The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1875-10-22
DEgTR UCTYYH pR1 -EII,, FYR ~

DEsTR UCTITH PR1IRIE FIRE: :
| On Saturday afternoon last, a dense
smoke was seen rising above the prairie
west Of Worthihgton and extending
northward for some miles. It was evil
dent at once that an extensive prairie
fire was raging. As night came on, the
bright lines Of the fi;e became visible,
and by ten O'Clock the fires had APP
preached so near to town as to- he
thought dangerous, and several squads
of men went out and fought the fire at
points where the prairie in the immedi-
ate vicinity of5town was exposed. The
fire did not approach nearer than Mr..
Blooms, a mile west Of town. Y ~ <ss'
|: The first questions asked were where
did tile Gre originate, and who started
it. Spencer Maxwell. stated that he
had come in during the, day from the
west, and that he saw a teamster just
beyond the Kanaranza start a FIRE for
the purpose Of cooking his dinner, and
that the fire got beyond his control and
soon covered acres of ground "a There
was stiff breeze blowing from the
west and it swept toward, Worthington
with great rapidity.. Mr.. Alley (who,
be it said to his credit, has done more
than any man in the community to inn
press upon the public the Importance
of preventing prairie fires insisted
that the party should be promptly ar
rested, and Sheriff Bulls and; Maxwell
were soon OH their way westward to
overtake the teamster. They went as
far as Valley Springs, in Dakota, and
there learned that the teamster was on
a road south Of the main. Sioux Falls
road. They fastened in the direction
indicated, and arrested the man; in
Martin Township, Rock County, Min
nesota.
On Monday he was brought to Wor-
thington and appeared before Justice
Bennett, and promptly plead guilty.
He was fined $50, which sum, with the
the costs, $50, he will have to pay, or
he imprisoned for 80 days in tie Blue
Earth County jail.
The man is 4 Norwegian named Nels
Nelson. He was teaming for some one
living south of Sioux Falls, and OH Sat-
urday was returning from Worthing-
ton. Just beyond the Kanaranza, it
seems, he drove aside from the main
road into by-road and there under
took to start fire. lie claims that he
Whitfield some pine shavings and light.
cd them, when gust of wind scattered
them among the prairie grass and ii: a
moment the fire was beyond his control.
Everything goes to show that the fire
was the result of carelessness merely,
and that the case is an unfortunate one,
and deserving of 4 good deal of sympa.
thy. But carelessness is often just as
fatal i'll it's consequences us crime, and
must be punished. The man, we be-
lieve, claims there is enough due him III
Dakota to pay the fine and costs, and
he will remain here, working for Peter
Thompson, until the money due him
can be collected and the fine and costs
paid. Mr.. Maxwell is entitled to the
800 reward offered by the county, and
it will be promptly paid.
| Il considerable amount Of property
was destroyed 10y the fire; some putting
the estimate as high as $1,000. The
greatest loss, so far as we Car
learn, was suffered by Mr.. Thoms, Of
Dewald, who had some 200 bushels Of
wheat in the stack burned. A number
of persons lost hay ranging in quantity
from one to twenty tens. The fire, il
seems, crossed the KanaranZa some
distance north Of the LuVerne road
and then began it's grand sweep ovel
the prairie, burning over good por
ton Of Olney, Dewald, Summit LAX
and Worthington Townships.
Wegive considerable space to the de
tails of this fire, because the subjec
cannot be made too conspicuous, no
the lesson be too deeply impressed upo1
the minds of all, whether residents o
transient persons, that prairie fires ar
not to be negligently nor maliciousl,
started, and that the consequences al
not light.
PROF. HUJfIYTON'S SPEECH
Prof. uumiston, Reform candidat
for Governor, spoke on Saturday eve
ming last at Miller Hall to a large audi
ence of ladies and gentlemen. He wa
listened to with profound attention an
made powerful address in favor Q
temperance. So far as the address hat
a political bearing, his aim was to sho,
that neither the Republican nor TIL