Iron County register., 1881-09-22
THE FOREST FIRES IN MICHIGAN.
DETROIT, September T.

-
and Huron Counties, on the shores Oh LaAo
Huron, are deepening every hour.
The distress Is unparalleled. IL Is pc
lieved that 400 people have perished' anu |"
is feared many more, while tnousanus
are stripped Of everything--food, shelter,
crops, stock-all swept clean from the race
Of the earth. The people need most every
thing necessary to sustain life ana ciotne
themselves.
Accounts continue to come In OF the most
narrowing description. A special TO the
Post aud Tribune says:
"George Macdonald, Of Einden, sanilac
County, tells u narrowing tale; over w
families are homeless In that section, and
suffering from want Of food and clothing
..John Bailentinc, OF Verona Mflis, says
that fifty-three lives were known TO be lost
i'm the neighborhood of Sand Beach. Inc
fire suddenly reached Verona Mills on Nom
day, and the town was soon wiped out.
The wind was so strong that Ballentine and
wife were picked up and blown fifteen or
twenty yards.
"In the vicinity Of Richmondsville and
Western Forester and Marion Townships,
reliable information leads me TO say that
upward OF 800 persons perished IN the
flames. There was no escape for them. 1he
woods and the ground were so dry that no
warning of danger was given. Faster than
a race-horse came the fire. Ii would en-
brace house or barn with its contents, and
away to the next. Persons who have been
through the terrible ordeal say that in ten
minutes from the time the fire struck there
would be no vestige Of n house left. have
Just returned from n trip through the
burned district, and the description ~ the
sights would make the readers blood turn
cold. In many instances men, women and
children were found lying on their faces In
the road where they had fallen when over
taken by fire. Children were found lying
on logs where they had clambercd for safe
ty. There was no finding each other when
once separated. Many took refuge I'm wells
and root houses, thinking to escape, but In
almost every instance were soffocated."
The POST Tribune correspondent tele-
graphs:
"The details OF the disaster in HUI
ron County are as bad rs In Sanilac
County. believe that when the returns are
I'm /, 200 persons will be found 20 have per-
ished in the flames.
"The Rev. w. +. Arlington found six-
teen dead bodies near DeckeryiIle. Only
five buildings are left between that place
and Minden.
"John Flytewager's family Of seven chit
dren and wife were all burnt together In
Paris Township, with seventeen others.
The Day family were burned, with Morris
Clifford, wife and child. A man and wom-
an are lying dead I'm the road between Dom
ner's Mill and Tyre.
Fifteen families were burned IN Moore
and Argyle. Five hundred families are re-
ported at Mipden as having been burned
out. A woman was burned at Smiths Mill,
half n mile from Tyre.
wherever q house is left the people
flock to it like sheep to fold, in some places
as many rs six families being in n log shanty.
They must have relief from below, or great
suffering will be the result. I saw many
families to-day who hadn't had one meal
since Monday, and don't know when they
will get one. Their teams are all gone, and
cows and other stock burned. Desolntion
stares them in the face. They talk about
their misfortunes, and many say, bad as Il
is, 1t might be great deal worse. They are
glad to get away with their lives. Many OF
them are Canadians, who had been over but
a short time, and had Just begun to get
medicine and medical assistance. -
The farm OF the widow OF John Klopf,
living q mile east OF Daner's, was totally cut
off from all communication with the neigh
borhood, and what the fate OF herself and
family OF three daughters will be cannot at
this writing be determined.
A party seen at the Indian school house,
who came in from the east. reported the
woods and fences all on fire, and the people
fighting to save their property. People are
nearly blinded by smoke. Water is scarcely
to be had, and stock Is suffering. For the
past three days Tuscola has seemed TO be
literally on fire.
Reports from every direction indicate ter
ribe loss and suffering. Nearly 100 families
between Caro- and Cass City are burned out.
A number of buildings in Cass City burned,
and for miles around the people are iocking
into the town, scorched and destitute,
many Of them having lost everything.
Reports are crowding in thick and fast,
and from these are learned enough TO know
that the suffering I'm Huron, Sanilac and
Tuscola Counties will exceed that OF 1871.
Wednesday, at Cass City, number Of per-
sons were brought In MANNED for life from
:he effects Of burns, and II was reported on
good authority last night that several dead
bodies had been found. ~0
In the towns Of Wells, Novcsta and Day.
ton undoubtedly many lives have been lost.
The following appeal for aid has been
issued by the Committee OF Citizens of Port
Huron, headed by Senator Conger, Mayor
Carleton, and others:
To the People Of the United States,
A most appalling disaster has fallen upon
large portion of the Counties of Huron and
sanIlac, with some adjacent territory, n seq
ton OF country recently covered with forest.
and now occupied by nearly 5000 people,
largely recently settled, and either poor or i'm
very moderate circumstances In the whole
OF this section there has been but little rain
during the past two months, and everything
was dry when, on Monday. September 4. n
hurricane swept over IT, carrying with it
n sheet OF hame that hardly any.
thing could Withstand. We have
advices OF 200 persons burned TO death. many
OF them by the roadside or in the fields while
seeking places OF safety, and IL is probable
that twice this number have porished. We
have reports from twenty or moro townships
IN which scarcely house. barn. or supplies OF