Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1881-09-14
DROUGHT NOTES.

DROUGHT NOTES.
Information from Michigan last
Wednesday, the 7th inst, says: The
village of Dickerville, on the Port
Huron and Northwestern Railway, is
totally consumed Anderson station
is partly burned Port Hope Is near
ly all burned. Verona Mills, In HUI
ron county, are all destroyed but the
church and store Bad Axe Is all
gone but the court house and the
hotel Sandusky is totally destroy
ed, as is Richmondyille. The FIRE is
raging IN the western part OF Forts
vile, and the people are all moving
to the lake shore. In Watertown
township two entire families have
been burned to death. George Ayres
Hart and his wife, grandmother, two
children and q grandchild have been
burned to death It is so densely
dark and smoky as to render breath
ing troublesome and cause harm to
the eyes. Lamps are kept constant
ly burning. Ii is impossible to learn
the full extent Of the terrible calam-
ity, rs there is no mail and the tele-
graph wires are burned down from
Forester to Point Crescent. Re
ports ffom northern and northeastern
portions OF the State show terrible
condition of affairs. The long-con-
tinued drought has burned every
thing as dry as tinder, and numerous
flashing" or partly clear tracks OF
land covered with brush, dried tiIn-
Der and othe, infarnmable material
afford the best possible medium for
the rapid spread Of flames carried by
the high winds which have prevailed.
Sanilac and Huron counties, lying on
the shore of Lake Huron, between
Port Huron and Saginaw Bay, are
the scenes OF the greatest destruc-
ton, which is growing positively ap-
palling In character. Hundreds of
farms have already been reduced to
blackened ashes. Stock, crops. farm
buildings and fences all have been
swept away. Men, women and chill
dren have been overtaken by tho
flames, ard several lives are known to
have been lost. 1t is feared when
full accounts are received that the
less of life will prove terrible. In
Tuscola county, IN the next tier of
counties back from Lake Huron and
south of Saginaw, fires also rage, but
with less severity The losses there
are overshadowed by the more terri
BILE condition Of things in the adjoin-
ing counties. The same state of af
fairs exist in Lapeer county, next
south of Tuscola, and the whole
country around Saginaw and Bay
City is ablaze, from the marshes
taking fire. Reports of many losses
of farmers are beginning to reach
here.
Details from the fire-swept district
is shocking reading. The skill and
courage of men were powerless to
stay the wave of fire and smoke. A
part of the unfortunate district was
visited by rain on Wednesday night,
which put ont the fire. In many
places charred human bodies are
found. One man, a citizen of White
Rock, says that he saw 116 burned
bodies. AT one place he ssw four
wagons bearing eight cofins, with one
man walking behind sn alone. TWAS
his family. Another man was follow
ing three coffins. Every farmer lost
some crops and fences. The loss of
life Is estimated 81 200 10 300 The
lowest estimates indicate chat 215
families have been burned out in the
towns of Marlette, Flynn, Argyle,
Evergreen, Moore, Lamotte and Ell
mer, in Sanilac county"
The severe drought of the present
summer has caused the squirrels, which
exist in immense numbers in Arkansas
to attack the Gotten crop. In the
absence of corn and nuts these little
animals open the cotton bolls, eat the
seed and scatter the cotton over the
ground. This causes great quantities
of the Heecy staple to be wasted.
In the northern and western counties
many new wells have been sunk for wa
ter, because of the failure of old ones.
"