Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1884-05-23
THR FOREST R
Further Particulars CONCERNING H.. .
Destruction of Property-Many

Further Particulars Concerning tb.
Destruction of Property-Manv treat
Lost. -'Ses
PHILADELPHIA, May 5.-The des,,,
ton by the forest fires has been even o.aus
er than at first supposed. THOUSANDS '.
acres of timber land have been deyast.tooa
millions of feet of lumber swept a,ss9
mills, barns and dwellings reduced tn wv
es, hundreds of head of cattle roasted
death, and a monetary loss entailed whis,'
is so great that it can not be estim,ts,
with any degree Of accuracy. Fos.
unately, with the flames rusbin.
from tract to tract Of land, invadins
and leveling hamlets, only one or two ,ivas
have been lost. Brisbin, near Houtzd,,a
Pa, is the greatest sufferer. The propres'
of the fire there was so swift that the in
habitants were compelled to fly in every d.
%rection, and in many cases without suss.
Gent clothing to protect them. With,
three hours the destruction was completa
Two hundred and fifty houses had been
licked up by the flames and II THOUSAND
people made destitute. The losses are def.
nitely stated now to amount to $3.50. OOo
and an estimate of the total puts the amount
at ST, O36, 900. Governor Pattison, who
was in the city Saturday, ordered tents to he
utilized in the shape of provisions, clothins
or money will be gladly accepted bvv
Messrs. I. Carboy, W.. II. Patterson and
Theodore Van Dusen, who comprise ths
relief committee at Houtzdale. Along the
Philadelphia & Erie Railroad; from Drift.
wood west to Kane, in Lycoming County,
many cattle are reported surrounde,i.
by the flames, and a number Of
fishermen had great difficulty in
getting out Of the territory. In
Yioga County large quantities of timber
We're consumed along the line of the Tioga
Railroad, as well as many houses, barnsanl
other buildings. The town of Thompson
was wholly DESTROYED, including a saw.
mill. Seventeen houses were burned in
Arnot, entailing a loss of $4,000. Two
million feet of lumber we're also burned at
the latter point. In Carroll Township,
Perry County, the house of John Herr was.
consumed. The flames extended to the
woods, over a quarter of a mile distant,
and ran with astonishing speed until
three hundred acres of valuable timber,
land was ruined. In one case a
number of sheep and in another
instance several head of cattle were
roasted to death. The Blue Mountains along
the northern border of Berks County have
danger is apprehended. No farm-houses or
barns have yet been burned. About Shep.
andoah two miles of country have been
swept, and near Ashland four farm houses.
with out-buildings, have been destroyed, an
old man named Wenthatfer is missing, and
is supposed to have persisted. In this vicin-
ity from forty to fifty square miles of timber
land have been burned, and the damage to
property is 800, 900. In the neighborlool
of Emporium the flames swept over SO, 600
acres.
ERIE, Pa, May ga heavy rain pre-
vailed along the line of the Philadelphia &
Erie Railroad, throughout the forest fire
district, for the past twelve hours. The
c%ontlagration, which was beginning to ell
kindle with renewed fury in the vicinity of
Emporium, Heating, Sterling, > Ridgeway
and st. Mary's, was at once arrested, and
at five p. NJ. Sunday the water rolled down
over the mountains in sheets, quenching
every bit OF fire. A local rain Saturday
saved the Clarendon oil district
BALTIMORE, Md, May 5.-The forest
fires, which have been raging for several
days past in Cecil County, nave burned out
an area seven miles in length and two miles
in breadth. Dwellings, stores and out
buildings have been destroyed, and several
thousand acres of valuable timber burned.
The fire broke out Thursday neal Charles
town. The McCullagh Iron Company esti-
mate their loss at S25, 600. 1t is thought
several families are hemmed in by the
flames or burned to death. An effort was
made Sunday to reach a family thought to
be in the burned district, but the r~escuing
| party was forced back by the intense heat
and dense smoke.
PORT JERvIs, n. Y, May 5.-Forest
fires have been raging with great fierceness
in this section for several days, and Friday
it was evident that Gilman's Station, a little
village on the Port Jervis & Monticello
Road, was in danger. Two saw-mills, a
tannery, and the dwelling houses of the $50
employees constituted the place, and, al
thoughthe men fought hard, the flames, trav-
elm at the rate Of four miles an
hour, compelled them to hurry away for
their lives. Eighteen buildings in all were
destroyed, including the works of Messrs.
Gilman, and the total loss is estimated at
about $50, 600, Oh which there is very little
insurance, as rates on such property are
very high. Besides the immediate loss the
1lA iOoOo Al0 plOlES Ol d SedSOIlS DuSlItSS,
as the works can not be started again this
year.
MATTAwAN, n. j., May 5.-South of
here the fires in the pines are still burning,
with apparently greater vigor than ever.
The damage can not be estimated. The
woods at Browntown have again started,
and the loss is placed at nearly $780, 600.
Between four and five thousand acres Of
timber land has been devastated. The fire
originated from the careless burning Of
brush by one of the wealthy farmers, and
the losersby it will try and hold him re-
ssponsible. The huckleberry crop, which
brought hundreds of dollars to poor people
IN this vicinity, is entirely destroyed.
TRANSMISSION of Blood.