The Sentinel. [volume] (Trenton, N.J.) 1880-1882, 1881-09-17
Forest Fires I'm Michigan.

Dispatches from East Saginaw, Port Huron.
Flint and other places in Michigan give alarm
ing reports of forest fires and of loss of life.
Many people have been burned to death while
fleeing from the fires. The village of Decker
vile, on the Port Huron and Northwestern rail
road, and Verona mills, in Huron county, are
totally destroyed, and Anderson station and
Port Hope are partly burned. In Mendon the
only loss vas the elevator. Bad Axe is all
burned but the courthouse and hotel. San
dusky and Richmondville are totally destroyed.
The fire, says dispatch, is raging in the
western part of louisville and the people are all
moving to the lake shore. In Watertown
township two entire families have been burned
to death, and the mail carrier from Mar
lette to Bad Axe is missing. The mail carrier
from Sandusky to Carsonvine saw two dead
bodies on his route. George Ayres Hart and
his wife, grandmother, two children and
grandchild have been burned to death The
remains of Henry Cole were found at Charles
ton, and the bodies of family named Rich
mond were found in well where they had
taken refuge and were suffocated. Another en-
tire family named Sasula, of Paris township
were burned to death. The body of an old lady
has been found, charred and black feeling
OF terror peryades the whole country In the
daytime 1t was so densely dark that lamps were
keps burning constantly, and the smoky at
mosphere makes breathing troublesome and
causes harm to the eyes.
A dispatch from Sand Beach, Mich says the
tires have done more damage than those of
1871. Eight dead bodies were brought into
Port Hope and twelve charred corpses had been
received at Sand Beach. 1t is believed that not
less than 100 lives have been lost in that
county. Ten or twelve people are known tc
have been burned near Port Hope, and more
are missing. There is not pound of flour
among the inhabitants. Fifty families are
homeless at Bad Axe. A correspondent who
visited the burnt district near Sand Beach saws
no one can imagine the havoc made by the fire.
One little child was found clasped in an elder
sisters arms, and two others near by were
burned TO a crisp. One entire family of five
were burned within twenty rods of their home.
Reports from what is known as the Erskina
Estate, about eight miles west from Sand Beach
are heartrending. Dead bodies are lying along
the roads and in the yards. Five hundred DIES.
titute families are at Sand Beach, and that
town is in imminent danger.
A Detroit despatch says reports are arriving
from northern and northeastern portions of the
State showing terrible condition of affairs
The long continued drought has rendered
everything as dry as finder, and numerous
$ f1ashings,' or partly cleared tracts of land,
covered with brush, decaved timber and other
intlammabie materials afford tie best possible
medium for the rapid spread of flames carried
by the high winds which have been prevailing
Sanilac and Huron counties lying On the shore
of Lake Huron between Port Huron and Sagi-
nav bay, are the scenes of the greatest destruc-
ton, which is growing appalling in character.
Hundreds of farms lave already been reduced
to blackened ashes Stock, crops, farm build
ings and fences all have been swept away
Men, women and children have been overtaken
by the flames, and several lives are known tc
have been lost.