The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1867-11-29
Prairie on Fire.

The Cleveland Herald publishes extracts
from private letters received from Fort Ran
some, Dacotah Territory, where great
prairie fire recently occurred The flames
reached the station on the 18th of October,
Below is description Of what followed:
1.-The wir.ds, which had been Blowing
strongly, increased into u gale on Sunday
night, and by Monday morning had worked
themselves into almost Irresistible fury.
was writing in my tent, about ] ! clock,
when man put his head in and told ne
that my kitchen tent-a SIbIey-was being
blown away. | went out in time to see 1t
rent in ribbons. and the kitchen furniture
and other articles striking out over the
prairie on their own hook. So occupied
was | in recovering my property, that,L did
not notice the immense volumcS OF smoke
coming over the hill, until suffocatlng
blast made me feel it and, strange to say,
no ore else seemed to have been prepared
for the fire. You can understand this bet
ter when you reeollect that we were In
hollow. One glance showed me the dan
GER and to rush into the tents and haul out
the women and run them down to the suit
lers store 1.-THE only covered building) was
the work of moment. Being officer OF
the day, [ bad to rush back and turn on
the guard and sound the alarm. The fire
rolled down on US with terrific rapidity, and
was accompanied by immense banks of
smoke that threatened suffocation before
the fire reached us.
Blinded and stiaed, anything like resist
ance was almost impossible, and our feeble
attempts would have been futile, for the
wind caused the fire to leap fifty feet in
some places. | had thrown myself down
on my face to save my eyes and get
breath, when the recollection flashed upon
me that six hundred pounds of powder were
stored in the sutler store. | ran back and
found - sitting down by the corner of
the cattle corral, surrounded by the fright
ened animals, and shrieking with terror
1t appears that Major K had also rec
objected about the powder, and bad sent
the women down to the post, but she and
- became separated and - thought
her sister was lost. Providing for her safe
ty, | ran back to the emp. BY this time
| the whole camp would have been destroy
! ed, but sudden change in the wind drove
| the fire past the flank of the camp, within
| five yards of the tents, jumped the plough
ed ground around the Laystacks, deyonring
our six hundred tons of hay tour whole
| post, setting fire to few outer buildings
and the corded wood, pushed up the side of
| the bill and was then off the prairie, de-
stroying the half breed camp, burning men.
women, children and misunderstanding US
suHocated with smoke and cinders, and
blinded with ashes. The whole garrison
worked for dear life to save the post, and
the wind proved entirely favorable to U.S. =
To put out what was on fire was impossible
The flames burned almost with a white
heat; but they were forced away from the
other buildings BY the terrific force of the
tornado. Everything was destroyed that
was set fire to; but the most of the camp
and post was saved All the rest of the
day was occupied in beating out the rem
nants of the fire, and by night we were fain
to lie down and rest Jour wearled bodies
Everything was covered with SCOT, and my
loss has been considerable, but [ am thank
| ful we escaped as we did But rest was
denied US, for as he sun went down the
wind grew worse and worse Foseseeing
what would happen, ran the ladies down
again into the store, and the other officers
soon followed my example. In a few min
utes genuine hurricane swept us, carry
ing every thing before it. Trying to get
back to my tent for bedding, | was struck
in the eyes and blinded with the sand and
earth, and carried away from camp past the
nearest corner of the post, when, by mer-
ciful Providence, fell over a man whom |
found to be the hospital steward. The
hospital tents had been pitched here, and
were filled with the burned The tents
we're now down, and the sufferers covered
by the fallen poles and canvass | man
aged to get back to camp and send men to
their aid. The fury Of the storm
did not abate until morning, when the rem
nants OF the camp were seen. Nearly every
| tent was blown down or torn to pieces, aDd
property all more or less injured. :
| If you could see us now, you would ina CINE
We were all more or less afflicted with OPP
| thalmia, tor such collection of inhamed
eyes [ never saw.
| The Indians who have come in say they
have never seen anything like it in their
lives. Two half-breeds were burned to
death; two women have died to day from
| the effects, and also an infant only seven
days old one squaw, who is daily expect
ing confinement, lies in the hospital very
| badly burned ; an old squaw and an old man
are In the same condition ; two children, of
six or seven years, are frightfuIly schorch-
ed, and others In less serious state. They
present a horrible spectacle, as they lay
there with their blatkened and swollen faces
and bodies. 1t would be happy release
for them if they all died. \ The
loss of our winter supply of hay and wood
is serious matter. We have sent away
nearly all the stock, and it will be hard work
to find hay enough for what is left, as the
severe frosts have taken all the nutriment
out of the grass A train of lumber was
on the road and an Indian has reported it
destroyed y