Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1904-08-23
HISTORIC FOREST FIRES.
UNDER FAVORABLE CONDITIONS
THEY REACH GIGANTIC
PROPORTIONS.


The Miramichi Fire of 1825-Every
Living Thing Killed Over Two
and a Half Million Acres-De-
struetive Fire Near Hinckiey,,
MINI.
When all the conditions are favor
able, forest fires sometimes. reach gi-
gantic proportions. A few such fires
have attained historic Importance.
One of these is the Miramichi fire
of 1926. It began its greatest de
struction about 1 O'Clock in the af-
ternocn of October z at a place about
60 miles above the town of Newcas-
tie, on the Miramichi River in New
Brunswick. Before 10 o'clock at
night it was 20 miles below Newcas-
tie. In nine hours it had destroyed
a belt of forest 80 miles long and 25
miles wide. Over more than two and
a half million acres almost every liv-
ing thing was killed. Even the fish
were afterward found dead in heaps
along the river banks. Five hundred
and ninety buildings were burned, and
a number -of towns, including New
castle, Chatham, and Douglastown.
One hundred and sixty persons per-
ished, and nearly a thousand head
of stock. The loss from the Mirami-
chi fire is estimated at 100000, not
including the value of the timber.
In the majority of such forest fires
as this the destruction of the tim
Der is mere serious loss by far than
that of the cattle and buildings, for it
carries with it the impoverishment
Of a whole region for tens or even
hundreds of years afterward. The
loss of the stumpage value of the
timber at the time of the fire is but
a small part of the damage to the
neighborhood. The wages that would
have been earned in numbering, added
TO the value of the produce that
would have been purchased to supply
the lumber camps and the taxes that
would have been devoted to roads
and other public improvements, fur
nish a much truer measure OF how
much, sooner, or later, it costs re-
gion when its forests are destroyed
by fire.
The Peshtigo fire of October, 1871,
was still more severe than the Mi
ramichi. 1t covered an area of over
1000 square miles in Wisconsin, and
involved a loss in timber and other
- of re
Between 200 and 1900 persons per-
ished, including nearly half the popu-
lation of Peshtigo, at that time a
town of 1000 inhabitants. Other fires
of about the same time were most
destructive in Michigan. A strip
about 40 miles wide and 1870 miles
long, extending across the central
part of the State from Lake Michi-
gan to Lake Huron, was devastated.
The estimated less in timber was
about 4,000,000,000 feet board meas
ure, and in money over $10,000,000.
Several hundred persons persisted.
In the early part of September
1881, great fires covered more than
1900 square miles in various parts
Of Michigan. The estimated loss III
property, in addition to many hun
dred thousand acres of valuable tim
Der, was more than $2,300,000. Over
5000 persons were made destitute,
and the number of lives lost is vari-
ously estimated at from $50 to 500.
The most destructive fire of more
recent years was that which started
near Hinckley, Mimi, September l,
1894 While the area burned over
was less than in some o.her great
fires, the loss of life and property
was very heavy. Hinckley and six
other towns were destroyed, about
500 lives were lost, moro than 1900
persons were left destitute, and the
estimated loss in property of various
kinds was $25,000,000. Except for the
heroic conduct of locomotive engi-
neers and other railroad men, the loss
of life would have been far greater.
This fire was all the mpre oepiora-
Bile because it was wholly unneces-
sary. For many days before the high
wind came and drove it into uncon-
trollable fury, it was burning slowly
close to the town of Hinckley and
could have been put out.-Gifford Pin
obor IN E'orp,orc, pulIefin