Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1871-11-02
Peshtigo.

soH On tne Fesntlg0 river, and sever
miles from Green Bay. 1t was built b,
VIM. B. Ogden and grew rapidly in tn,
reputation of a. fourihshing city and from
tier mart of Chicago This town that hat
grown so rapidly, contained over two
thousand inhabitants, with its hundreds
of pal.atial mansions, and on which tho
eye of. the world rested on the 18th Of
! October, is entirely swept away in 4
night by tornado and single sheet Of
flame. The luss of life is shocking in the
extreme. There has been 400 dead au-
thentically accounted for besides half az
many missing who probably never will be
The loss of property is estimated at
S3,000,000 The following is an extract
from letter to the Tribune, of an eve
witness the day after the fire:
The sharp air of early October had sent
the people in from the evening church
/ services more promptly than usual. al
though numbers delayed to speculate on a
great noise and ado which set in omin-
ousiy from the west. The housewives
/ looked tremblingly ut the fires and lights
within, and the men took a last look at
the possibilities without; for many it was
truly last glance. The noise grew in
volume, and came nearer and nearer with
terrific cracking and detonations. The
forest rocked and tossed unanimously. n
lire alarm fell upon the imprisoned vii
age, for the swirling blasts Came now
from every side. In one awful instant
before expectation could give shape to the
horror, great flame shot up in the west
ern heavens, and in countless fiery tongues
struck downward into the village, pierc-
ing every object that stood in the town
like a red-hot bolt 4 deafeninr roar
mingled with blasts of electric flame. filled
the air, and para wed every soul IN the
place. There was no beginning to the
work of ruin; the flaming whirlwind
swirled in an instant through the town.
There. Is no diversity in general experi
ence; all heard the first ineXplicable roar:
some aver that the earth shook, while
credulous few ayow that the heavens
opened, and the fire rained down from
above. Moved by a common instinct. for
all knew that the woods that encircIed tho
town were impenetrable, every habitation
was deserted to the flames. and the nasn.
ing multitude tinched to the river On
the west the mad horde saw the bridge in
names IN a score of places, and, turning
sharply to the left, with one accord.
plunged into the water Three hundred
people wedged themselves in between the
rolling booms, swayed to and fro BY the
current, where they roasted in the hot
breath of flame that lowered above them
and slnged the hair on each head momen- |
tarlly exposed above the water Here de |
spalrlng meE and women held their chill |
dren TIL the cold wafer came as an ally to !
the flames, and deprived them of strength. |
Meantime the eastern bank was denselv |
crowded by the dying and the dead |
flushing to the river from this direction |
the swlrllng blasts met the victims full in |
the face and moved swath through the
fleeing throng. Inhalation was annihila-
ton. Scores fell before the first blast.
A few were able to crawl to the pebbly |
hats, but so dreadfuly disigured that death |
must have been preferable All could not
reach the river; even the groups that fell
prone on the grateful damp flats suffered |
aXcrutlaung agony. The fierce blaze.
playing in tremendous counter currents
above them on the higher ground, was
su11clently strong to sci the clothing a
1ame, and the flying sand, heated as by
furnace blistered the flesh wherever il
ell All that could break through the
'tlhlng SIMEON had come to the river In
me red glare they could see the sloping
oank covered with the bodies of those that
ell by the way. Few living on the back
streets succeeded in reaching the river, the
lot breath OF the fire cutting them down
Is they ran. But here new danger be-
ell The cows, terrified by smoke and
lame IlSh L |
lie river bank. Women and children
we're traInpled by the frightened brutes.
md many losing their hold on the friend
J legs we're swept under the waters.
his was the situation above the bridge;
below, a no less narrowing thing hap
,ened. The burning timbers of the mill.
,ullt at the edge Of the bridge, blew and
ioated down upon the multitude assem-
lied near the flats, and inflicted the most
amentable sutferings The men fought
his new death bitterly; those who were
ortunate enough to have coats flung them
,ver the heads of wives and children. and
tipped water with their hats on the i'm
,rovised shelter. Scores had every shred
# their hair burned off in the battle. and
many lost their lives in protecting others.
The hremen had made an effort to save
ONE OF the buildings, and the hose was
I'm from the river to some important edi-
ice. The heat instantly stopped the at
empt, but not before the hose. swollen
With water, had been burned through in
hundred places. Although the onslaught
u flre and wind had been instantaneous,
he flerce, sitting currents of heat careered
Trough the air for hours These cur
ents were more fatal than the flames of
he burning village. Ignorant of the ex-
ent OF the fire, and the frightful combina-
ION OF wind and flames, many of the COM
,any Workmen, some with wives and
shut themselves up in the great
)rlck building and persisted in the raging ,
heats OF the next half hour. Others on
he remote streets broke for the clearing
beyond the woods, but few ever passed the
burning barrier Within the boundaries
II the town and accessible to the multi
ude the river accommodation was rather
limited, and when the animals had crowd
q IN the situation VAS full of DESPAIR.
he bats were covered with prone figures
With backs ablaZe and faces pressed rigid
Y into the cooling moist earth The
lanes played about and above all with an
nceSsant, gleafening roar.
From O'Clock Sunday night until dusk
If Monday may be taken as the time of
he main action of this terrible drama.
BY Tucsday the sweeping miles of fire,had
,een quenched by Monday nights rain.
\ slight drizzle still further aided the
york of rescue. The ravages of the one
lights tornado left unp,islakable traces
IN every hand. Through the solid growth
If timber clean swath of blackened /
tumps and roots marked the course ofthe
iery tempest. The roads were numbered I
With roasted cattle, and frequently with
,arcasses Of bears and deer, while the
ltches and cleared fields were strewn I
With smaller game and wild birds Near
NC the vicinity sadder relics were found.
or those who penetrated eastward
through the wall of flame met equally
ierce flames in the clearest places Re
note jewellers on the highroads, warned
If the great danger, with their families