Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1908-10-01
HISTORIC FOREST FIRES
In FORMER YEARS

| The terrible work of the flames
which have burned over and destroyed
hundreds of thousands Of acres OF
timber and property To the value OF
millions in the Lake States, recalls
to memory other great forest fires
which have attained historic impor-
tance.
One of the earliest of these was the
great Miramichi fire of 1925. 1t be-
gan its destruction about one O'Clock
10 the afternoon of October Of that
year, at place about go miles above
the town Of Newcastle, on the Miriam
ichi River, in New Brunswick. Be
fore ten O'Clock at night it was 20 miles
below Newcastle. In nine hours it
had destroyed belt Of forest so miles
long and 25 miles wide. Over more
than two and one-half million acres,
almost every living thing was killed.
Even the fish were afterwards found
dead in heaps on the river hanks.
Five hundred and ninety buildings
were burned, and a number of towns,
including Newcastle, Chatham, and
Douglastown, were destroyed. One
hundred and sixty persons periShed,
and nearly a thousand head Of stock.
The loss from the Miramichi fire is
estimated at 5000, ,OOc, not including
the value of the timber.
In the majority of such forest fires
as this the destruction of the timber
is more serious loss, by far it carries
with it the impoyeriShment of whole
region for tens or even hundreds Of
years afterwards The loss Of the
Stumpage value of the timber at the
time of the fire is but 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 pub
lie mprOvements, furnish a much
truer measure of how much, sooner or
later, it costs region when it's forests
are destroyed by fire.
The Phestigo fire of October, 1871,
was still more severe than the Miriam
ich. 1t covered an area of more than
1000 square miles in Wisconsin, and
involved loss in tim ber and property,
of many millions OF dollars Between
l, 200 and 1900 persons perished, in
Guiding nearly half the population of
Peshtigo. at that time town OF 1000
inhabitants. Other fires of about
the same time were most destructive
in Michigan. A strip about 40 miles
wide and $50 miles long. extending
across the central part of the State,
from the Lake Michigan to Lake
Huron, was devasted. The estimated
loss in timber was about 4,000,0 100000
feet board measure and in money over
SlO,OOO,OOO. Several hundred persons
perished.
In the early part of September,
1881, great fires covered more than
800 square miles in various parts of
Michigan. The estimated loss, in
property, in addition to many hund-
red thousand acres Of valuable timber,
was more than s2,3O0,00O. Over 5000
persons were made destitute. and the
number of lives lost is Variahly eStj-
mated at from $50 to 500.
The most destructive fire of more
recent years was that which started
near Hinckley, Minnesota, september
|, 1894. While the area burned over
was less than in some other great
fires, the loss Of life and property was
heavy. Hinckley and six other towns
were destroyed, about 500 lives were
lost, more than 1000 persons were left
destitute, and estimated loss in pro-
perty of various kinds was S25 900, 900.
Except for heroic conduct of locomo-
tive engineers and other railroad men
the loss of life would have been much
greater.
This fire was all the more deplorable,
because it was wholly unnecessary.
For many days before the high wind
came and drove it into uncontrolla Ole
fury, it was burning slow close to the
town of Hinckley. and could have
been put out.