St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1881-09-16

burnt out, in Michigan the poor. Here
the heaviest loss fell upon property in
Michigan it falls with appalling weight
upon human lives. In Boston there
was reason to regret the loss of so
much property ; but the sufferers were,
most of them, not crushed, and hardly
discouraged. In Michigan the loss is
complete, it is annihilating, it leaves
very little room for encouragement, 1t
invites pity, help, relief only. The
Boston fire was great misfortune the
Michigan fire is an unmitigated horror.
Boston declined help ;. Michigan de
mands it, although nothing will recall
the dead to life.
The scene of this dreadful calamity
is the peninsula formed by the main
body of Lake Huron and Saginaw bay,
which includes three counties, Huron
to the north, Sanilac to the east, and
| TuscOla to the west. Huron has over
twenty thousand inhabitants the two
others have over twenty five thousand
each. A railway leads from Port HUI
ron, at the head of st. Clair river, to
Sand Beach, Huron county, and leads
from Port Huron to Bay City. But
the burnt district is not well within the
reach of quick communications, and
the full amount of the damage done is
not yet known. 1t is known, however,
that similar fires have ragged in the
Saginaw valley, and in the very heart
of the state. Several of these districts
are the same which suffered from the
great forest fires of 1871, and in part the
fires of ten years ago are responsible
for the present losses. Many of the
larger trees destroyed in 1871 have
since fallen down, and the present sea-
son found them as dry as if they were
specially prepared for a great fire. A
drought of many weeks and dry wind
from the southwest required but a
spark to set whole townships on
fire, and to reduce whole villages to
ashes. Among the many villages SO
swept out of existence are Bad Axe,
Huron City, Port Hope, Verona Mills,
Parisville, Minden, RichmOndville
Argyle the better of the country
north of line drawn from Bay City t.
Lexington.
The loss of life is very great. As
early as Friday morning the Chicago
Times published the following list
Burned at Sand Beach, IA on the
ground near Sand Beach, So; at Rich
mondville, 10 in Custer township, 20
isolated cases in Sanilac county, 81
dead near Minden, 300; near Marietta
20 Paris, AZ west of Tyre, II at Ca
to, 6; i'll the road at Watertown, 5
near Utley, 25 total 45S.
!, The fear that fully one thousand hui
man lives have been lost is well found
ed, and there will be room for gratitude
if the loss be not greater. The mum.
Der of homeless people, it is sad to
think, may reach fully twenty thou
sand. They are mostly farmers, who
have lost everything except the bare
earth. Buildings, crops, tools, cattle
horses, fences, are all swept away
There is but little insurance, most OF
, the farmers being new settlers, who
fought the hard fight Cor mere exist
ence among surroundings which were
barely promising after the work of {
whole generation. Relief committees
have been formed Immediately in the
cities nearest the ruined region. Sen
atOr Conger recommends that remit
tances be sent to Z. c. Carleton, the
} mayor of Port Huron, Mich. The peo
, pie require clothing, food, household
goods, and especially money, and i'm
mediate contributions are solicited
Boston Advertiser.