The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1876-08-31
The Ratlana 9aily Glpbe
THURSDAY, AUGUST 81, 1876.
The Prairies Under Fire.

We clip the following very interesting
letter from the Poultney Joarnal, written
by Mr.. J. ]. Rowe of that place who has
been travelling for several weeks in the
north west
Frontiersmen had frequently said to me
''you ought to see the prairies on fire, that
is something you can't get up, out east
you amt got the materials anyhow; you
lack the dried grass, two or three tons to
the acre, and then you can't get up n sweep
of seventy-five or q hundred miles Of con-
tinuous level country with the wind blow
ing fifty miles an hour all one way" Well,
if we failed to see just that thing, we found
something quite as satisfactory We had
been six days with dear friends in Clinton
county, Iowa, on Monday, June 10Th, we
bid them good bye at the Greeley Station,
and started for Manchester. AS we were
ten miles back of this station, we could not
well get out there for the 6 a. m. train, so
we waited and took the p. IN. train. Our
course was up under the bluffs on the west
side of the Mississippi to Dubuque, forty
five miles on the Illinois Central read to
our objective point, where we we're due at
10 p. m. The weather for several days had
been hot and sultry, beyond anything we
had seen in the cast for several years.
Soon after we left the little g alton situated
about a mile back of Sabua, dark clouds
came booming up over the bluffs. Soon in
the distance could be heard the mut,ering
thunder, then we could see flashes of light
ming running the whole length of the wish
BILE cloud. Soon the rain commenced fall
ing, and night came upon us that afternoon
very early The uan came to halt just
outside the Illinois Central depot and wait
ed for { ain to come out, that we might
run in. After delay of half an hour ttat
tain passed out into tie darkness and We
ran into the depot. Here we had to cpange
cars and re-check our baggage. On en-
| teripg our new quarters, va struck with
| the novelty of the scene. Most of the pas
| sengers were ladies. Each one had taken
a seat and occupied it in such way as to
exclude another. Their faces were 50 thor
oughly covered az to deprive them of at
least one-balf of the grandeur of the scene.
| No one seemed to see US and tor while
the chances for standing were prominent.
But on looking the car over, found in one
seat lady so large that she could not keep
herself On the seat in a horizontal posi- ion
and after little repaclling she afforded my
daughter about one quarter OF the seat, a
| space unsuiied to any other passenger
abroad, Soon the train moved out upon a
side track to let the train from the west
now over due come IN. Here we waited
an hour and haf longer and then the de-
layed train came in and we pushed up the
road about three miles to Rockdalc. Here
we had some troable and delay in conse-
quence of high water. 1t was at this place
on the night of the 4ih of July, fifteen days
| after in q similar storm that the railroad
bridge ives carried away, the village de-
stroyed and thirty-nine lives lost. On we
sped while the noise from the moving
train and The peltiog of the terrible storm
upon OR car home WIS drowned by the
mutterng thunder, while the whole scene
was lighted up by the incessant lightning.
1t was fearful to see we'll dressed ladies
trembling with tear and pale from sick
ness, arms full of articles purchased in the
city thrust out into the storm and darkness:
at all the stations along our route. just
before we reached Manchester we passed
out from under the cloud. 1t was here VT
had the best view of tho scene. At The
south east few miles away we could sec