke to the lake, dipped mp
water by the pailtul at q time
poured it upon their house OF
refuge, and barely succeeded III