History of the St. Clair County, Michigan, containing an account of its settlement, growth, development and resources.., Part 20

Author: Western historical company, Chicago. [from old catalog]
Publication date: 1883
Publisher: Chicago, A. T. Andreas & co.
Number of Pages: 814

USA > Michigan > St Clair County > History of the St. Clair County, Michigan, containing an account of its settlement, growth, development and resources.. > Part 20

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

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HISTORY OF ST. CLAIR COUNTY.

the autumn the summer's " breaking." But it is pleasing to be able to add that through the advancing prosperity of the county, the greater abundance of the necessities and comforts of life, and the facilities for obtaining medical care, the diseases spoken of are much less common and much less fatal than formerly.

The relations of climatology to sanitary status form a subject for inquiry. One of the principal reasons for gathering climatological observations, is to obtain sanitary information, which serves to show us where man may live with the greatest safety to his health. Every country, we might perhaps correctly say every State, has. if not its peculiar diseases, at least its peculiar type of diseases. And by nothing is either this type or variety of disease so much influenced as by climate. Hence the great importance of the study of climatology to health and disease, nay, even to the kind of medicine, and to the regulating of the dose to be given. It is, however, best to caution the reader that these meteorological observations are not always made at points where they would most accurately show the salubrity of a geographical district, by reason of the fact that the positions were chosen not for this special purpose, but for purely military purposes. We allude to the military posts, from which statistics for the most part come. Another cantion, it is also well to bear in mind in looking over the class of diseases reported at these stations in connection with their observations, the diseases are those of the military of the period, a class from which no very favorable health reports could be expected. considering their habits, exposure, and the influences incidental to frontier life. The geography of disease and climate is of special interest to the public, and a knowledge especially necessary to the State authorities, as it is only by such a knowledge that State legislation can possibly restrain or root out the endemic diseases of the State. In connection with the gather- ing of vital statistics must go the collection of meteorological and topographical statistics, as without these two latter the former is comparatively useless for sanitary purposes. More par- ticularly does this apply to the malarial diseases. Acclimation is very rarely discussed, or even alluded to, by our people in relation to this State, for the reason that, come from what- ever part of Europe men may, or from the Eastern States, acclimation is acquired for the most. part unconsciously, rarely attended by any malarial affection, unless by exposure in such low, moist localities, where even the natives of the district could not live with impunity. It seems to be well enough established that where malaria exists, whether at Detroit, New York or Chicago, where the causes of malarial disease are permanent, the effects are permanent, and that there is no positive acclimation to malaria. Hence it should follow that since life and malaria are irreconcilable, we should root out the enemy, as we readily can, by drainage and cultivation, or, where drainage is impossible, by the planting of those shrubs or trees which are found to thrive best, and thereby prove the best evaporators in such localities. Our climate, approximating, as it does, the forty-fifth degree (being equidistant from the equator and pole). would, a priori, be a common ground of compromise and safety, and from this geographical position is not liable to objections existing either north or south of us.

HISTORY OF DISEASE.

In searching for historical data of disease, we are able to go back to the year 1766, com- mencing with the aborigines. "The Indians," says Carver, in his chapter on their diseases. "in general are healthy, and subject to few diseases." Consumption from fatigne and exposure he notices, but adds that the disorder to which they are more subject is pleurisy. They are likewise afflicted with dropsy and paralytic complaints. It is to be presumed that, while Carver is speaking generally. he means his remarks to apply, perhaps, more particularly to those Indians with whom he lived so long, the Sioux of the Northwest. That they were sub- ject to fevers, is gathered from the use of their remedies for fever, the "fever bush" being an ancient Indian remedy, and equally valued by the inhabitants of the interior parts of the colonies. Besides this, they had their remedies for complaints of the bowels, and for all inflam- matory complaints. These notices sufficiently indicate the class of diseases which have certainly followed in the wake of the Indian, and are still occurring to his white brother, making it plain enough that lung diseases, bowel complaints, and fevers are in fact native to the State. The fact must not be ignored that the Indian is subject to the same diseases as the human race

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in general. After Carver, we may quote Maj. Long's expedition in 1524. The principal dis- ease of the Saes, appears to be a mortification of the intestinal canal. more common among men than women, the disease proving fatal in four days if not relieved. It is unaccompanied with pain, and is neither hernia, dysentery, nor hemorrhoids. Intermittents were prevalent, and small pox visited them at different periods. As the Otchipwes have a common Algonquin origin with the Sacs, and as their home and customs were the same, it may be expected that their diseases were similar. The principal disease to which the Otehipwes are liable is con sumption of the lungs, generally affecting them between the ages of thirty and forty; they linger along for a year or two, but always fatt victims to it. Many of them die of a bowel complaint which prevails every year. This disease does not partake, however, of the nature of dysentery. They are frequently affected with soro eyes. Blindness is not common. Many of them become deaf at an early age. Small pox and cholera have ravaged many an Indian town. oven as they have stricken the cities of the white race.

THE BIG SNOWS.

The traditions of the Chippewas and Wyandots point out the years 1755 and 1775 as the winters of the great snows. Those severe storms which swept over the Peninsula within two decades, destroyed great numbers of forest animals, the bones of which in after years, literally encumbered the wilderness. Within the pioneer period, the snow of 1822 23 was the heaviest. It fell to a depth of four feet on the level, and was accompanied with such an icy current, that large numbers of deer, wolves and bears perished before its withering advance. In 1830 31, the snow storms set in early in November, and continued throughout the month, destroying the wild animals in large numbers and inflicting many hardships on the Indians and pioneers. in the month of August. 1831. a severe frost set in, which occasioned many serious troubles and disappointments

THE BLACK DAYS.

On the morning of Sunday. November 8. 1819, the sun rose upon a cloudy sky, which assumed, as the light grew upon it, a strange greenish fint, varying in places to an inky black- ness. After a short time, the whole sky became terribly dark; dense black clouds tilled the atmosphere, and those changes were followed by a down pour of ram, which appeared to be something of the nature of soapsuds, and which was found to have deposited, after settling. it substance resembling soot. The atmosphere assumed its usual form that afternoon, and the following day was dry and frosty. On the morning of Tuesday. 10th, heavy clouds again appeared, changed rapidly from a deep green to a piteby black, and the sun, when seon orea sionally through them, was sometimes of a dark brown, or an unearthly yellow color, and again bright orange or a blood red. The clouds constantly deepened in color and density and later on, a heavy vapor seemed to descend to the earth; the day became as dark as night, and the gloom increased or diminished most titfully. The French traders looked on the phenomenon with a peculiar curiosity, while the Indians were actually alarmed. The more sensible concluded that the western pine woods were ablaze, others that the recently explored prairies were born ing. white others stated that a volcanic eruption was in progress. The Indians quoted the prophecy that one day the Peninsula would be destroyed by an earthquake, while others looked upon the signs as signaling the close of this world. About the middle of the afternoon a great body of clouds seemed to rush suddenly across the country, and immediately everything was hidden in an appalling darkness. A panse and hush succeeded for a moment, and then a most glaring flash of electricity flamed over the land-next the thunder seemed to shake the very earth to its center Another pause followed, and then fell a slight shower of rain similar to that which introduced the phenomenon two days previously, After this shower, the day grow brighter. but an hour later it was as dark as over. Another rush of clouds and another flash of lightning introduced the climax of the scene. The sky above and around was as black as ink; but right in one spot, in mid air above the Indian village, the lightning daneed for some minutes in a fairy circle, then rushed eastward and was not seen again. The darkest hour had come and gone. The gloom gradually subsided and gave place to dawn, the people grew less fearful: the real night came on, and when next morning dawned the clements were at peace, and the world seemed as natural as before.

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HISTORY OF ST. CLAIR COUNTY.

INUNDATION OF 1827.

The rise of the River and Lake St. Clair occurred in 1827. Many farmhouses and two church buildings were carried off by the flood, while large traets of shore land were submerged. Jacob Peer, one of the first settlers of Clay Township, in 1821 purchased 300 acres of Andrew Westbrook's lands, lying west of Point Aux Tremblez, extending to northwestern inlet of the lakes. This land was granted to Westbrook by the United States Congress, as an indem- nity for losses occasioned by the war of 1812. At the time of the St. Clair Flood, Peer had sixty aeres of those rich bottom lands under cultivation, so that the rise of the waters deprived him both of lands and crops.

TORNADO, 1835.

Perhaps the best remembered and most extraordinary phenomenon was that which the people of the northeastern counties witnessed in 1835. On Christmas Day of that year, an exceptionally heavy fall of snow covered the ground. which was followed on the 26th by a mist, and this was succeeded in turn by a drizzling rain. The rain ceased suddenty, the clouds low- ered, grew dark, and assumed such appearances as would lead the spectator to conclude that this globe was about to collapse. The storm king at length broke loose, swooped down from the northwest in black night, nprooting trees, sweeping everything in his track, and bringing with him such a current of iey air, that man and beast, not then in shelter, were frozen to death. This storm was as sudden as it was phenomenal. It is well remembered by the old settlers, and forms for them a mark on the page of time.

THE METEOR.

The meteor seen November 1, 1857, passing southward, proved to be a most remarkable one; its journey was accompanied by a sharp rumbling sound like thunder.

THE COMET.

This strange visitor, belonging to that numerous but erratic family whose movements are so carefully noted by astronomers, and the time of whose entrances and exits is a matter of mathematical certainty, appeared to the people of this county June 30, 1861; whatever may have been its attributes and peculiarities, one thing is certain, that it has had no rivals in the comet line. Its sudden debut at that time was the cause of much speculation among men of letters as well as the people in general. It was first visible in a northwesterly direction, where it appeared like a bright star; it attracted but little attention at first, it being supposed to be a lamp attached to a kite, but directly a train of light shot up, which gradually increased in- ereased in length until it passed the zenith. The nucleus of the comet, when viewed through a glass, presented a very clear and sharply defined outline, shining with the brilliancy of a star of the first magnitude. Its motion was in an easterly direction, and exceedingly rapid: the train of light extended beyond the constellation Lyra, and the center of its extremity was di- rectly over the star Vega; its length extended over the immense distance of 100', being 30° longer than the comet of 1843, which extended over a space of only 70°.

The comet of ISS1 remained with us for weeks, and disappeared from the view of citizens of this county, a short time after a portion of its tail separated from the nucleus and main train. It will be remembered as affording much subject for gossip during the latter part of the sum- mer of 1881.

ECLIPSE OF THE MOON, 1881.

One of the most sublime astronomical events of 1881. a total eclipse of the moon, occurred Sunday morning, June 12. The moon appeared above the horizon at about 8:20 P. M. on the 11th, in its usual brilliancy. When about two and a half hours high, it received the first con- tact with the penumbra of light shadow of the earth upon its eastern limb, which became slightly dim, and a loss of Innar light followed as the moon entered the penumbra. Fifty-six minutes then elapsed without further change in its appearance, while traversing the partial shadow of the earth; but when the umbra or dark shadow of our planet was reached, the east- ern limb of the moon again darkened suddenly, almost to invisibility. The circular shape of the earth's shadow was distinctly seen when passing over the face of the moon. At 12:38 A.

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HISTORY OF ST. CLAIR COUNTY.

M., June 12, the moon was wholly within the umbra, and the total eclipse commenced. It continued in darkness for an hour or so, when al was light again.

THE STORM OF JULY 6, 1879.

In Port Huron the destruction of the new Methodist Episcopal Church overshadowed all other disasters and damages. The building was one of the handsomest in the city, and to-day presents a sad picture of shattered timbers and windows, and fallen briek, stone and mortar. The front is better preserved than any other part of the building, but most of this, with the ex- ception of the main tower, will have to come down. Most of the basement walls can be saved. We give elsewhere an engraving of the church as it stood previous to the storm, with a histori- cal sketch of the society.

C. J. Rathfon had a very narrow escape during the storm. He was in the shed in the rear of the Graham Block with his horse, when the fin rooting of that building gave way and was precipitated upon the shed in such a manner as to make his escape impossible. It was necessary to remove a part of the shed wall to let him out, and for more than ten minutes he was in danger of being crushed or kicked to death by the frightened horse with which he was contined. D. Mckenzie, the blacksmith, had a very similar experience in his shop, immedi- ately adjoining. the door being barred by the debris, and the lives of the inmates endangered by the rearing and plunging of three horses, which he was engaged in shoeing at that time. Fortunately no one was seriously injured in either case. Fred Marontate, who was employed in S. L. Ballentine & Co.'s store, had a narrow escape from serions injury. He went out in front. of the store to prevent the awning irons from striking the windows, when the storm was at its height, but got a rap from one of them, and was under the immense sheet of plato glass when it was broken and fell outwardty. Fortunately the glass struck him flat, and did not ent him: but ho acknowledges that he thought the whole front of the bnikling was coming down, and was very thoroughly seared. Indeed, the number of people who were thoroughly scared during the storm was nearly as large as the whole population of the section through which it passed. Mr. Bottomley's family had a very narrow escape. Their residence is immediately east of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and before the building fell they saw it swaying, and ran to the barn, which they reached just as it came down. Fortunately the debris fell mostly in the yard just west of Bottomley's house, which was not greatly damaged. Mrs. P. B. Sanburn was driving a horse and carriage on Military street, when a large tree blow over, striking the back part of the carriage with some of its smaller limbs, but doing no damage. At the Port Huron Marble Works on Butler street, a beautiful marble cross, worth $125, which stood in the shop yard, was blown down and broken in three places. T. S. Goodman, the photographer. suffered some loss, his photograph stand being demolished and a portion of the large sky light torn from the roof of his gallery. At C. D. Horton's residence, a large number of shade trees were blown down or broken, and the orchard suffered severely, many trees being blown down which were loaded with green fruit. The roof of the blind factory of E. B. Taylor & Co., on River street, went off just as the workmen in the building were trying to prop it up. The loss was about $250. At Brooks & Joslyn's mill. there was a swaying of timbers and flying of Ium- ber that threatened destruction to life, limb and property, and a man named Line was struck by a piece of lumber and suffered the fracture of the small bone in one of his legs. One of the chimneys on the Second Ward school building was blown down, and made a hole through the roof. E. R. Seely lost several peach and cherry trees, and a chinmey from his house.

The body of a two-seated buggy at Johnson & Figg's shop was carried about 100 feet and smashed into kindling wood. A large catalpa tree, the only one in the city, which grew on Dr. Mills' property, was blown down. and also the large thu tree which stood on the place for almost a century. A large and valuable wild cherry tree in front of the residence of C. G. Meisel, was blown across the front fence, and a large elm tree was twisted in two about ten feet above the ground. No very close estimate of the total loss in the city can be made, but it is thought $25,000 will more than cover it.

The storm does not seem to have been severe in the northern part of Clyde, and did very little damage at Fort Gratiot. A few shade trees were blown down in the village, but no build

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ings suffered to any considerable extent. On the Lapeer Plank, Harrington's elm grove was almost entirely demolished, the trees being twisted off and uprooted, and the barn on the Har- rington place unroofed. On Mr. Linabury's five acre lot, some thirty or forty fruit trees were destroyed. On the Kendrick place, occupied by Jarvis. a barn built the previous year was lifted five feet off its foundation, and badly wrecked, and a new barn in process of construction was nearly demolished. The whole rear portion of Jacob Denlar's house was blown off. On William Atkins' place, a falling tree put out one of the eyes of a yearling colt, and broke its leg. Prosper La Duke's barn was moved eighteen inches and badly wrecked. On V. E. Crane's place, nine fruit and three shade trees were destroyed. a small out building was upset, the roof carried twenty rods away, and 100 rods of fence blown down and scattered. At Jacob Wakefield's place eight or nine shade trees were blown down, one of them striking a corner of the house and crushing it in. All the chimneys were blown off the Kimball House. at Wad- hams. and a house occupied by Van Camp was unroofed. On the Wadhams farm, north of Black River, three barns were unroofed and 200 rods of fence scattered. On Frank Kinney's place, one barn was nnroofed and another somewhat damaged. Barns belonging to Wilkie and Mrs. Slingerland were also uproofed. John B. Kendall, who resides in Fort Gratiot Township, related that he lost sixteen apple and two pear trees, loaded with fruit. He also had half a mile of fence blown down. His wheat was blown flat, but came up again all right for harvest. His oats crop was ruined. Corn was blown flat, but came up again all right. In Clyde barns belonging to Archie Campbell, James Bean and John Welton were unroofed, and a granary belonging to Daniel Merritt also lost its roof. Clark's cattle-shed, in Fort Gratiot

Township, was carried four feet off its foundation.

In St. Clair Township, barns belonging to John Curry, Walter Hills and Nelson Mills, were unroofed, and a dwelling house in process of construction a mile north of St. Clair was destroyed. Frank Jackson and another man were caught in barn doors and seriously injured. Grain and fruit trees were blown down, torn up by the roots or stripped of fruit. Erastus Brewer, a laborer on the C. & L. H. R. R., on See- tion 3, was killed between Thornton and Emmett. He went with another man into a sugar bush near the road, and was struck by a falling tree. He lived at Thornton Station and left a wife and two children to mourn his loss.

The Catholic Church in Kenoekee was unroofed. Barns and outhouses between Port Huron and Inlay City were nearly all damaged, many being either unroofed or blown down. At St. Clair, the roofs were blown off the house and barn of E. T. Solis, and scattered about his grain field, doing several hundred dollars' damage. A man named Stein was killed by a falling barn a few miles from St. Clair City. At Emmet, two barns were unroofed, and the smoke staek of the flouring mill was blown down. The roof of the house of Ennis Worth, near Thornton, was blown off. Mrs. Worth had an arm broken, and two children were reported killed. At Capac, a terrible storm, with a great fall of rain, hail and lightning, accompanied by a frightful gale was experienced. In the village the new Methodist Episcopal Church was blown down, the spire and belfry of the Union Church was blown off, about half of the town hall was leveled to the ground, and part of the livery stable unroofed. Allen's hotel barn, and also Caswell's were minus their roofs. At Walker's house, the lightning entered the roof, passing through the chamber floor, tearing off plaster and lath, and passed thence to the cellar. Half of the shade, ornamental and fruit trees were destroyed. Cavanaugh's stable and storehouse were completely destroyed. The brick walls of the new schoolhouse were blown down. Prob- ably more than twenty dwellings were more or less injured, and about two-thirds of the houses deprived of chimneys. To the north the cheese factory and Downey's saw mill were unroofed, and a large wagon shop half a mile north was completely destroyed. The roof of Downey's barn was carried fifteen rods and thrown upon the kitchen, crushing it into a mass of ruins. Reports from parties further north state that barns and dwelling houses were down and un- roofed. The wheat was badly broken, and in some places beaten into the soil. Fences and stacks were leveled to the ground. Such a storm never visited this seetion before; so says the "oldest inhabitant."

The storm of June 8, 1882, was phenomenal in many respects. First, there was a storm of wind, rain and electricity, that raged for an hour or two, and which, some hours later, was

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followed by a cyclone. The wind was blowing briskly from the south, and not far to the north- west could be seen clouds darting back and forth as though contending for the mastery. Out of these contending forces was evolved the cyclone which swept to the southeast with increas- ing fury, leaving nothing but ruin and destruction in its track, uprooting orchards, and sweep- ing away houses, barns, fonces, farming implements, sleighs, wagons, household furniture, bedding, etc., many things of considerable weight being carried for miles along the track. As it crossed the road one and a half miles north of Memphis, it licked up the mud and water, giv- ing it the appearance of rising dust, and the shattered remnants of what were once houses or barns, were thrown by centrifugal force beyond the limit of its power, and many fields adorned with plank rafters and splintered boards. The individual losses and mishaps are as follows: Mr. Draper's orchard and barn and Daniel Cors' house and barn were destroyed. Cors, his wife and child. wore in the house at the time it was wrenched from the foundation timbers, leaving the family on the basement floor, with no roof above, and with but little of their worldly ef- fects spared to them. At Powell's farm. no great damage was done beyond sweeping away fences, killing a coft, and severely injuring a mare. At John Jeffers', the storm demolished things generally, and passed thence to a farin owned by the Dudley estato, wrecking the house and destroving the orchard. The next place in its pathway was George MeGuffin's, whose house was unroofed, orchard one-third destroyed, and barn totally demolished, one side or end of it being carried some rods to the northeast. Here the storm took up a heavy lumber wagon, carrying it twenty rods: the tongue running full length into the ground arrested the further progress of the front wheels, but not so with the hind wheels, for they were hurled off through the air into a neighbor's adjoining field, thirty rods or more still further on. The next man to suffer was Isaac Hall, whose house just escaped, but his orchard close by was ruined, hardly a tree left standing. The old gentleman with his grandson at the time being in his field below a ridge on which his orchard was situated, stopped to watch the approaching storm, and the in forvening high ground hid its real character, efso he might have readily saved himself by mov- ing to the northward. As it was, the storm was upon them before they could realize their dan- ger. The boy dropped down and was saved by clutching his hands into the turf. but the old gentleman was swept along the ground thirty feet, and he was found in an unconscious state. the flying debris having struck him on the head. The next man to grapple with the wind-winged monster was Charles Mulay, Sr., who hastily gave orders to his family about arranging their posi - tions in the house for safety, and then left to care for his horses. When the storm had passed. Mulay found he had been clinging to the only apple tree there was standing for some rods about. and looking in the direction of his house he discovered it a heap of ruins lying eighteen paces from where it stood, but fortunately no one of the eight inmates was seriously hurt. The next wreck was on the farm of Gavin, who had two barns completely demolished, and a third un- roofed. Hisorchard was also much injured. No more buildings lay in the path of the storm, and its work of demolition, so far as we know, ended here. The width of the swath it mowed varied from thirty to eighty rods, and its direct velocity was variously estimated by those near it to be from twenty to one hundred miles an hour: Probably thirty miles per hour wonkl be a high estimate. The center of the traet looked in places like the dry bed of a torrent which had passed, leaving behind the debris it could no longer carry.

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History of the St. Clair County, Michigan, containing an account of its settlement, growth, development and resources.., Part 20

Author: Western historical company, Chicago. [from old catalog] Publication date: 1883 Publisher: Chicago, A. T. Andreas & co. Number of Pages: 814

Author: Western historical company, Chicago. [from old catalog]
Publication date: 1883
Publisher: Chicago, A. T. Andreas & co.
Number of Pages: 814