The democrat. [volume] (Weston, W. Va.) 1868-1874, 1871-10-30
The Fire Hlcnl.

through the immense pine forests OF
Wisconsin, Michigan and Minnesota
carrying away everything beforeit. The
little town Of Peshtigo, Michigan, built
up from the numbering resources OF the
vicinity and one of the most thriving OF
the numbering towns in the Green Bay
District has been swept away entirely.
One of the mills OF this place, owned by
the Ogden Company OF Chicago was
capable Of saving quarter Of u million
feet Of lumber day, and other millswere
OF large capacity, All have been burned.
II is estimated that over three hundred
lives have been lost by these fires in the
woods, aud the amount of suffering en-
tailed upon poor people who have lost
their MI and are now in desert from
which they cannot escape, is frightIul.
The hand OF charity should be opened to
them at once. Hundreds and thousand
OF poor people are now ip danger OF
actual starvation in the lumber regions
Of the Northwest.
Tee news from St. Clair and Huron
counties, Michigan, is OF the most dis.
tressiug character All that portion oil
the State cas-, OF Saginaw Boy and north
OF a point forty miles above Port Huron
has been completely swept by tire. A
number Of persons perished, and i is
feared We have not heard the worst, The
flourishing villages Of Forcstyille, White
Rock, Elm Greek, sand Beach, and Huron
City, are entirely destroyed.
4 steamer which left Port Huron for
relief Of the sufferers, returned with
about forty men, women, and children,
five Of whom are severely burned. The
revenue cutter F.sSeH,ina, which started
for Port Austria, picked up sail boat
on Lake Huron containing Isaac Green,
principal owner Of Forestyille, together
with his family aud eighteen or twenty
Others, who had escaped the flames at
Forestville.
The telegraph operator NJ ForestNille
escaped through the fire back into the
country All the telegraph offices along
the shore have been destroyed.
Five children nre known TO have per
ished near Rock Falls. X. j. Hubbard,
ut Huron City, shot all his fine horses
and cattle to prevent their perishing by
fire. He loses very heavily having had
n large store, mills, docks, &c.
At Holland, Ottawa County, the east
shore Of Lake Michigan, the flames made
Il clean sweep, haldlya building being left.
Professor Charles Scott, Of Hope Col.
lego, persisted ; also minister, whose
name was not ascertainGd.
A dispatch received from Green Bay,
Wis, stated that steamer had arrived
bringing n report that 325 bodies were
buried nj Pcshtigo, and ms many more
were missing. Seycnty-ilve persons
were burned to death at Little Sturgeon
Bay, and the suffering drought the
night WINS terrible. Withthe exception
of the destruction Of property, the
calamity is mo-c appalling than the
burning Of Chicago,
Further accounts Of the terrible cal.
nmity have been received. One hun.
dred and fifty men were burned to death
in a large barn at Peshtigo, in which
they had taken refuge. Hundreds Of
people were driven by the flames into
the river, where most Of them persisted.
A later dispatch from Green Bay says,
n fire broke ont in the Belgium settle.
mcnt ofsBr,sscls, in Door County. Wis,
cousin, destroying $50 houscs-nll the
place contained, except five. Nine per-
sons are missing. 1t is supposed they
persisted in the flames The inhabitants
lost everything. Active measures for
their relief ARE being taken from Duluth
aud other places, but before assistance
can reachthem they must suffer severely,
A fire broke out in the town of Man
istee Mich, and ragged ali night dcstro".
ing 20G huildings, six large mills, and n
vessel lying nj the dock. Half OF the
entire town is burned. The losses is es.
timatel at Sl,3OO,0OO.
A Mr.. Brady of Detroit, WHO was in
the village of White Rock, Huron Cotn'
ty, where il was burned, says that, aftei
vainly striving to keep the fire out Of the
town, the inhabitants, hastily gathering
the few valunblcs that came nearest ID
hand, fed to the most open places, away
from the houses. and, driven from these,
rushed into the water itself, and even
here were not safe from the scorchinl
effects Of the heated mir without OCCASION
al plunges beneath the surface or frequent
washings in the surf. Mr.. Brady was il
the water eight hours, lying part Of the
time on n log, over which the light sur
dashed. About him were men up tc
their waist in water, and holding chill
dren in their arms, women but poorly
protected by their clothing from the chill
OF the water, which WIS their only secur'
ity against the burning heat OF the air
The inhabitants, Of course, saved almost
nothing. Not only were their houses,
fences, barns and stocks destroyed, but
their furniture and clothing, and even
the deeds by whichthey hold their lands,
and their insurance papers. From theil
painful position in tue water they Wer,
released by the subsistence OF the fires
but there was neither food nor shelter
within miles, and for many of then
naught but beggary apparently remained
when shelter should be found. The fire
ut White Rock occurred Sunday night
and ii was not until Monday Afternoon
TINT the sufferers were taken of the shof,
by the steamer Huron, which took then
gu board, and, coming down the shore
released from similar strIits others who
had lived in Forestvillc aud Cato, whicl
towns were also burned Sunday night
The steamer, after taking on board u
many as she could carry, left many for I
second trip. The sufferers were cared
for by the citizens Of Port Huron, and
the steamer went hack for another load
Beside the towns NAMED it is supposed
that Center Hnrbor and many otliel
smaller villages we're destroyed, aud il
is feared that the loss Of life has been
considerable. The pecuniary loss Vi
White Rock is more than S25O,0O0 that