Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1881-09-15

| or supplies of any kind are lett and
| thousands OF people are destitute and help
| iess- All OF these people require immediate
| assistance, and most of them must depend on
charity for months to come. We are doing
| all IN our power to succor them, but the
| necessities Of the case are 80 grea, that con-
| tilbutions from charitable people through
| out tae eonntry will be required to keep
| them throughout the winter. We therefera
| appeal to you to send money, clothing, bed
| ding, provisions, OF any other supplies that
| viii help maintain the sufferers, aud enable
| them TO provide shelter for Themselves and
b,gin work again ON their farms Contrihu-
tons maybe sent TO the Mayor Z. G. Cisrieton
Chairman Of the Relief Committee appointed by
| the citizens OF Pert huron, who have SEM
| agents through the burned district to ascertain
the wants OF the sufferers and distribute sup
| pies.
DETROIT, Sept 10.
The forest fires in the lower peniIls ula of this
State have been quite lily quenchod by rain
| after rayaging thirty-sx townships and the ex-
| tent Of the awful calamity is beginning to reveal
| itself. The devastation is even more wide
| spread than had been feared BY the most de-
| spondent 1t seems, from present reports,
| that about thirty-one townships in Nlsc0la
/ hanlac and Hufon counties have been
| swept over by the flames. In this
district are about fourteen villages utterly de-
| stroyed, and the surrounding country shorn so
close by the Ere as to leave the ground cleared
iike newly-sown field. No estimate of losses
| or deaths can be made with any degree of &C.
| curacy, but news from trustworthy sources
| leads to lie BELIEF that the estimate Oh 200
| lives lost is very low and that 800 i near
OF the reality. The awful details are be-
| ginning to come to hand. They are of a
character to make stroag mon shudder Com
munication with the burnt district has been
| again opene and assistance is being rapidly
furnished. Many persons are still missing in
| the burned districts. and the exact loss cannot
be known for some dayL Among reports of
burials are the following:
Paris township. ...........,... %
ANAth. Observation-Disclosures. ............... 10
bhb am. Observation-Disclosures.
Delaware. \
Argyle. Observation-Disclosures.
II il said that twenty-seven dead have been
found in the country between Bad Ak and Port
Hope. dispatch IRON LudH.gton estimates
tliat the PROBABLE loss Of HE Is from 300 to
40 IN Samlac county alone. The towns of
WATERFOWL Flynn Elmer, Moore, Argyle. Ever
green, Gretnleaf ana Eaton have sun, r d fesr-
ful loss IN lives and TIE dest uesion OF PROPER
y IN these townships is Immense Egerytiinc
Is gone, aud the people are copyrighted at
these places.
In some localities whole families have per-
| ishod in the flames, and on the eastern and
north border OF the county their condition ia
! pi1ful IN the extreme. The facts are more
horrible than heretofore reported, and many
lave suspended business to attend to the un-
foitunates- Gu the other SIDE of Cass
ilver, the condition is deplorable and the
sufferers are without homes, food or clothing.
immediate relef Is contributed literally. but
| the outlook for the future is dark indeed
| Men who have grown old clearing land, and
were enjoying the fruits of their labor in com
forbade MONIES, have lost everything and been
| made paupers.
The territory burned over is peopled by at
ieast 50,OOO inhahltants, one-half OF whom have
settled here within ten years. The conditions
which made the fire SO destructive were these:
Fully two-thrds of the timber over the entire
burned tract was destroyed by the great fire OF
1871, and was piled up III miles OF windfals.
| or, II standing, was mere kindling- wood The
settlers preferred burned lands as being easily
cleared, and hundreds OF new homes were sur
rounded ~ by great tracts of fallen
umoer. The roads were lined on either
side by 1t, and many who persisted
were caught on these roads aud hemmed
! In by labyrintss OF this burning hemlock,
| black ash and pine. There had Teen no rains
over this region since spring to wet down any
| depth. Even swamps which were usually coy
| cred with one or two feet of water had become
! dry Al finder. For weeks there had been no
| ntayv winds. The prevailing winds had btep
| from Lake Huron, with which fires did hot run.
| Ga the day of the great fire there was not
square mile IN ell the burned region that did
| not hold more or less fire Monday morning
| opened with cloudiess sky, the mercury grad
! uAlly rising to 100 and over The wind was
| south, running to southwest, and by noon in
crcaoing tc tifty-mile gale At noon in many
| places lamps had to be lit, and sickeiling
sense OF fear aud impending calamity over
/ spread the whole populat on. About O'Clock
the wind assumed the violence of a tornado.
! The flares were of CHASTITY blush hue, giving
no light, but licking up timer, houses, barns,
stacks, animals and people with iesist-
| less fury, and this at places were no
! ire was known to be for miles around in
the morning. On Tuesday the extent of the
/ horror began 10 be knoHn-dead men, women
and children ut what mad been their loorsteps,
at their gates Ii the fields, and on the highways
some untouched by fire, others charred and
| blackened. One poor woman, in the agony OF
Childbirth, was hali-lurned. TIE living, with
! burned feet, ears or hands, and many women
! and children entirely naked, were separated
| from the RESI- of the family, blind, hopeless
| ard desparing.
In Sanilac county, Cato, With population
| OF 100, suffered clean sweep of every build
! ing. William Cole was burned. In Tyre, which
| had population OF fifty. one dwelling alone Is
! left. Decl1eryllle, with a po9ulation OF 100
! lost two mills, six stores and dwellings,. At
! Anderson, with population Of 100. clean
sweep of ali the buildings was made. At
| Cunller. which had population of fifty, only
one dwelling is left. A clean sweep was
| made of Richmondyille, with q population of
| ZOE, and seven lives wers lost. The
| following is a summary of the losses by town
ships; Washington, 81 homes; Watertown, 40
homes, lives; Elmer. 81 homes Moore, ~
! homes, IA Ives Argyle, 40 homes, Is lives !:
Austin, 50 homes, lives; Marion, 20
| homes, 20 lives Delaware 40 homes.
/ hyess AIinden, 80 homes Bridge
hamton, 40 homes. Lamotte, Evergreen
and Green have suffered undoubtedly in livee
and proptrty III the same proport on but no
| particulars are at hand. Flynn, 80 homes /;
Speaker, 25 homes Maple Valley, 20 homes !;
Stnilsc, 10 homes. Lexington, 20 homes Elk,
25 homes.
In Huron county, in the village of Bad Ak,
| the population OF which was about 900, the
| court-house and one store only were saved. In
Verona, with population of 100, church and
hotel were saved. clean sweep was made of
Huron City, population 200. The same fate
| befel Umbly. population $50 and Parisville
| population 100. AT Port Hope, three mills
salt block and lumber, and tix dwellings,
we're burned. The townships Of Bingham
Paris. Bloomfield and Rubicon are nearly q
| clean sweep. There are eIghty-6ve dead il
| these Townships, and many m,ssing-with no
hopes Reports hourly increase the number,
| and every township has suffered nearly h.
| much. b. r. Noble banker of Lexington
burned, estimates the loss OF property in Huron
and Sanac counties at $4,000 900. The in
| snrance among the farmers was mostly in
| mutual company. whose members are the prin
| c,pal sufferers, and, Of course, unable TO ray
| asscSs 'aents.
Rellei mas commenced to flow in from various
| quarters, and subscriptions are being taken NJ
| m ali the commercial cities In answer
| to request for tents, the Secretary OF
War urges the construction of temporary luild
lags, and Gov. Jerome has telegraphed HIM Il
| oIdcr one thousand army blankets. Secretary
| Window has instructed The Collector of Chs
ms az Fort Huron to pass free of duty al
contributions from Canada The residents on
tae burned district were mainly insured in the
l. rmers Mutual Company of Huron. Sanjlae
and Tuscola counties, and probably not over o.
per cent will be realized
DETROIT, Sept IA
committee from Pert Huron Mich, visited
Minden and Sand Beach and ascertained the
probable amount of wheat REQUIRED bv tlit
sufferers 10 do their winter Feeding
and sufhciencv will be promptly fur
nlshcd. In the vicinity OF BAD Ak gangs
ct men hsye been assigned to the dnty OF
eurying cattle which perished in the flames. II
appears that 200 persons were gathered in the
Court House ut Bad AK which was only saved
from destruction by long line of men passing
water from The pump in pals. The steamer
saginaw has reached Sand Beach with 50C
bushels OF oats for the starving
stock Mt Vernon and Bad Ak
The latest reports from SanIIac county give the
known loss Of life as 200; Huron county, 1913.
but large part Of Huron county has not vet
been DonetTated by the relief forces and il Ii
feared many more lives have been lost SIM