The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1871-11-25
HI WISCONSIN FIRES.
A Summing Up of the Losses oil Lille
and Property. .

Rah
A CORRESPONDENT of the Milwaukee Wis
cons;n who has travelled through the burned
regions in Wisconsin, thus sums up the loss
of life and property in the country through
which he passed:
After making a deduction for exaggera-
tons, | had supposed that 500 would cover
the number Of dead on the west side of the
bay. now learn from reliable sources that
the actual numbered interments counted up
to 504. Add another hundred for remains
of ashes and charred bones at Peshtigo, and
I think we have not far from the true NUM-.
Der on the west side. Add $50 for the cast
side-making $50 ~ all-and the death roll
is nearly complete.
tt is impossible to figure the aggregate
losses of pine timber and farm property, with
anv degree of closeness. 1t is the interest Of
mill men to underate the amount of fallen
Pine that must be secured this winter to
save it. A medium estimate of damage to
nine lands in the Green Bay region is
$4OO. 900. The damage on the Wolf is
figured at 100000. There is abundance. of
hard wood left in places; the damage to in
dividuals may amount to $500, 900. The loss
of the fifteen saw-mills burned is put at
1926, 900. The loss of cordwood, ties, hem
lock bark, etc, is set at $1,000 900. The
losses of fences, buildings, wagons, cattle,
crops, among the six hundred farmers can
not be less than 5000, 000-making a total
aggregate of more than $4,000 600, aside
from those at Peshtigo.
The country through from Brown county
north to Big Sturgeon Bay, for 400 miles is
,xy. l..,I.tol A. loocf fcnr h,-1r.I
farms in this tornado section alone are left
desolate, stripped of every improvement.
Fences, barns, dwellings, implements, turni-
ture, wagons, harness and crops, all went
up in a "whirlwind of fire" 1t will take
thirty years in that cold, hard soil for their
timber to grow again. In the aggregate
their losses must foot up to about $1,000 a
family. Farmers here have saved half of
their teams, that were let loose in the
woods, and o third of their stock. But they
have no hay, straw, grain or feed of any
sort-not even the poor chance of browse in
the woods. Nearly all, with large families,
have lost their last cow and pig. In a ride
of six miles, on nearly a straight line, ! saw
but three hens, and a tanning mill-the
only farm implement left in the town. In
the Belgian settlement, on Red River, sixty
two families were burned out in a row J
Not a house, not a shed, not u coop-not
one fence rail left upon another. The fanl-
lies had fled, almost naked and breathless,
TO the few cabins on the outskirts that were
saved.
There are 800, or more, wounded suffer-
crs remaining in hotels, boarding-houses and
hospitals about the Bay. Fifty of the Pesh-
tieo ~ufferers were at the Dunlap House,
Marinette. Half of them were able to be
about. Burned ears, faces, hands and feet
were common to nearly all. Many in rooms
could hardly stir in bed. There were wo-
men with great burns on the sides and limbs,
with faces like kettles, and hands like claws,
burned to the bones. Men could fight bet
ter, and dare more than women. Most OF
them persisted by sufIocation.. Little chill
dren are sadly maimed in their feet and ia
ces. Il saw one with a heel gone, and an
other with an eye. Nearly all will recover
without loss of sight or limb. [ could fill a
book with stories of the hospital. Most of
them suffer more from hurts Of mind than
body. | have a sad memory of a poor wild
ow who lost her crippled boy who went Oh
crutches, and a sprightly little girl who fell
between the burning logs. They were all
Of her family. "The screams of both," she
said, "seemed forever sounding in her ears"
There is a future, and no doubt compensa-
ton for all these suffering ones.
Most of these cabins that are left are crow
ded with two and three families each. /
saw one with four men, five women and six
teen children-tWo of them suckers. They
had just received an outfit of clothing
warm stockings, knit hoods, thin shawls,
thin CATERS, and light colored dresses for
the women and girls old fashioned hats,
bursted boots, thin jackets, and summer
coats and pants for the men and boys.
There were some occasions of laughter, but
none of ridicule,; all were glad and surprised
at getting what they did. | saw no imme-
date want Of provisions. Flour, pork and
hard bread are distributed to all, packages
of tea and coffee to most. There are nearly
potatoes enough in the country, if distribu-
ted. Their stock that is left has been driven
off to meadows and fields not burned over.
One large hearted old farmer was keeping
eighty odd cattle belonging to his u~nfort,-
nate neighbors. Without stopping to con-
slider the ways of Providence, or the uses of
philosophy, these simple minded people
seem to have understood the art of helping
one another,