Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1881-10-12
A Vivid Picture of the Michigan Forest
Fires.


Fires had been burning in Saniac, Huron
and Tuscola counties, but no one appre-
hended any danger. Farmers had set fire
to slashings to clear the ground for fall
wheat, but this happens every fall and the
fact that not Il drop of water had fallen in
from fifty to seventy days was not cousid-
cred by those who saw the smoke clouds
and replied that there was no danger.
There was danger Behind that pail of
smoke was greater enemy than an
earthquake, and it had tornado at its
back and two hundred miles of forest in
the front. From noon until 2 O'Clock II
strange terror held the people in its grip;
then all of sudden the heavens took fire,
or so it seemed to hundreds in some
localities it came with the sound of thun-
der. In others it was proceeded by ter
rible roaring as if II tidal wave were
sweeping over the country. Almost at
the same minute the flames appeared in
every spot over district Of country thirty
miles broad by one hundred in length
At Richmondville, ten miles above
Sanilac, one hundred and fifty people had
comfortable homes, stacks of hay and
grain. teams, COWS, pigs, sheep. and no
fear of the fire which they knew was
burning mile away. At o clock the
flames rushed out of the woods, leaped the
fences, ran across the bare fields and swal-
lowed every house but two, and roasted
alive dozen people. 1t is hardly forty
rods to the beach of the lake, and yet
many people had no time to reach the
water. Others reached it with clothing
on fire and faces and hands blistered. The
houses did not burn singly, but one bilow
of flame seized all at once and reduced
them to nothing in ten minutes.
saw many and many Il spot where the
pillows of fire jumped clean half mile
out of the forest to clutch house or barn
The Thornton family were wiped out with
the exception of boy Thornton had
hitched up his team to drive the family to
a place of safety, but when he saw that
they were all surrounded by the flames he
unhitched the horses in despair. Before
they could be embarrassed they bolted in
different directions, and the old man be-
came so confused that he ran directly to
ward big sashing, which was then a
perfect mass of flame, and dropped and
died with his head toward it.
Meantime the mother and children had
taken refuge IN the root house, This was
structure mostly sunk IN the ground and
the roof we'll covered with earth. Here
they were all right for time. but when
the father failed to join them one of the
ST rs went out to see what caused the de-
lay. He was hardly out OF the place before
the door through which he had passed was
IN flames. In TINS emergency he ran to a
dry creek, and by lying on his face and
keeping his mouth TO the ground he lived
through 1t.
talked with woman who lived neigh
Dor to the IhorntonS and who escaped b.
heeing to "A held'of plowed ground. This
was only few rods from the root house
and she said 1t was fully an hour before
the screams and shrieks and groans from
the people INSIDE grew quiet IN death. One
by one they were sutfocaled by heat and
smoke, and their bodies presented a most
horrible appearance.
10 one riding through the district it
seems miraculous that slnglr soul escap-
cd. Inc hre swept through the green
trees the same as the dry 1t ran through
fields OF corn at the rate OF twenty miles
an hour, and helds OF clover were swept
as bare as floor. Dark and gloomy
swamps, hlled win pools OF tslagnant WA
ter, and the house Tor years OF wildcats,
bears and snakes, were struck and shrivel'
ed and burned almost in flash. Over
tue parched meadows the flames ran
faster than morse could gallop. Horses
did gallop before it, but were overtaken
and left roasting on the ground. 1t seem
ed as If every hope and avenue of escape
we're cut of, and yet hundreds of lives
were spared. People spent ten to twenty
hours in bitches and ponds, or in fields
under wet blankets, having their hair
slnged, their limbs bIlstered, and their
clothing burned OH piece by piece.
In dozens OF cases the first flames spared
houses and barns, but after seeming to
have passed on for miles suddenly circled
back and made clean seep OF everything.
Unless one rides over the burnt district he
cannot believe the eccentrlciiies OF a forest
tlre. In the great swamp, between Sanllac
and Sandusky. it burned everything to the
roots for mile in breadth. Then it left
patches from ten feet to ten rods wide.
Then again it struck in and burned lanes
hardly twenty feet wide, leaving half
it seemed to strike the green trees harder
than the dry ones. 1t was like great
serpent making its way across the coun-
try. 1t would run within three feet of a
wheat stack, and then glide away to lick
up house. 1t would burn stack and
spare barn ten feet off.
People felt the heat while the fire was
yet miles away. 1t withered the leaves OF