The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1883-08-14
PrRlries on Iriro,

ally, in the month OF October and early
November, throughout Western Ohio
and Northern Indiana, clear through
TO tho Lake shores. 1t is impossible
that any one who has never beheld the
scenes of the wild prairies on fire.
driven by a lively gale can form any
conception Of the awful grandeur and
sublimity Of the view; nor can the pen
describe it intelligibly. Mono but the
oldest living inhabitants have any iust,
appreciation of the burning prairies.
The like will never be witnessed again
Oh the principal parts Of this continent
because the conditions that caused
these contlagations have been DESTROYED
by the clearing up Of tho face OF tho
country. '.-r-.-~F. $
The vast and extended plains of the
great Northwest, previous to the set
tlement of the country by the whilo
race, were luxuriously grown over by
two particular varieties of grass known
as blue bent and pond grass. The for
mer occupied the most elevated lands
and sparsely timbered sections. It's
height varied from four or five to eight
or ten feet according, as it was shaded
by TIMBER or otherwise. 1t might not
be lnaptly likened to a miniature cane
|
cal with the cane, differing only in size.
me top was surmounted by tasscl,
bearing a close resemblance to that of
| the common field corn. It's growth on
the ground was exceedingly dense, as Il
rule, and its height on the open lands
sufficient to hide man on horseback,
| The blue bent seems not to have with
stood the march Of empire, for with the
| filling up OF the country, and after the
fires ceased, IT disappeared, 50 that at
| present no more than mereSt appear
ances of it i'll dwarfed condition, and
III out Of the way places is to be seen.
The pond grass was product of the
low wet portions Of the prairie land.
| 1t was coarse, rough bladcd grass,
and grew to the height Of from two to
four feet. The grasses, together with
pea vine, and luXuriant growth Of wild
weeds every where very abundant,
covered the whole face of the country.
When they became thoroughly dried
AFTER the Fall frOStS set in, and the dry
forest leaves were down on the ground.
II fire got abroad, and the wind was up,
nothing could arrest its progress until
1t burned through or was cXtingushcd
by rains.
There were different ways by which
fire got out. Sometimes it escaped
from the clearing of the settlers, and
! sometimes from the hunters camp.
But 1t was likewise supposed that the
Indians fired the prairieS for the pur-
pose OF facilitating the chase.
1T was a common saying that the fire
could outstrip the tieetcst horse. This
was true where tho grass was tall and
the wind blowing Il lively gale. The
! flames in that case rose to the Tree
tops, and being driven forward by the
wind, Tapped over and set the grass on
fire several rods ahead, and which,
being repeated rapidly, thus ourran a
swift horse. Travellers were sometimes
0vertaken and their lives imperiled
In one instance two moving wagons
were oyertaken about one mile from
my fathers cabin. The wagons and
their entire contents were consumed,
and one woman and two children lost
their lives. The horses were saved
by cutting them loose from the wagons,
when they ran away, and were after
ward recovered. 1t came to be under
stood that safety lay in facing the fire
and dashing through the fire back to
the burnt district, thus escaping from
the volume Of smothering smoke that
was always driven ahead
Instances were not wanting where
the little improvements Of settlers were
overwhelmed and swept out Of exist
ence, the families barely escaping with
their lives. The inhabitants were
| sometimes able to protect their little
places by burning a belt around the
| premises OF 81 or 100 yards in width.
This was required to be done before the
grass became very dry, and when the
| atmosphere was entirely calm. The
grass was set on fire and when a belt
was burned over Of sufficient width it
was whipped out along the margins.
But II the wind began to come up
While this was going on it was necessary
to put the fire out with the greatest dis
patch; and still, in two instances re-
membered by tie writer, it rot away
| from the guards and swept over the
country.
Fighting the fire was common
thing. In doing this there were two
methods. The fire was sometimes al
tackled while it was making the slower
| progress through the timbered land
and whipped out. Sometimes it was
prevented from crossing a particular
road by raking and sweeping the dry
leaves from the road for miles. In the
short grass or leaves, when there was
no wind, it was sometimes whipped
out, and a stop put to it's further pro-
gress. The implements used for whip
ping out fire were bushes five or six
feet in length, with tho top left on.
With these blows were struck back
ward towards tho burnt district, and
the line Of the fire followed until the
work was completed, if possible. When
fire was abroad, the settlers for some
distance around rallied, and massing
their forces, moved on the enemy in
force, and these forces were made up
OF mon, women and children.
In one instance, when fire was ap-
preaching our settlement from the
southwest, and while it was yet two or
three miles away, the entire available
force of the neighborllood turned out.
having been warned by a courier on
horseback from below. My father and
mother, with sister of ID, went, leav-
ing in the cabin my brother of seven,
myself five, and a younger brother of
three years. They went away in the
morning. We had cold corned beef
and milk left on the table to eat. That
night wo stood out in the yard for an
hour and watched tho famna onI I;ot