New-York tribune., 1871-11-06
THE TRAGEDY AT THE MILL.

VILLAGE OF C0WARDS AND THREE BRAVE
AEN-PANIC AND CONFUsIoE-TRUE HEROES
"A FAITHFUL DOG.
iFRoM TIE SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT OF THR TRIBUNEl
AHNAPEE, Wis, Oct. 2S.-My pilgrimage to-
ward Deaths Door" ended in the north among the
same terrific evidences that marked the beginning In
the neighborhood Of Green Bay. The waste and rum
that depopulaed the western shore were fully matched
by the elaborate and finished picture OF devastation pre-
sented on the entire peninsula The loss Of e though
not so great the aggregate, was fully equal In proper
ton and almost ecipsed thofrst In ctrcumstantal nor
ror The evidences Of destruction, though very similar
In the main, were by no means unvarytng or monot-
onous From the desoated hamets Of Brussels to the
struggling deaths in the Northern Neck the horror ss
taned and horribly picturesque Volumes could not tell
the awful significance Of these ravaged acres; volumes
cannot exhaust the dramatic terror and incident
crowded into that wild walpurgs night When the pic
ture OF the awful catastrophe at Peshtego was thought
complete wan specters stole in from the neighboring
morasses to add more shudderng last touches to the
lurd horror 30 It is here. When the list OF death Is
closed new are added and when the total seems
complete new figures change the reckoning Every mile
Of alive with the unrecorded romance OF nd
vidual heroism
From the desolation Of the Brussels townships, the
bouncing buck board with an ecstasy Of wheeling and
clatter dashes of TO the nOrhward over tangled paths
obterated homes and highways. The garrulous driver
quite unmoved by the dismal panorama comments with
sage the people and places that had once COW
cred the black waste Ills once however,
can only tell who were and what twas )" no shade
OF life responds to his eloquent conjurng. Every ev
dence Of civilization and indeed, OF anything like CO.
herent natural arrangement is thing OF the past Inc
wilderness, deserted and relegated to its old solitude
does not recognize itself the that swung destruction
TO its towering giants CLEANS in sturdy hands,
both wielder and weapon mnglng their ashes In the
black bed OF the forest. II the mourning Hamadryads
might testimony science would be disturbed in Its
belief nothing pershSs from the face OF the earth
II nothing utterly perhes from its face there is much
that is wholly useless on its disfgured bosom.
There suggestive degrees Of excess in this univcr
sal desruction the west Shore which abounded for
the most part in light timber, pne tamarack and cedar
it was not wonderful that onset 30 terrific from com
bned fire and Storm should sweep through their slender
trunks and branches clearing all before It, They are not
only overthrown, but almost entirely crumbled On the
peninsula the contrary, noble growth OF oak, maple
beech pine the land The trees had wthstood
the tempest Of years. yet in three minutes fell before
the dreaduli iwhrlwnd Of Sunday, and gigantic trunks
| and splinters mark where they once stood. The
| roasting ground almost the entire peninsula
lies black and furrOwed with the monstrous
trunks that held the smoking acres, bound down,
il were, by black and corrugated ribs. Tire
soue miles Of incOrrgbe waste wepe passed, and the
prospect spread out linitcsslv, when thebuckboard
came TO halt the edge Of Gearing that the aching
eyes could hardly distinguish from the miles OF abom
nable waste already traversed. This ere" said the
driver soemnly rising impressvey on the tremulous
platform Of the blackboard and sweeping the air with
his dIsengaged arm, twas the mill-Wfnamsons mill,
where they had the dreadtues roast that night that
ever human Greater didn't see the fire, but was
here next day." he added cautiously. "Tom Bush the
barnmaster here all the night and sot on the peak
OF the barn long spell, while the buildings was catch
in" The vehicle had come upon wide ashcn Delt ike
a roadway inclosng obong clearing OF FIVE acres or
more Profound slence rested in the stagnant airlfe
seemed never TO have had existence in the lonely corner
IN afr of
white and red ashes with here ana there black squares
where the buildings and reminding one horribly OF
O ghastly chessboard, whose last game had been be-
tween Life and Death and where Life had been hope
lessly checkmated
Human annals do not surpass in equal time and space
the immensity and intensity Of suffering and death
crowded into the meager eptome Of frghtful hour
The scene Of thriving industry and the home OF nearly
hundred people, the place, though isolated from any
human vicinity had maintained hourshng and tran
ouil vitality. The shinge mill, with its coadjutant in
dustries gave employment to the entire people, women
and children dividing the abOrs Of shinGnG and
binding There were but four buildings the clearing
the MILL the general clearinghouse, store, and the
barn. Economy and convenience, curious TO say, had
dictated the selection of this remote spot The timber
nexhaustby covered the place, and was OF mequaed
Quality; lazy little stream meanderDg through the
gnarled roots and soft soil offered supply OF water
enough with aresian wells to drive the mill machinery
1t was cheaper to work the great logs into marketable
shape here where they were night at hand than estab
lsh the mills on the lake or bay and drag the i'm
mense timber over miles Of wretched roads The fiery
experience Of the west shoreof the whole Northern
Wisconsin, had been the experience OF this woodim-
mersed hamlet For weeks neessant labOrious battle
had been waged night and day reefs Of men, and even
women taking turns In the exhaustng contest. 1t was
hoped that all danger had been warded of when wide
belt fully mile deep had been burned outward from the
clearing The serenity Of assured safety had come upon
the people when this black crcumvalation was COM
petethe very night before the calamity On that fatal
Sunday morning the mill operations suspended, ana the
men who had homes In the neighboring towns Of
Rio and Little Sturgeon made early start
through the woods When night came some kindly Prov
ence detained them and the massacre was 30 much less
The night came TRANQUILITY the humid air gave CRATE
fn promise OF coming rain, and the last lingering dis
tst was banished from the timideSt nhabitant Early
in the night most Of little population in the hamlet
were indoors or in bed 1t st early when those
casuAv estir outside cav great glowing light shoot
athwsrt the southern sky and spreading rapidly west
and northwArd, continue with dazzling brfllAncy.
Presently slender column OF fire shot forward. and
cauRht by WhriWfnd came PlOwtng through the solid
timber toward the mill By this time the seepers and
All had rushed from the barrsck In Wild clamoring con-
sternauOn.
Three brothers. williamsons, owned the MILL and bad
In the Htte colony mother father, SISTERS Wives and
children Hastily charging the women 70 care Tor tno-
selves the brothers set about saving the property pos
sbe ut before the could be brought 10 bear the
saving of life alone become the stake in the dreadful en-
counter. The brotherS proprtctOrs eeem TOR time
70 have been full Of calm brave discretion and with the
null realization OF the sudden danger In the rst rush OF
the tornado attempted systematic plans OF preservation
The women were directed, far possible TO put on
meme clothes throughout Offering less chance for the
Are to catch 50 far A. Known woman heeded the
advice Had they done 90. their lives might not have
beep saertAeed on that ignOble pyre Even Life had