Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1871-10-16
LATEST BY THE MAILS.

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ing, IN company with several gentlemen from
Marinette Wis, and Menomiuee Micb 'on
visited the site of what was once the heani,gI
and thriving little village of Peshtigo. Ii con-
tanned about 500 people, and was one Of the
busiest, liyeest, and one of the most enterpris-
ing communities along the bay shore. Stand
ing amid the charred and blackened embers
with the frightfully mutilated corpses of men,
women, children, horses, oxen, cows, dogs.
swine and fowls every house, shed, barn, out
house or structure of any kind swept from the
earth as with the very bosom of destruction
our emotions cannot be described in language.
No pen dipped in liquid FIRE can paint the scene;
language in thoughts that breathe and words
that burn" gives but the faintest impression of
its horrors
From the survivors we CLEAN the following in
reference to the scene at the village and in the
farming region commonly known as the Sugar
Bush" Sunday evening, after church. for
about half an hour, death like stiffness hung
over the doomed town. The smoke from the
hres In the region around was so thick as TO be
sliding, and hung like a funeral pail over every
thing, and all was enveloped in Egyptian dark
ness Soon light pats of air were felt; the
! horizon at the southeast, south and southwest
began TO be family illuminated; a perceptible
trembling of the earth was telt, and distant
roar broke the awful silence. People began to
Tear that some awful calamity impending
but as yet no one even dreamed of the danger
The illumination soon became intensified into
a fierce lurid glare the roar deepened into a.
howl, as il all the demons from the internal
PIT had been let loose when the advance gusts
of wind from the main body of the tornado
struck. Chimneys were blown down, houses
were unrooted the roof Of the Wooden ware
Factory was lifted, large warehouse filled
with tuns, pals kanakans keelers and fish kits
was nearly demolished, and amid the confusion,
terror and terrible apprehension Of the moment,
the fiery element in tremendous iurolling bill
lows and masses of sheeted fame enveoped the
devoted village. The frenzy Of despair seized
on all hearts strong men bowed like reeds be-
fore the fiery blast, women and children,
like frightened spectres fitting through the
awful gloom, were swept away like autumn
leaves. Crowds rushed tor the bridge but the
bridge, like all else, was receiving its baptism
OF fire. Hundreds crowded into the river;
cattle plunged In with them and being hud-
died together in the general confusion OF the
moment, many who had taken to the water to
avoid the flames were drowned. great many
were on the blazing bridge when il fell. The
debris from the burning town was hurled over
and on the heads of those who were in the
water, killing many and manning others 80 that
they gave up IN despair and sank to a watery
grave.
In less than an hour from the time the tor
nadO struck the town, the village Of Peshtigo
was annlhilated!
Full one hundred persisted either in the flames
or in the water, and all the property was wiped
out of existence
In the Sugar Bush" the loss of life was even
greater in proportion to the number of inhabi-
tants than in the village. Whole families are
destroyed, and over thicky settled region in
the heavy hard wood timber consisting of two
or three townships, there is scarcely family but
is now left destitute, and mOurns for the loss of
some of its loved ones.
Hon. l. Stephenson, of Marinette, went yes
terday short distance the road leading to
the upper bush, and counted hiry-scCat dead
bodies
Another party informs us that he found over
fifty dead on one road, and over forty on an
other
la the lower bush the trunks of the fallen
trees, lying in every conceivable direction, are
strewn so thickly over the ground that it must
be many days before the entire region can be
thoroughly penetrated, SO as to bury the dead
and succor the living.
The Number who Ia ave Perished
is not yet definitely ascertained, but enough is
known to place first reports far in the back
ground. At Peshtigo village over one hundred
we're either burned TO death or drowned in the
river in their efforts to escape the flames. The
Sugar Bush is divided into what is known as
the Upper Middle and Lower Bush. From
what we can learn and by cleaning our nfor-
nation from all possible sources, we are quite
certain that over sixty were burned to leath in
the Upper Bush, about seventy-6ve in the Mid
die, and fully one hundred and twenty ia the
Lower Bush, miserably. terribly persisted.
Hundreds MANNED and helpless,
many of them rendered cripples for life.
Thus, in one short hour whole town
ships were devastated by the fire iend nearly
four hundred human beings were hurled into
eternity by one of the most awful visitatons
ever known in the history of the world and the
wretched survivors left with nothing to subsist
on but such supplies as are and may be contrib
uted by the charities of the people. 70 the
] irip aria FIR bolp
! their sympathies fully aroused have and are re-
! spending nobly.
| The whole country is a scene Of devastation
and ruin that no language can paint or tongue
describe.
There is only one farm of any note in the en-
tire bush that has escaped. This is the fine
farm of Mr.. Abram Place, in the upper bush
lie, having an immense clearing, and protected
by the roads, was enabled TO save his house
barn, and nearly all of his stock and supplies.
His house has been asylum tor the suffering
ones OF that region and he has rendered them
all the assistance in his power.
Yesterday, Mulligan. having in his charge
gang OF railroad employees, was engaged IN gath
ering together the remains at Peshtgo and in
the i'm mediate vicinity, and identified all that il
was possible to identify, aud arranged the
charred and blackened corpses for burial. lie
was assisted by his wife and several men aud
his efforts have been noble aud heroic. lie de-
serves much credit for the good and efficient
services he has rendered
We are saved here at Marnette rs If by n
miracle, and we say on our own responsibility,
while not wishing nor desiring to draw any in
| vdous distinctions, that but for the heroic
| self-sacri6cing and discreet management of Mr..
A. G. Brown, Marinette, and very likely Memo
minee, would now be both in ashes. Hon. |.
I Stephenson, Fred. Carney A. G. Merryman X.
\ II. Stephenson Chas. Shields Messrs. Gould
4 McGills, the Wrghts Prescott Holgate Bros.
McLennan, Cook, IN short everybody exerted
themselves to the utmost to stay the fire md
by Gods help, succeeded in saving the greater
portion of Marinette.
Nearly al the buildings Of any value in
MeDekauhe were consumed in spite of the most
despairing efforts, and we are safe in saving
that had we been visited by such tornado OF
wind and flame as our neighbors at Peshtigo,
nothing could have been left of our town.
At Peshtigo and in the Sugar Bush all the
cattle, sheep, swine and poultry are destroyed.
Miles of country, where but few days ago ex-
listed pleasant farms and IN abundance Of the
necessaries Of life now lie devastated with not
a tiUing thing lett
Crowds of people, with teams and supplies.
have gone to-day TO gather such Of the remains
OF the dead as can be found; 10 pay the last
sad tribute to their memory, aud perchance
succor the few who may yet be living, but 70
whom no aid has yet arrived.
Little Sturgeon,
in Door county Wis, was destroyed on Monday
night and ifty-fve persons persisted.
Thus has death and destruction reigned all
around us, and we, by the mercy Of God, are
yet spared.
Chicago is in ruins. our supply of paper is
cut of, and we shall be obliged to issue a small
sheet this week without our Advertisements.
Our readers will pardon us, and our patrons
generally will favor Us, under the circumstances
To-day men and teams, loaded with supplies
from various sources, have been pouring into
town. The Dunlap House is turned into 4 hos
pital; some thirty forty are there under
medical treatment.
The Saginaw to-day brought from ] ond du
Lac Drs. Dodge, Deveraux, Mayham May,