The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1871-11-02
The Forest Fires In Wisconsin. Horrible
Scenes.

The story of the dreadful scenes and
| excruciating sufferings which have lately
occurred during the forest and prairie fires
in Wisconsin and Michigan has been but
partially told Every day adds new de-
velopments of the fearful disaster. Mr.
James B. Clark, of Detroit, land agent
extensively engaged in the locality barn
ed, happened to be near the scene, and
although escaping unharmed was wit
ness to the terrible visitation to others.
His story is substantially the same as that
more briefly related by others, but gives
more startling and important details.
Sunday night last he was at Uniontown,
Wis. Fires We're blazing through the
forest and along the prairies in every di-
rection. At sundown there was a strong
breeze, which, at nine O'Clock, increased
to Il furious gale, blowing towards the
lake. The whole surface of the country
to the westward, eastward and southwark
seemed to be one mass of flame, which
almost reached to the lowering clouds and
rushed along like a treshet, Even where
Mr.. Clark was the heat OF the atmosphere
was most intense. Beyond towards the
lake, was situated the settlement of Will
liamson's Mills, comprising about four
teen families The fire suddenly made a
rush like the flash of train of gunpow-
der and swept in the shape Of n crescent
around the settlement. 1t is almost i'm
possible to believe the frigh,fuI rapidity OF
the progress of the flames. They sped
along faster than a horse could 90. Some
times, when the wind would come with a
furious sweep, the fire fairly shot like the
discharge of n gun over the prairie and
woods. So fierce and terr Bic was its
power that it seemed to eat up and annihi
late the trees like the consuming force of
a blast furnace.
TIE ROAR AND BATTLE
of the hot currents was as loud as the
whirr of great mill, and added to this
horrid sound were the awful moaning and
waling of the wind That noise went
through ones very bones and marrow
AS we stood looking on say at about ten
O'Clock, we heard another strange sound.
Straiuing our eyes toward the fire, about
seven miles distant, we could Just discern
something moving Now it would appear
like = black mass. then it would separate
into fragments, swaying to and fro and
bobbing up and down. 1t came towards
Us directly from the lurid wall Of flames.
So intense was the glare of light all
about us that our eyes were dazed,
they ran with water. and we could only
see by constantly using our handkerchiets.
At last we made out by sight and sound
that the moving mass was q number of
cattle and horses, laundering along to-
wards us. away from the flames, below
ing, neighing and moaning as they gallop-
ed on. Finally they came rushing past
with fearful speed, their eyeballs dilated
and glaring with terror, and every motion
bctokening the perfect delirium of fright
Some appeared to have been badly burn
ed, and must have plunged through a
long space of flame in the desperate effort
to escape. Following considerably be-
hind came solitary horse, painting and
snorting, and nearly exhausted. He was
saddIed and bridled and, as we first
thought, had a bag lashed to his back AS
he came up we were startled at the sight
of a young lad, lying fallen over the ami
mails neck, the bride wound around his
hands and the name being clinched by the
fingers. Little effort was needed to stop
! the laded horse and at once release the
helpless boy. He was taken in the house,
and all that we could do was DONE but he
had inhaled the smoke and seemed in 4
dying condition. Some time elapsed and
he revived enough to speak. He told his
name Patrick Byrnes-and said, "tather
and mother and the children GOT in the
wagon | don't know what become Of
them. Everything is burned mp. ! am
dying.
OH Is HELL ANY WORSE rllAS THIS ''
The poor fellow lay III Il critical condi-
ton when left. Tie next morning we
| drove down to the settlement. The first
house we came to was that of Patrick
| Byrnes, father of the lad before spoken Of.
it was but a heap Of ashes The brick
! chimney, the cooking stove and iron por-
| tions OF farm tools We're the only rem
nants of the place left. We passed farther
| on. The forest was burned down close to
! the ground, the stumps only being left,
smouldering and smoking away. Every
| thing was hot. Even the road was baked
/ and cracked by the heat We had gone
| about mile when we came to 4 horrible
! spectacle. Alongside the road, in a gully,
( lay the bodies of six persons, and two
! horses roasted to Il crisp, The iron tires
of the wheels and braces and bolts of the
! wagon were scattered about Here the
! fire had surrounded and engulfed them.
| Evidently the team, i'll its mad career had
reared, plunged and fallen headlong from
| the road to where they writhed i'll the
throes of horrible death. Mr.. Byrnes
was native of Tipperary county, ireland,
and, with his wife, had been in America
over thirty years. Formerly they lived in
the Fourth ward of this city, where he
was employed as a cartman. Seventeen
| years ago iin came West. and, by industri-
Gus habits, had accumulated a'snug prop
erty. He had five children, ;he eldest be-
ing eighteen, and the youngest five years
old Sickencd and thrilled at the scene,
| we hurried on, only to see more and
worse. All along the road lay the car
casses of cattle sheep, hogs and dogs.
burned to a crisp The smaller animals
were almost entirely consumed. Now we
came to the village. Nothing was left ex-
cept piles of ashes, smoking and smould-
ering. In the cellar OF one house we
| found eight bodies-one, of q man, was
in q STOPPING position over that OF q child
| IS though he died trying to shield off the
| flames. This was very likely the body OF
Mr.. Williamson, the owner of the mills,
who, with his entire family, is said to have
persisted. In the rear yard of the next
house were four bodies, apparently those
of mother and her children. They were
scorched, not burned crisp, and one cheek
Of the lyoungest-a girl of six-rctained
an expression of calmness that seemed to
indicate a painless death by sutlocation
But
THE MOST HORRIBLE SIGHT OF ALL
was at Boorman's well. Mr.. Boorman'>
house was the largest in the village, anC
in the centre of the yard, midway between
the house and barn, was located large
but shallow well. Several of the neigh
bors were supplied with water from thi
fountain, and it is likely that in the mids
of the conflagration, when all hope was
cut off, the neighbors, insane with terror
thronged with one purpose to this well
The ordinary chain and wheel pump usec
in that place had been removed, and tn,
wretched people entered this well as thu
last refuge. Boards had been thrown
down to prevent them being drowned, bu
evidently the relentless fury of the fir
drove them pell-mell into the pit to strug