Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1881-09-15
MICHIGAN HOLOCAUST.
Hundreds of Dead Men, Women and
Children.
DRouTH, DESTRUCTION AND DEATH.

A dispatch from Detroit. Michi-
gan, says: The following appeal
has been issued by a committee of
citizens of Port Huron, headed by SEN
ator Conger, Mayor Carlton and others:
To the People cf the United States:
A Amost appalling disaster has fallen
upon large portion of the counties of
Huron and Sanilac, with some adjacent
territory, a section of country recently
covered with forest and now occupied
by nearly $4,000 people, largely re-
Gently settled, and either poor or in
very moderate circumstances. In the
whole this section has had but little
rain during the past three months.
Everything was dried when on Mon
day, September 5, a hurricane swept
over it, carrying with it a sheet of
flame that hardly anything could with
stand. We have advices of 200 per-
sons burned to death, many of them
by the roadside or in the fields while
seeking places ofsafety, and it is proba-
BILE that twice this number has perish
ed. We have reports from twenty or
more townships in which scarcely a
house. barn or supplies of any kind are
left, and thousands of people are des-
titute and helpless. All of these peo-
pie require immediate assistance and
most of shem must depend or charity
for months to come. We are doing
all in our power to succor them, but
the necessity of the case are so great
that contributions from charitable peo-
pie throughout the country will be re-
quired to keep them through the win
ter. We therefore appeal to
you to send money, clothing, bedding,
provisions, or any other supplies that
will help to maintain the sufferers and
enable them to provide shelter for
themselves and begin work again on
their farms. Contributions may be
sent to the mayor, E. G. Carlton, chair
man of the relief committee appointed
by the citizens of Port Huron, who
have sent agents through the burned
district to ascertain the wants of the
sufferers and destitute.
A few additional particulars have
been received this afternoon from Lex
ington, Sanilas county. The following
additional casualties are reported in
Moore township: Mrs. Strong and two
children; Humphrey, the stage driver;
Mrs Frank Dennison, child and sister;
Paul Welsel, wife and five children
and Geo. Krotch, who went to their
rescue. Twenty persons are repovted
to be burned to death in Custer town
ship; in Bingham township, Thomas
Barnes, wife, sister, mother and two
children; Austin township, an old man
named Payne, and Michael Welch, wife
and two children. Nearly every farm
er in that township has lost either his
house, barn, crops, or all Of them. The
los. Of life is probably immense, dead
bodies being brought in from all direc-
tions. It is estimated five hun
dred human beings have perished,
and fifty thousand people are home
less and in imm ediate want. Farmers
in newer townships lost houses. barns,
crops and everything. A farmer who
Just came in from Austin township,
saved his family of eight children in a
field of buckwheat, but says the whole
country in that part is totally destroy
ed and many lives lot. The loss of live
stock is simply immense. The old
townships escape with little loss, but in
the mere newer township ps nothing re-
mains but fire swept blackened will
derness.
A dispatch from Marlette, Sanilac
county, says a terrible state of affairs
exists at this point. The entire section
lying to the north and east Of this
place has been on fire, and numbers of
families rendered homeless, which will
reach in the hundreds. Up to this
time II persons are known to have
met their death by fire. A horse
belonging to Ira Humphrey, mail
carrier between this place ard
Davis Corners, came home badly
burned, and with card attached to
the saddle written by Humphrey, stat
ing his peril from fire. A relief party
found him on the road dead; he was
entirely stripped of his clothes, having
either been burned on his horse, or
torn off by himself in his desperation.
In the township of Argyle, Huron
county, the following were burned to
death: Paul Whiteslee wife and five
children; Geo. Dutch wife and three
children; Mrs. Norris Welch and two
children; James Gibson, and two Wo-
men recently from Canada, names I'M
known. There also were several badly
burned, who cannot. live. In some sec
tions the fire swept everything before
it and spread with such rapidity that
the people were obliged to flee with
only the clothing on their backs, to
Lapere, and Huron counties.
EAST SAGINAW, Mich, Sept. 8.-There
was a heavy rain last night at Bay City
and north of here, and is also reported
having extended along the Huron
shore in the vicinity of Sand Beach,
checking the fires in this section. But
few reports Of damage are received,
and those are chiefly confined to
Buena Vista, Yarmouth and Blumfeld
townships. No more buildings are re-
ported burned to-day, but several fami-
lies in the north eastern portion of
Buena Vista, are cut off from COM
munication. The people are getting
500 or 600 hundred barrels of water
daily in the country from this city,
and the water famine exists in all the
eastern pOfIlOn OF the county. Inc
fire is subsiding in Tuscola
county, where immense damage was
done In all one hundred and fifty
families burned out, and 100000
worth of property destroyed. Twenty
bodies are said to have been brought
into Cass City to-day. The people are
calling for an aid meeting, to be held
in the city tomorrow, to raise funds
for the sufferers.
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