The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1881-09-10
HOLOCAUST.
Horrible Details Of the Great Fires
in Michigan.
Hundreds Of Persons Burned to Death
Property Destroyed.


ing the fire In Huron and Sinilac coun.
ties, showing that the approach of the
fire was heralded by dense atmosphere,
entirely obscurruing light in the mid
die of the afternoon of Monday, and
the people carried lanterns in the streets
until 3 O'Clock Wednesday morning.
In the woods there are many dead, of
all ages, presenting revolving sight,
the bodies scorched and charrsd. The
high winds spread the fire, and every
avenue was closed to the fleeing home
less ones, leaving only death by fire.
The large burning masses of inflamma-
bles were lifted bodily and carried
through the air. The skill and courage
Of man seemed impotent, and men and
cattle were roasted together in natural
fire traps. One farmer, ploughing with
his oxen few miles from the sand
beach, started home on approach of the
darkness and found his wife gone to a
neighbor's house. He took two children
and escaped, but three other children
and his eldest daughter. who took an
other path, were found next day burned
beyond recognition, heaped together.
Up to Wednesday night 45 bodies had
been found, within a radius Of mile,
in Paris township. Many more are
missing. Nearly all are Polish people.
The whole settlement, crops and houses,
have been swept away.
In Delaware township. south of For
restville from the lake shore, seven
miles back. everything is swept clean.
Thes6new settlers owe for their farms,
and lose everything. Men and cattle
fed to the lake, where there was the
utmost confusion. One man who lost
all he had went blind and crazy. The
fire surprised everyone in that region
BY its sudden descent, and only for the
lake there would have been holocaust.
A large force have gone to bury the
dead. Many have been rendered blind,
and have to be led; many are hungry,
ill-clad and sick. More help must come
soon. Geo. Furgeson, of White Rock,
says that since Monday he has seen 116
burned bodies on the road. Wagon
loads Of coffins are a common sight.
The latest reports say that the back
townships have burned over, with large
loss of life. The fires have been ex-
tinguished by rains in the section be-
tween Sand Beach and Dickersonville.
The fires seem to be abating. A
Port Austin dispatch says the loss OF
life on the burned peninsula by Mon
days and Tuesdays fires is estimated
between 200 and 800. The following
villages burned: Badaxe, Forest Bay,
Verona, Richmondville, Charleston,
Anderson, Dickersonvilie, Harrisonville
and Sandusky. The following are
partly burned: Port Hope, Meriden
and Ulbrey. The country suffered
vastly more than the villages. Sagi-
nav, Tuscola and Lapeer counties, one
tier back from the lake, is greatly DAM
aged, but not, nearly as much as the
shore counties, but in each of these
favored counties hundreds of thousands
dollars worth of property is destroyed.
1t is hoped that the rain has now
stopped the fires. Everything is now
needed to help the destitute; lumber,
clothing, provisions, seed, grain, etc.
E. Q. Carleton, mayor, or Senator o.
D. Conger, Port Huron, will receive
supplies.
The point is reached where no fresh
fire disasters are expected. The lowest
estimates make 215 families burned out
in the towns Of Martlette. Flynn, Ar.
gyle, Evergreen, Moore, Lamotte and
Elver, Sanilac county, and thirty-two
persons are known to be dead. The
fires are mostly out, and the inhab'
itants are sitting about the ashes Of
their burned houses.