New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1871-10-19
THE FOREST FIRES.
THE DEVASTATED DISTRICTS

Tho man urinted herewith shows the uls' .I.O.
that have suffered the most severely ~ ,,at oil the
Srps II must not be understood hoVe'ol, n"S 81
vScnd DISTINGUISHED by the dalK s1"NNs ,o..a
bnrnca over but the fres nave ,1T,ut
-, sDnaratsd hroughcut fhe sccuous VI oouniJ
not WlueV s N, 1--WE accurate boundaries OF
80 ao,uanv rayagcd would require q
~ - very largo scale Tor, Wghe
=, - nIaoAs the flames have moEea as""uIe oI ue-
,o,,or ton or twenty miles wide by hundred long,
a. o,bers the area burned las been Jut anew square
s. ioc,uding perhaps village win inc aIacent lOr
.. In many places not indicated on the map fires OF
snsI magnitude are reported. The map gives knowl
9o N the location of the larger towns that we're con-
,mod and an appropriate idea Of the vastness OF the
RECON raVaged
The most striking fact about these great fires Is the
.SsSlt spontaneity with which they burst forth in
hupdred widely separated places at the same time
h.pd Of ncendaries, scattered over two States had
Bshted the fires by preconcerted arrangement tne
rssut would not have been widely different from the
sexual fact. There are reports Of villages ablaEe
oil along the Huron shore, from Inc 81
Clair River TO Saginaw Bay. The east anu
west shores Of the Bay have alike been devastated;
cOndaTaUons are reported in the Saginaw Valley, at
various points along the Detroit and Grand Haven kf
road and even as far south the CentIG ROAD whne
OH the western shore Of Michigan, from Grand Traverse
Bay to South Haven 200 miles, the destruction mas
Grand Haven that the prosperous town OF honau
which Wa entirely consumed. Further north hanstee'
n lumber town, was in great part destroy GU a"u N'
Haven, on Grand Traverse Bay, was whoi,y Ourheu,
Across the Lake. in Wisconsin, both shores OF Green
Raw were rayaged and the FIRE swept along the Whole
kngth Of the Door Peninsula. Fires are also re-
,,nr1c1 in the Counties Of Fond du Lac, Mani
,ovoe Sheboygan, Dodge, Marathon, and Winnie
hsco T.trg is no Information to show how
much OF the ninhahed country in the northern part OF
the Lower Michigan Peninsula has been swept or no"
far into the wild region north and west OF Green Bay
Che fire has penetrated. Some exaCgeratcd accounts
rcprescnt Michigan "a burned from lake to lake, but
these are maniesy based upon the number OF nres re-
,orcd at many different points, which to one not Know-
pe the frequency OF forest fires in dry seasons in the
Northwest would give the impression that the whole
tountry for hundreds Of miles was in flames
TIC character Of the country desOlated In Michigan
and Wisconsin is quite similar Vast forests OF pines
and hemNocks with occasional groves Of beeches ana
uaples cover the land. 1t is gloomy wilderness,
whose uonotOnous loneliness relieved by an occasional
manufacturing village the shore, at the mouth OF
stream or O camp of lumbermen IN the interior Inc
VILLAGES are created by establishing extensive mills 1or
Saving the logs that are foated down the
streams and shipping the lumber or working
II up into tubs, pals, barrels, chairs, bed
steods and @ variety Of other articles. There
are few farms The climate is bleak and the soil gener-
ally thin and sandy On the Door peninsula, in NiscOn-
sin however there is considerable good land cleared ana
devoted to wheat cuture and 1t Is here that the prnc
pal destruction farm-hOuses and crops has taken
MACE In some parts Of interior Michigan and in the
country around Fond du Lac Wisconsin, damage to far
ners il also reported The umb ring villages along the
take and bay COASTS and the rivers are seldom sur
rounded by cearngs The forests from which only the
LARGE rees have been removed are in immediate pro1-
unity to the houses and this made tho destruction OF
these places certain when the WOODS took fire.
me VILLAGES reported as burned in Michigan are Birch
Creek Little River Center Harbor, Sand Beach, White
Rock Forestvile Verona, Huron City, Port AUSTIN
AMI half Of Port Hope. all on the Lake Huron snorei
Holland, Grand Junction, part OF Aanistee ana 1ieh
Haven on the Lake Michigan shore.
In Wisconsin, the villages Of PeshtegO, Upper BUSH,
Lower Bush Williamsonvine, Rosiere, hnneRaWnee'
and mart of Marrinee the west shore OF Green Bay
we're DESTROYED and the east shore OF the oay Le
R,,reen Franken, ScOville, and Casco perlshed me
eamps Of the wOrkInen on the railroad constructing
north from Fort Howard were consumed, and 80 were
many lumber camps.
The loss Of life by these calamies cannot yet oe ascer
tAnsd In Peshtego over leo persons were burned OF
aroUned and $50 seriously injured In the neiRh
An0 districts over 200 dead bodies have already
Nen recovered 1t believed that 300 persons pershed
In the Green Bay REGION and the victims ID michigan
viii swell the total number Of the lost 70 nearly hOu
,and The condition Of the survivors In the burned d
tricts ptifu Many are far away from towns OF ra
roaas and they cannot be promptly reached and
rsI,eved IKE the sufferers by the Chicago calamity
romut measures for their relief ought to be taken BY
the benevolent throughout the country Their needs are
pressing the Winter is approaching, and navigation on
tho lakes which gives the only ready access TO them,w will
coon be closed
At Last accounts rain had fallen in the burning dis
tcts the wind had subsidized and fears OF the further
Vpread Of the flames had abated. =