Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1881-09-14

went roaring in every direction--cast
and north toward the lake shore, sweep
ing away farms, house and live stock
in the townships of Sheridan, ColfaX
Verona, Seigel, Paris, Sand Beach
Sherman, Huron, Dwight and Meade
and west through Grant in Huron
county; south and southwest through
the towns of Greenleaf, Custer, Austin
Minden, Sanilac, Delaware, Marion
Argyle, Moore, Bridgehampton, Forest
er, Marlette, Flynn, Elk, Waterloo
Elmer, Buel, Maple Valley, Speaker
Fremont, Worth and Washington in
Samlac county-every township in that
county, in short west and south into
Tuscola county, destroying the greater
part of the townships OF Elmwood,
Elkland and Novesta and the village
Of Cass City, then backing east again
across the Cass river into Sanilac,
where it met another division of the
winged army of destruction and their
union resulted in vast tornado Of
flame which even the most unimagin-
ative beholders describe as the most
awful sight ever beheld. This vast
hurricane of smoke and flame surgcd
back and forth like Il drunken demon
of devastation for IL hours, and when
its fury was spent, over 1000 families
were homeless and hundreds of men,
women and children lay dead, burned
and fostering III the path of its awful
revelry. Let us mark its pathway
more clearly. Every township Of the
western and northern tiers of towns in
Sanilac county was reached. OF the
second tier from the western boundary
Austin, Argyle and Moore were burnt
black, and in Elmer along the roads
great damage was done. Flynn, Ma
pie Valley and Speaker suffered less.
Elk, Marion and Minden of the third
tier saw awful wreck. Cato, in Della
ware township, was utterly DESTROYED ;
the west half Of Forester and also "A
strip two miles wide through it from
west to east. 80 much for Sanilac and
Huron generally, while incidentally
come the stories of the burning of
Deckerville, Richmondville, Anderson,
Elmer, Tyre, Cato and Croswell, in
Sanilac county, and Forest Bay, llu-
ron City, Bad Axe and Verona in
Huron county.
Thus it is seen that the region swept
over by the flames wholly or in part,
embraced ut least 81 townships, having
a population of $1,000 out of which
300 to 600 are known or believed TO
nave been burned to death in their
homes, or on the roadside a. they were
leeing for safety, or suffocated in wells,
CELLARS and pits where they had crawlcd |
or shelter.
The picture is one that cannot be
contemplated without II shudder, and |
he fires of 1881 mark, an epoch in
he history of Michigan which God .
rant may never find parallel
Thomas Thompson, writing from
White Rock under date of the It'll,
peaks of that locality as follows:
AS wish to let the people Of De
roit know the situation and condition
f the inhabitants of this part Of HUI
on county that have been burned out
y the late fires, | thought | would write
ou Il few lines and give you de-
cription of what | have seen in my
ravels to-day. For the past month
res have been burning throughout
his county, without doing much dam
&c until Monday. On Monday morn
~ at 1890 the smoke became so thick
hat the sun became obscured, and
Y II m. the darkness became inn
enetrable 1t was by this time as
ark rs midnight, and we could not
any person or object at the
istancc Of 10 feet. | made up my
lind there was trouble brewing for us.
nd Immediately shut up our works
nd prepared to fight fire. We were
cry fortunate, rs the fire did not come
ny nearer than half a mile of our vii
lge. After keeping watch - hours
lcessantly without sleep, the wind
hanged to the north and cleared up ;
Re smoke, and then got Il rig, and ,
king along some provisions, started !
est, and made for the township Of !
arts, and though that part Of it that
Iffered the most. 1t is almost impos-
bic to describe to you the ravagcS the i
re has made in this township. ! 9
avcled miles where every farmer Is
Irnt out. | went four miles on one
ad, and every building, fence, and
I'd almost every head of stock are
,stroyed. On this road there have =
ZEN ID lives lost | met one OK team
ld wagon on this road containing
rec rough board boxes with eight 7
rpses enclosed. The man that was
ong was the only mourner, walking {
hind the wagon, following his wife !,
d five children to the grave they +
wing been burned to death. A little i
rther along there was another woman I
d five children found in the middle b
the road dead. | tell you it is ter p
dc. 1t is almost impossible to real I,
without seeing. There is nothing a
t Il barren waste to be seen with
ad cattle, hogs, sheep, chickens, etc.
one place where called, a bear had !.
zen refuge under the house and burn \
along with the building. n
'In the township of Bingham, John Il