Year: 1871

4
destruction. From thispoint of Pesh-


tigO, a distance of twelve miles, the


timber was very heavy. Where the
tornado began timber was mostly pine,


and further on it consisted of oak,


beach and maple, many trees running


up eighty feet to the first limbs. 1t


is probable that the tornado carried


the fire along with it with wonderful


rapidity. For mile after mile not a


tree of any size was left standing,


only a sapling here and there, bend


ing to the blast, withstood the storm.
The trees were blown down, the roots
I in many instances, after the trees had
! fallen, standing from twelve to fifteen
/ feet high, with rocks and dirt among


them. The ground was either COW


cred with ashes, or burned until it


looked red. The underbrush, the
smaller limbs of the trees, the bark,
the leaves-were all burned. 1t seems


impossible that a week ago it was


forest of evergreen trees.


Wherever there was a culvert in the
road built of logs, and covered with
ground, it was burned; also the logs
in the corduroy road, leaving the
ground hollow. There was no sign


of life, either animal or vegetable.
Deer and partridges were lying along


the road burned to death. About
fifteen miles north of Oconto is the
lower Sugar Bush settlement. The


road through the bush runs east and
west. The land is cleared back and


cultivated about three-Quarters of a
mile on each side of the road. The
farm houses were scattered along this
road for distance OF five miles. Not
a building nor fence is left. The
clover fields were burned over as if
stubble; every stump was burned


black, and in many instances in plOw-
ed fields the stumps were burned en-
tirely up, leaving holes in the ground
where the roots had been. The heat
must have been intense. We saw the
iron work of wagon by the road
side, and there was no evidences of
any combustible material near the
wagon, and yet not a splinter of wood
work of the wagon was left. The
skeins had dropped in their proper
places, with the tires lying around
them. The chain used TO fasten the
oxen to the wagon was stretched out
from where the forward axle would
have been. and at the other end of
the chain lay the irons of the tongue.


Near by where every farmhouse
had stood, were lying dead horses,
cattle and hogs. Some of the horses
were harnessed and bridled. Through
this settlement runs small stream
of water; the fish in it were dead. In
this district but one family were saved,
They ran down into a creek behind a
small mound of earth; others went
into the stream, but were found dead.
None of the inhabitants were harmed
in their houses. They were found
scattered in the fields. Twenty-six
bodies were found in one field.


A Mr.. May was found three-quar-
tiers of mile northwest of his house,
his wife about the same distance
north, and his little boy, four years
old, the same distance northeast. The
Newbeny families consisting of sew
enteen persons, were all lost. They
lived near each other. They owned
mill and three farms. Old Mr.. New
berry was not found. Charles New
berry ran about half mile and fell,
and his two little boys, running hand
in hand, were found q little beyond
the father, lying side by side, while
wife and mother was found on the
road near q bridge; she forgetful of
her own suffering, tried to save her
babe. Her cbarred hand was press !
ing the head of her child upon the
ground, so that it might not breathe
the fire. The child's face was all that
was uninjured. One of the New
berrys was found dead in the water
under the bridge. Warren Church,
probable 20 escape worse death, cut
his throat with a jack knife. Charles
Lamp took his wife and four children
in wagon when the fire began the
horses became unmanageable and ran
away; the children were thrown out
one by one; Mrs. Lamp was thlownsI
out. Mr.. Lamp was dragged into the
corner of field, and was the only
one of that family saved. Mrs. Caro-
line England, expecting to be con-
fined every hour, rode four and a half


niles to Peshtigo, stood in the water
five hours, saved three out of four of
her sisters children, and gave birth
to a daughter the day after. In the
middle of Sugar bush, boy jumped
into barrel of rain water that stood
near the house, but seeing his father
and mother in green turnIp patch,
started to go them but getting badly
burned as he tried to climb the fence,
he went back and got into the barrel
again. The father and mother were
burned. The boy was found there,
two days after, alive. The Davis
family sought refuge in a well. The
curbing burned, and the whole family
of six persons were lost. They were
not found for three days. One woman
with a babe ten days old, and four
other small children, displayed more
bravery than many a General on the
battle field. She gathered her chill
dren around her and picked the Goals
off her family as they fell. She was
badly burned, and one of her chill
dren has since died, but the babe es-
capped. Mr.. Tanner, son-in-law of A.
II. Hart, of Calumet county, tried to
save his wife and two children when
his wife fell dead, he took a child
under each arm and started on the
run. His children died in his arms,
and then he drew knife and tried to
take his own life. After stabbing
himself twice, and before he could
accomplish his design, q limb of a
luScuelDltt
his life was saved.


Passing on to Peshtigo we found the
reports published. had given but a
faint idea of the loss. Not a stick of
timber was left of the houses, and on
the south side of the river the only
evidences left there was once a town
there, were the posts of the garden
fences, which were not burned so
close to the ground but that we could
trace the outline of the fence.


1t was reported that one house was
left unburned. This house was not
completed-only rough boards inclos- |
ed it-and yet it did not escape with Z.
out one side being burned black. It /
would be useless to attempt descrip- /
ton. You can imagine a beautiful !
and thriving village, with its i'm /
mense manufactures and busy lite,
now a waste of sand, deserted. The |
carcasses of fifty horses lay in regular
rows as they had stood in their stalls.