The Bloomfield times. [volume] (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1867-187?, 1871-10-24
Tried by Fire.

Tried by Fire.
A large portion of the West seems to be
passing through an ordeal of fire. The
terrible calamity at Chicago has taken the
attention of the public in great measure
from the fires which have been devastating
the country around lake Michigan
Perhaps the worst of all these fires has
been that terrible one in the neighborhood
of Green Bay, Wisconsin, which, commen-
cling near New London, has ragged through
out the country east and north beyond the
Menomonsee river. This is a region which
has not yet been to any great extent re-
duced from its primeval forest condition,
and its scanty population subsists to a great
extent by getting and transporting lumber
which they obtain in illimitable quantities
from the great pine forests with which the
soil is covered. Altogether the fire is COM
puted to have devastated no less than three
thousand square miles, and probably not
fewer than one or two thousand lives have
been sacrificed. A letter from Green Bay
says "Fully two hundred families, burn
cd out of house and home, have now come
to this place, destitute of everything, and
at least hundred more families are in an
equally bad condition. Houses, barns,
farm buildings, fences bridges on the roads
absolutely everything has been swept
away. -
Advancing steadily onward the fire at
last enveloped and destroyed the little town
of Peshtigo. We have still to receive full
accounts of the tragedy, but we know al
ready that between six and seven hundred
unfortunate people have perished. The
village is some seven miles from the harbor,
and on Sunday evening, the Sth inst, the
same wind probably that worked the ruin
of Chicago blowing with the force of a
hurricane, famed the smouldering fire in
the fire into the village.
There was no possibility of checking
the flames and the surrounding forests pre-
sented one mass of fire. The people could
only fly to the river for safety. Those liv-
ing in close proximity to the water reached
it and waded in till it reached their necks
Here they remained from two to four hours
and by wetting their heads were able to es-
cape with life. But many were badly burn
ed about the head and face while in the
water. Many were drowned. Others, wo-
men and children, died from exposure
Those who lived only one or two streets
from the river were stricken down by the
flames and burned to death before reaching
the water whole families were destroyed.
In the morning the streets were strewn
with dead bodies.
Eight or nine bodies in one corner were
found near together. One family consist
ing of father, mother, and six children
we've found dead together within three feet
of the water. 1t is supposed that the in
mates of the Peshtigo company's boarding
house, 100 and upwards in number, nearly
all perished. Every report from the neigh
boring settlements brings information of
houses burned and many lives lost. The
immense pail factory and large saw-mil!s,
and the stores, bridges, locomotives and
cars were burned, and every kind of prop
erty destroyed.
Another village burned was Menekaunee,
at the mouth of the Menomenee river
One hundred and fifty buildings were burn
ed. There were no lives lost there, however,
far as known.
At small settlement of five or six hous-
es, called Birch Greek, on the State road,
nine miles north of Menomonee, every
house was burned, and ten or twelve lives
lost, only three persons escaping.
AT little Sturgeon Bay there was yet an
other tragedy of the same horrible charac-
ter seventy-fve lives being lost. All over
the northern part of the State farmers
have been burned out and for weeks to
come we shall receive scattered reports of
persons and families who have perished in
the flames.