Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1871-10-11
NORTHWESTERN WISCONSIN IN
FLAMES

| OREEN BAY, w is, OCTOBER 4-ID6
fires which are now prevailing IN the
| six or seven northeastern counties OF
Wisconsin have never had parallel
since the settlement Of the country.
The drouth which has prevailed since
early in August has dried up the springs
and streams, aud all vegetation, and has
parched the ground to the depth Of
several inches below the surface, so that
the soil itself acts as confagration,
and living trees are falling from the
action of the Ere, which undermines
them all. Barns and their contents,
hay stacks, cord wood, aud other kinds
Of property, together with hundreds OF
miles of fences, are burned. No re-
s;sance can be offered to the APP
preaching ires. There IS yet no authen,
lie account Of the loss Of life, although
a family in Kewaunee county, and some
Indians in ShaWano county, are report
ed burned. The hardest fights against
the flames are made at the many saw
mills which are located among the pine
forests in this region, but many OF them
have been burned All the available
force which coul d be obtained from the
adjacent villages have been called to
the assistance Of the threatned mills
| and settlements, In some cases with
| avail and in others not The work has
been so long and harrassing, and the
men so tired with the smoke and
fatigue, that in many places the con
test has been given up In places
where there was no water. the only
available plan has been to dig trenches
around the property, but the least wind
carries large flakes Of burning bar k
through the air, and renders all such
means useless. The AdU0cote Of to-
day, has accounts Of the fire in the
counties of Brown, Kewaunee, Door
Oconto, Outagamie, hanitowoc, and
| Shawano. 1t estimates that an area
of l 500 square miles are being burned
over Three sawmills are definitely
known to be burned Others are said
to be burned out. The reports need
confirmation. In Kewaunee county
from sixty to eighty dwelling houses
and barns have been burned, and the
inhabitants are seeking the lake shore
for safety.
At Horns Pier, store with goods
six dwelling houses and shops, with
barns and other buildings, were burned
and it is said that the inhabitants
saved themselves by fleeing to the pier
and taking up the plank communcat.
ing with the shore Two Rivers, Two
Greeks, Ahnapee and Kewaunee and
other villages haze been more or less
damaged. In Door county, next north
great quantities of wood, railroad ties,
telegraph poles, and other property got
out for shipment, have been burned, in
addition to the losses in barns. and
fences, etc. Ga the west side Of Green
bay and Fox river the flames extended
from Menomonee to Oshkosh, dis
lance of twenty miles in length and
thirty in breadth. This region is Que
of alternate pine and hard timber, and
is thickly settled with milling and
farming settlers. The haystacks, fences
and bridges on the roads are mostly
gone. In some cases large lots Of pine
logs in the dried up streams are
burning. Very little travel is practicable
and it is with difficulty that definite
particulars can be obtained. Along the
line of the Chicago and Northwestern
Railway the fire extends close up to the
track on either side for miles, between
Deperc and Appleton, threatening the
bridges and culverts burning fences,
ties and cord wood, aud requiring the
closest vigilance in operating the road.
Along the extension of the road, CEN
siderable amounts of ties and some of
the laborers' 3hanties with all
their contents have been burned.
Deer and bears come out on the rail
road and wagon roads, and could be
shot, but nobody has the time to devote
to that On the line of the Green
Bay and Lake Pepin Railway grade a
half mile of cordaroy substructure, three
thousand ties, and hundreds Of cords of
wood belonging to the road have been
burned, besides property much greater
in value belonging to the farmers. All
the bridges on the line of the Manito-
woe road, for twenty miles east of Green
Bay, are consumed Older's Circus
passed over them only few hours pre-
vious, on its way to Manitowoc. The
fire extends to the city limits of Green
Bay on the east, and is running over
the adjacent marshes, The city is not
regarded in danger, though cinders and
ashes are falling in tie streets. The
smoke is SO dense to-day, that buildings
two blocks distant are not visible. On
the west the fire has approached the
village Limits Of Fort Howard. immedi-
ate y opposite, on the river, and large
forces Of men are engaged in staying its
progress No access to the forest is
practicable, and nothing can be estima-
ted, except from the effects of the fire,
near the settlements where it pene-
trates the ground from Que to two feet,
aud destroys the life OF the trees. The
atmosphere is baZy, with some appear
ance Of rain. 1t will take heavy and
drenching one to saturate the ground
and stop the progress Of the fire.
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