The New York herald., 1873-12-06
"A LAND OF FLAME.
Terrible Prairie Fires in Kansas
and Dakota.
Immense Destruction Of Property Death Mar
rowly Escaped in Many Cases-The People
of a Whole Town Obliged to Turn
Ont and Fight the Fire.


,grassluppers descended and lett not behind them
one green herb; in September came the first
prar,e fires, which were attended with unusual
loss OF hfe and now we are on the very verge Of
winter, whirlwind OF name has swept over part
OF our State, marring the beauty OF its lair face
PRAIRIE FIRES
regular occurrences in the life OF the frontier
farmer. The grass becomes dry as tnder during
the rainiess mont hs and occasion is not wanting
for the inauguration of the blaze. The neglected
camp flreof a hunter an immigrant party. the
lighted match thrown away by careless smoker
q spark from passing locomotive or the heating
OF the grass by the SUMS powerful rays-any
one OF these accidents may occur on windy day.
and the little matter kndle indeed, great nre.
On the treeless and comparatively elevated plains
the wind acquires q strength and sweep al
most unknown elsewhere. over and above all
this, 1t would seem as il the flame sucked up the
mir before It, creating vacuum into which it
Nushes with redoubed Jury.
MAN AND BEAST FEEL THE FIEND's APPROACH.
Instruction and experience teach brute and man
TO avoid the onslaught OF these fiery battalions.
;Snunlng the acrid smoke it is visible in
the remote horizon, if not sooner, the CATTLE low
1ng piteously, break for the water courses and
bury themselves beneath the surface Of the water.
Wild animals, knowing that their speed sufices
mot to outstrp the racing flames, pursue similar
course, and, in the supreme terror OF the moment,
forget their animosities and fer0ci0us instincts.
Men at once set 10 work 10 dampen roofs and out
buildings ana 10 clear away the grass and weeds
from broad belts OF prairie IN tne track OF the al,
stirring, and the fire is OF limited extent, these
tactics are generally successful, and the burning
blows, rolling upon the bare ground, die away as
suddenly as they had birth. But there are times
when the advance OF the fire continues unchecked
10y these precautions Then
LEAF is TAKEN FROM THE INDIANS BOOK
and haste is made TO hre the ground everywhere
strength and runs TO meet the other: they come
together with roar and wnirl, but 1t is the
effort OF expiring rage, and the progress OF the
flames checked, swallowed up and consumed by
mercer Jury than their own. The threatening fire
subsidies. And there are still other times when the
names put on their utmost might; when precau-
ton, flight, resistance-all are alike in vain, and,
10 quote schiller's ballad OF "The Bell":-
Worn and despairng yields TO their strength
Such q storm OF fire was it which on Monday and
Tuesday last rolled over part OF .his State, de-
Anderson, Coffey, Nemaha, Riley, Potawatamie
Wabaunsee. Morris, Marshall, Brown, Allen, Davis
and Dickinson counties. so that the extent of terri
tory ravaged may at least be reckoned by hun
dreds OF square miles.
1s owing principally TO the severe and long-con-
finued drought, which had made the whole surface
OF the country hard iron and dry tinder. over
tins the fire swept with the suddenness OF an
explosion OF gunpowder, aided by powerful wind.
Eyewitnesses say that the 1ery monster came upon
them somewhat in the shape and almost with the
speed OF tornado. Distant clouds were FIRST seen,
the air grew still and sickly, then the wind
came in moaning puns. But, when nearer.
there was mstaking the character OF
the visitation. The wind blew hurricane
and the very air seemed consuming, so high did
the names roar. The junction City onion says
that the fire filled the ''air'' to distance of
.'3Oofeet rom the ground.n 1t burned slowly and
hercey in the bottoms where the grass lay thick,
but on the level ground II ran like race horse.n
Guards which on ordinary occasions had proved
were now overleaped lightly, as wolves dasning
over the barriers OF fold Roads-even creeks
The FIRE reminded one irreslstibly OF the advance
Of an army The drdnt gdrde OF skirmlshers and
Ihlans rushed ON with rapldlty scouting IN every
direction, seizing upon and destroying all the
hgnter prey, but after this had passed ana was
miles away there came up the main BODY,
REsIsrLEss, SLOW AND THOROUGH
1t was this that laid hold upon barns, houses belts
OF timber wood piles and fences and converted
them into heaps OF blazing embers, radiatng
heat as intolerable as that OF the furnaces OF Ne
bnchadneZZar heated seven times hotter than its
wont. 'ln some localities the very ground,n says
herbage smoulderlng slowly In the earth:' but
this is pardonabe exaggeration.
AFTER THE DEVASTATION.
A ride through the country alter the hre had
done Its work OF devastation would remind one
distant horizon, but that the noise OF battle were
lacking, would stand for far-or conflicts or burn
blasted by lightning stroke or as If there had
passed the horse OF the Hunnsh conquerOr, in
Se%ge oSoi pfnts grass never grew trees ana
sembIance OF vegetation where they have escaped
destrucusn. line Of ashes or row OF bare,
charrcd sticks shows where farms and fields
divided. hay ricks wheat and corn stocks and
straw stacks have been annihilated Wooden
houses, stables and barns have been burned down
or stand charred aid blackened. Smoke smears
upon stone buildings show similar havoc. An
occasional carcass OF horse or OK. burned and
0istended. makes the resemblance TO the battle.
held almost perfect
THE LOSS.
To form a general estimate OF the loss 20 the
State would be impossible al present but IT Will be
counted by hundreds OF thousands OF dollars, IL it
IN mi mi inf nniln 1hA ~ ali
vidual loss would occupy columns OF the HERALD,
and be but repettions OF each other. One letter
in the U'aon. published at Junction City, specifics
damage done to % farms IN one neighbornood.
One house and the barns Of four farmers were
sumss anS on m IL farms heeIs sne snGes
reports give loss OF 1000 rails. OF gr,in,
four farms lost all their wheat, three
AL their corn two Others report $50 bushels OF
destroyed. Four farmers lose all their straw and
l6 report 49s tons of hay burned. This may serve
as specimen Of the reports with which the
country press teens. And, as the correspondent
Just quoted adds, "Tne amount OF damage done
cannot be estimated by the valne OF the property
actually burned. The farmers are left without any
thing TO feed their stock, which they will be forced
70 sell at great sacrince." II IS there that the
farmers who have invested all their labor and
capital in buildings and cattle being unable TO re-
ouild the one or winter the other.
INCIDENTS AND EPISODES
ri tne fre are, OF course, numerous. There has
peen as yet but little loss oil life reported, though
sneIe e nave been many narrow escapes and 0cca-
slonsi % severe accidents The Council Grove Demo
Tas s narrates the case OF well-to-do farmer named
Linosey VINO lost everything he possessed. Hav-
any exhausted the water in hts well in irving TO
eaunguisn @ Isl tne ilres which every moment broke
OUT IN MS outbuidings and threatened their de-
struction-i give the words OF the local reporter =
He took his team repaired to the creek and 6l,ed b,s
barrels with water and started 10 return only 10 And
that ne was cut OF from his home by the encrcing Are
he ashed his horses into hoping 10 yet throgb bnt
the animals. on coming in contact with me flames
wheeled short about throwing him from the
wagon and prosratng him the ground
the heat and smoke and fire all around bin, H.
H,nanaged struggle through the names bu, his
tempted 70 tear OF his burning garments but owing 10
his hands being burned he to do 20 Nc
took out his knife ana cut from his body every vesee az
clothing except his boots which ne wore they began
to char upon his His cries brought assistance when
he found n exhausted condtion one boot nearly
cut of from his foot. with his knife clenched in his
neshles and bleeding hand. He was taken 10
his home, and Or. Beach, Of this city summoned
10 his reiiet He IL DANCE erousy burned, though
rhe goeior thinks he will with proper esre survive In
.no fastened the wagon between two trees When found