National opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1865-1874, 1871-10-27
The Fire Ficnd.

There seems 10 ne no emu 10 tne huticr'
ings Of the people OF the West from fire.
While II destroys the larger cities it
spares not tae smaller towns, Sweeping
through the immense pine forests OF
Wisconsin, Michigan and Minnesota
carrying AWAY everything beforeit The
little town oil Peshtigo, Michigan, built
up from the numbering resources OF the
vicinity and one Of the most thriving OF
the Jumbo ring 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 million
feet of lumber day, md other mills were
OF large capacity. All have been burned.
II is estimated that over three hundred
lives have been lost by these fires in the
woods, and the amount of suffering en-
tailed upon poor people who have lost
their all and are now in desert from
which they cannot escape, is frightful.
The hand of charity should be opened to
them mt once. Hundreds and thousands
Of poor people are now in danger OF
actual starvation in the lumber regions
Of the Northwest.
The news from st. Clair and Huron
counties, Michigan, is OF the most dis-
tressng character. All that portion Of
the State east of Saginaw Bay and north
OF point forty miles above Port Huron
has been completely swept by lire. A
number VI persons persisted, and 1t Is
feared we have not heard the worst. The
flourisling villages Of Forestville, White
Rock, Elm Creek, Sand Beach, and Huron
City, are entirely destroyed.
A 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 FeSseutiea, which started
for Port Austria, picked up II sail boat
on Lake Huron containing Isaac Green,
principal owner Of Forestvilie, together
with his family and eighteen or twenty
Others, who had escaped the flames ut
ForestviIle.
The telegraph operator al Forestville
escaped through the fire back INTO the
country All the telegraph offices along
the shore have been destroyed.
Five children are known to have per
ished near Rock Falls. II. b. Hubbard,
at Huron City, shot all his fine horses
and cattle to prevent their perishing by
fire. He loses very heavily, having had
II large store mills docks, &c.
At Holland, Ottawa County, the east
shore of lake Michigan, the flames made
clean sweep, hardlya building being left
| Professor Charles Scott, of Hope Col
lege, persisted also a minister, whose
name WAS not ascertained.
! I,cr,otcb rooaiya1 from, Graan Raw
| Wis, stated that steamer had arrived
bringing report that 325 bodies were
buried at Peshtigo, and as many more
were missing. Seventytive persons
were burned to death at Little Sturgeon
Bay, and the suffering throught the
night was terrible With the exception
of the destruction of property, the
calamity is moe appalling than the
burning of Chicago.
Further accounts of the terrible cal
amity have been received. One hun
bred and fifty men we're 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,
IL DIG DlOhc CIV Ill VIC ItiSluH StItlV~
ment of Brussels, i'll Door County, Wis
consin, destroying $50 houses-all 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
and other places, hnt before ossistanee
can reach them they must suffer severely.
A fire broke out in the town of Man
/ istee Mich, and ragged all night DESTROY
ing DOG buildings, SIX large mills, and n
vessel lying at the dock. Half of the
entire town is burned. The losses is es-
timated at 81 300 600.
A Mr.. Brady of Detroit, who was in
the village of White Rock, Huron Coun-
ty, where it was burned, says that, after
vainly striving to keep the fire out of the
town, the inhabitants, hastily gathering
the few valuables that came nearest to
hand, fled 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 searching
effects the heated air without OCCASION
al plunges beneath the surface or frequent
washings in the surf Mr. Brady was in
the water eight hours, lying part of the
time on tt log, over which the light surf
dashel About him were men up to
their waist in water, and holding chill
dren i'll their arms, women but poorly
protected ny their clothing from the chill
Of the water, which was 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 which they hold their lands,
and their insurance papers. From their
painful position III the water they were
released 10y the subsistence of the fires,
but there was neither food nor shelter
within miles and for many of them
naught but beggary apparently remained
when shelter should be found. The fire
at White Rock occurred Sunday night.
and it was not until Monday afternoon
that the sufferers We're taken off the shore
by the steamer Huron, which took them
on board, aud, coming down the shore.
released from similar straits others who
had lived i'll Forestyillc and Cato which
towns were also burned Sunday night.
The steamer, after taking on board rs
many AS she could carry, left many for
second trip. The sufferers were cared
for by the citizens of Port Huron. and
the steamer went back for another load.
Beside the towns named it is supposed
that Center Harbor and many other
smaller villages were destroyed, and it
is feared that the loss of life has been
considerable. The pecuniary loss at
White Rock is more than $3.50, 600 that
at Forestville is still greater.
The SUGAR CROP. The Louisiana