The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1881-09-22
CHICAGO, september IL.

scape.
CHICAGO, september IL.
rbe Rev. Il. Grenell, Jr., pastor of the
at Baptist Church OF Detroit, has ar
ID in that city from Sand Beach by
4 Narrow Gauge and Grand Trunk,
Sing through most of the burned re-
in Sanilac county. He gave re-.
Ter a graphic and fearful description
the calamity as he saw it and heard of
rom eye.witnesses. On his way to
4 Huron by the Narrow Guage Rail.
a il WAS noticed that in some places
track had proved ar efiectual barrier
she flames, which did not find fuel in
i gravel of the roadbed In other
.ces however, it burned the ties and
ssted and destroyed the rails, which
. i TO be replaced. In other places it
a lcaped clear over the road and taken
ew start on the other side. For the
al part, it got across in some way, and
q spots Of unburnt country were small,
I and fer between. From the car win.
Us. all the way, it presented to the
sw the aspect of burned desert of
les and smouldering embers, without
X Xn5lgn OF auIlHui VI VcRcldoic me-
lntry abandoned by God and man, and
(which il was impossible to imagine
q one returning. The telegraph poles
all burned, and the wires had been
1t upon any stick that could be found,
' 4 for long distances were merely laid
ng the ties beside the rails.
THE SCENES OF HORROR
the woods were too frightful for any
i to portray. The dead were found
rywhere, very rarely recognizable,
4 in most cases undistinguishable as
nan beings. Many were mere masses
burnt flesh, which fell apart when
dched, and in very few could sex or
) be distinguished. From one body
d head fell when it was lifted up; from
9ther, that Of young woman, the leg
.arated and hung suspended by the
ions. In some places families were
nd reduced to an undistinguishable
p of roasted and blackened blocks of
q where they fell together, over
elmed by the rushing flames. The
niiold horrors of the calamity were
ltiplied by fearful tornadoes, which
off retreat in every direction. The
iul heat of the atmosphere raised the
BIKE little from the ground, and it
lg above the earth in an impenetrable
ss, shutting out every ray of light and
wing the poor creatures below, helpless
| y blind, until the fire caught them and
5ed their agony in death. Now and
b flames shot up in tremendous
sses, which would be seized by a tor
10 and carried bodily a quarter of
le away and then pushed down again
3tart the flames in new quarter. In
"a way helpless fugitives flying for life
@e penned in by seas of flame and
sted like rats in cage Among the
Sons burned out who have come to
Iroit to get relief for the sufferers is
an Ballantyne, of Verona Mills. In
interview he told the following story
20 Monday morning last it was as
asant at Verona Mills as it is this
fning here. We had no more appre-
ision of danger by fire in our locality
p you apparently have here to-day.
about II o'clock g dense smoke
an 10 blow out toward the lake and
ible wind began to arise. A number
=z7a5..s went back into the woods to inyes-
ste. We soon found what was the
eter, and, hurrying back, told my
Rily that We were going to be burned
that it was impossible to save any
Rg. 1t was not more than twenty
lutes before cloud OF smoke envel-
q us and we were
LEFT IN TOTAL DARKNESS.
9se who could fee to place of refuge
so. | and my family started to 90,
were caught by the flames before we
gone more than fifteen or twenty
p. We managed to get into corn
q, aud remained there from about l
4ock in the afternoon till next morn
nearly suffocated and unable to see
athing about us. 1t was a perfect
ss of blackness. After the fire swept
it almost everything was gone.
Re aud there was farm dwelling yet
adlng. Nearly all tue stock, cattle,
ep aud horses were killed, and we saw
Pm lying by the roadside. The people
e left almost entirely destitute of
lhlng and provisions In one instance
{ know of fifty pounds Of flour were
the provisions that could be obtained
seventy five people. In another place
Fe were one hundred and four people
g with about the same amount of flour.
re was no meat or provisions Of any
a. owned a saw mill and Touring
and the consequence was that peo-
began to come in from all about there
appeal to me for aid. AS soon as pos.
te came away and sent them some
ef from Sand Beach. From there
ae down telling them 1 would SEQ
at could be done. AS | was leaving
day they had found fifty. eight
PIES. | have not been able to learn
details OF the loss of life ia the town
Faris, but the report is that there was
reat number" Another experience
gscaPing is as follows: The wife was
ahned to her bed, sick; the husband
tired with fighting fire. There were
eral children. At noon on Monday
was evident that they must fly for
,r lives. 1t suddenly grew dark, so
* that the man had difficulty in get
3 the horses. BY the time he got
m II was so dark from the smoke that
could not see to harness them be-
Is the smoke blinded the eyes and op-
sssed the lungs. He got the horses
snessed to the wagon; then he went
Inc barn for neck yoke, and when
came out he
4 oouLD NOT FIND THE WAGON
team. For minute or two he had
seei about for them like o blind man.
gu n. vent into the house and carried
VIE wlle out on her bed, bed and all, and
sn nef IN the wagon. The children got
an. glr! Of fifteen drove the team off
n. r. miles IN the darkness and binding
{1e, over bad road, with trees falling
horses perfectly frantic with terror.
/" sue did it she hardly knows. The
pe'ng left behind, to make last