Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1871-10-25
The Destruction of PeshtigO.


air, which was quite chilly during the day,
grew quite warm, and hot puffs were quite
frequent in the evening. A bout halt-past
eight clock at night we could see there
was a heavy fire TO the southwest Of the
town, and dull roaring sound like that of
heavy wind coming from that quarter. At =
o'clock the wind was blowing fresh, and by
hall-past nine a perfect gale. The roar Of
the approaching tornado grew more terrible
AZ ten. When the fire struck the towE it
seemed to swallow up and literally drown
everything The fire came on switter than a
race horse, and within twenty minutes Of the
time it struck the outskirts Of the town
everything was in flames.
q" What follows beggars all description.
About the time the fire reached the PeshtigO
House, / ran out at the east door, and |
stepped on the platform, the wind caught me
sui hurled me some distance on to my head
and shoulders and blew me on to my face
several times in going to the river. Then
came fierce, devOurIng, pitiless rain OF fire
sll sand, 50 hot as 10 Ignite everything it
tl-led. l ran into the water, prostrated
myself, and put my face in the water, ana
rev water over my back and head The
Leat was SO intense that l could keep my
head out OF water but few seconds at IA
time. for the space of nearly an hour. Saw
szs n the river catch fire and burn A
me and bawled pite0usly. | heard men, ,
women and children crying for help, but was
utterly pOwerless to help any one. What
wa. my experience was the experience Of
others
q Within three hours Of the time the fire
struck the town. the site Of Peshtigo was
literally sand desert, dotted over with smok-
ing ruins Not a hen-cOOp, or even dry
goods box was left. \ great many women
D. b.
street, and in places so tar from anything
combu-ti5le that it would seem impossible
they should barn they were burned to "a
crisp. Whole families, heads Of families
children, mothers, fathers, brothers and Sis
-er- we're burned, and remnants Of families
Rere running hither and thither, wildly
calling and looking for their relatives after
the fire 80
The loss in the 9" Sugar Bush was much
worse than IN the village. They had no
means Of escape, while at the village the peO-
l.e saved themselves in the river The Sugar
Bush was "a thrifty farming settlement seven
J- e ghC miles long by four or i've miles wide,
and contained about 300 families. 1t was
e-r.m.ted by Competent judges on Tuesday,
tlat eight teuths of its inhabitants were
dead. But about eight buildings were lett
A party from Dakota, who Travelled some
days through and along the burning district
u Dakota and y lrthwestern Minnesota. gives
tle tlIl0wing-
FIR some days previous to leaving Cbey-
enue river, in Dakota, at a point seventy-fve
miles west Of the crossing Of the Northern
Pacific Railroad at Red river, dense, smoky
atmosphere prevailed, which each day grew
more dense. warning Us that immense = prai-
Tie ti,s' wereap approaching our quarters rapidly.
ali our party deemed il prudent % move
eastward as fast as possible. We made I'M
MEDIATE preparations, but found that we
were In the saddle none too soon. The in
tense heat and weight of smoke affected Us
very much, and soon after starting we We're
forced to ride As rapidly as IL was possible
lar our beasts % carry US. All through the
long day we tJiled along. our ewes nearly
blinded. with parched throat and cracked
-lI- and intense thirst we rode on and on
til. at night we came in sight of Red river,
having ridden seventy-dve miles without rest
or hait but once At points along the route
the wall of flames would be quite near US.
it- roar could be heard many miles, and It's
rapid motion was surprising. The line of
fire seemed TO be a solid wall Of fame. about
twenty or thirty feet IN height, and moved as
rapidly as IA fleet horse could run. Occa-
5i0nally portion of the line would break
away in bodies Of forty or more feet square.
and be carried with almost electric rapldIty,
then strike the high, dry grass, which would
Immediately ignite and add it, destroying
force 10 the already gigantic cOnhagratIJn.
After resting at Red river, our party, re
duced to three persons, moved on eastward
and southwark, passing over a district but
lately burned, We could not distinguish an
object fifty yards away. Great, heavy clouds
q smoke hung like a pail through all the
distance Of two hundred and fifty miles we
eI-1
river, and even there. the smoke was very
oppressive. We doviated somewhat from the
usual route travelled, and found at different
points the charred remains Of three human
beings. nothing left but the bodies, and those
burned 10 a crisp. The sight was horrible in
all particulars, and nothing could be found
that would in any way identify the burned
c1rpses.
We heard of one case that showed gre
preseu.c of mind and much calmness. A
man va, had been with Sherman in his
= march tl thc sea was caught in the midst
ot "a fire Which was approaching him from all
sl4ts. Having no matches to create what is
called 90 setting back fire, = and death staring
pun DO tie face, his wit suggested % grOper
Lale. Setting az work with the will that a
man would use who was working for life, be
attacked the sod with large hunting knie
cutting large piece away, he rolled it back,
ana commenced throwing the soft eart3 up
Wart and outward, and soon had hole dug
sufficient re to admit his body. Carefully
.rwng the sod toward him, he succeeded
IN drawing il over his body, and then filled
lp tue ch.nks" from dirt within. Heaid
-Lerc until the fire passed over him and was
speeding fur.ousIy on miles distant: then
slowly he crawed out of his living grave,
aelte1 icariully, but injured IN no way what
eyer lis soldier experience saved has lie.
On Sunday night last, Mr.. James B. Clark
lt Detroit was at UniJntown, w Wisconsin.
Fires were blazing through the forests and
along tie praIrIes in every direction. At
-undgwn there was a strong breeze, which,
20 nine o'clOck increased to a furious gale,
blowing toward the lake The whole sur
lace ot the country, 10 the westward, east
Waid, and southwark seemed to be one mass
Jl Y .ues, which almost reached to the lowering
= ui-, and rushed along at race-hOrse speed.
Even where 1ir. Clark was the heat in
.eu-c. Beyond. toward the lake, the
settlement Of NiiiiGm-on's Mills, comprising
about fourteen families The fire suddenly
made q rush ike the flash Of train of gun
powder, and swept in the shape Of q crescent
around the settlement. lJ is almost impossl-
hlc To CONCEIVE the trighttul rapidIty Of the
aivaucc Of the flames. The rushing fire seem
ID % eit up and annihilate the trees. He
says the roar of the blast was loud the
whlrr Of great mill. As we stood looking
m, say dt about ten clock, we heard another
strange sound. -training our eyes toward the
hrc-abJut seven miles distant-we could
JUS discern something moving now it would
appear ike ii black mass, then it would sepa-
raJe into fragments, swaying to and fro, and
oo3bins up and down. IL came toward us
directly from the Iurid wall of flame SO in
tense was the glare Of light all about us that
our eyes were dazad they ran with water,
and We could see only by constantly using
cur handkerchels At last We made out by