Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1885-09-25
EXTENSIVE PRAIRIE FIRES.
A Large Areaof Land I'm Northern
Dakota Devastated by Flames and
Many Farmers R educed TO Poverty

"Ahy rAT"eIs hcuuccu 10 foFcry
A dispatch dated at Bismarck Dake-
Ia, says: No rain has fallen In this
region since the first of the month,
and the grass is very dry. Fires be-
gan early this week near this city,
and since Thursday have travelled rap
idly eastward. About 35, 900 bushels
of grain and several handred tons of
hay have been destroyed in the Ap,
pie Creek valley north of Menoken,
and the same time another fire ran
from west of Menoken, to East Ster-
ling, travelling a distance of twenty
five miles in about two hours.
THE LOSSES
are divided among hundreds of farm
ers, a few Of whom are cultlvating
over twenty acres. On the south side
of the railroad the grain burned is es-
timated at IT'S, 900 bushels. Persons
who came across Agard bottem, south
of Bismarck, Thursday evening found
another fire started there, aud had to
run their horses to save themselves.
The prairies near Menoken and Sterl-
ing. presented front OF flames miles
long and frequently flashing twelve
to fifteen feet into the air. To-day the
flames reached Dawson, in Kiddsr
county, where the railroad depot was
burned. Partial details of the losses
reported here include the following ::
DR.. Bentley, OF Bismarck, zoo bushels wheat,
LOO bushels oats.
Josheph DIETRICH, Bismarck 500 bushels Of
wheat.
Milton Brothers, Bismarck, 800 acres Of grain.
or about 200 bushels, mostly wheat
Mr. Hood. of Menoken, stable and grain.
Campbell Brothers, OF Sterling. farm buildings
and grain.
Dugald Campbell three hundred tons Of Kay
A W. Simmer, farm buildings and grain
Alex. White. grain, houses, stables and farm
machinery.
Mrs: White was seriously burned in trying to
Jerry Sullivan, OF Menoken house, barn, and
farm machinery.
c. R. Massey, one hundred acres OF grain.
r. n. FeAgles, thirty two stacks Of wheat and
Mrs Capt S. c. Smith, of Menoken, had her
clothes burned of while fighting the fire, but was
not dangerously hurt
Dawson Brothers lost three hundred acres of
grain.
Nearly every farmer within ten
miles Of the railroad for 60 miles east
has lost some things, and many poor
men lost all they possessed save the
grOunU over WHICH Inc names QAu
travelled. Fears are expressed lest,t ,the
fires spread over the cattle ranges and
hay lands north and south of the city.
West of the Missouri the grass is
equally dry, and the horizon is night
ly illuminated. One FIRE caught from
a threshing engine In Cass County,
forty miles west of Fargo and ten
miles north OF the Northern Pacific
railway. The flames spread over sew
ersl thousand acres. William Ho ~
den loses three thousand bushels of
wheat and Mrs. Vogle two hundred
stacks Of wheat, and barn valued al
81, 200, on the Russell farm, was des,
troyed. L Johns and L Bixby lose
machinery, buildings, hay, etc. The
losses in Cas- county will probably
reach t25, 900. In Kidder county and
vicinity, more disastrous fires have
been raging for the past two days.
1t is estimated that Rearly one humid
red farmers have suffared The agere-
gated losses by fire in North Dakota
the past three days will exceed $20,-
coo.