Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1886-11-05
DAKOTA PRAIRIE FIRES.
Ora 0.hlc Description OF Recent
Struggle OF the Farmers.

fire in Duko,u q Hers vastly from those
fires which. in the early day, were moi
uncommon ga Illinois from the fact that
the gras, in Dakota is so much less rank
and onl, grows about onc-fourth of the
height OF that of the Illinois pra rieS.
For IN reason an incipicnt pra ric fire
in Dakota Id not appear TO me TO be a
very dangerous thing or one d flicult 10
contend with This error was soon Il $
PEELED when | saw line of flame over
II mile long making headway against an
army Of men armed with improviscd
fa j. stat oned at intervals OF yard
on wo, beating, sweeping and slapping
onl the fire with rapid and vigorous
blows. When the alarm came 10 town
every vehicle OH the street was filed
with men, the horses whipped into a
| gallop and driven over hill
and creek till the fire was reach
cd. Others followed rapidly bring
il & casks OF water old rags, brooms.
o. wooden cloths and sticks. The
= cks were converted into mobs or
fail, by having the old cloths tied on
one end. These were soaked in the
water, and, rs we arrived at the fire,
we Joined in the contest with the army
already there. The flames. coming
over little hill covered with bunch
grass and bufialo-grass, seemed not
over foot h gh, and appeared easy to
overcome, but, though twenty men
ahundantly supplied with water
and weapons contcnded with il, they
found it difficult to prevent its lateral
extension. while, under the impetus of
q ~t.il breeze from the south. its front
5" pit nothward NJ the rate OF about
siN miles an hour against all the efforts
10 arrest it.
Fortunate, indeed. is the settler who
has an abundant supply Of water In
this fire three teams were kept ut
galop carrying saturated cloths ana
water to saluratc others up and down
the line of battle to supply the de-
Tenders. and it kept fifty men busy to
defend line of less than mile and
r,vcnt the westward spread of the
flames to the stacks and buildings Of /
tie farmers. and they were aided in
tbs by long stretch Of ground that
lai been moved TO with an inch Of .
tie surface. Here TO my astoni,hmcnt.
the fire found fuel in the crisp buffalo
grass and short stubble: the former
burning rs if saturat q with narhtha.
ana, though the flames did not mount
j gh, their heat was SO intense uat
chose who fought them ,hout stick,
TO their cloth weapon. hal their haud.
and face, bi.,tcycJ. A frlcndl, field
IF late flax, which was about
'i> inches eh and still green
arrested the norjhvard sweep and mar
'owcd It's course Northwmd of tIs
field the fighters hurr "a 10 keep the
Ere IN its narrowed limits. A dry
crock and swamp wtha heavy growth
+ PUSHES gave additional food 10 the
i.as, and for fcw minutes there
So an excellent imitation of % fire
IS e,-cd in Illinois IN ISIS Along
DIS creek it swept unre, ,tblr ami
|. lowed the course Of the dry bed OF
rock castcrIy Zee ond omgeach. den
NJ the front of the fire and ,hrea,cn-
ug TO make rs destructive swath many
AL wide when a deep pool arrested
Is eastward course and rank growth
II green weeds impeded it, uorthward
rogress and kept it within the limit of
Il out mile IN width.
At this rate it speed northward. the
Ioroic people ightin. it and gradually
arrowng it till about midnight, when ;
was eXtingu,hed about fifteen miles l
rom whore il started In its course it {
ound but little to give it extra impetus.
\ paper-covcrcd shmty. wiurows. or {
mall rckS Of hay. or dry lake bed {
or the first three mics; then stack Of {
oar or five tons of hay, u few OF bar I
cy or straw. and, fortunately for all. t
ut few OF those assistant demon, o! (
he prairie fury. The tumble weeds. )
his vegetable incendiary weed that c
ipens early, and j. by some classcd :
lth the portulacca family, and when l
pc is almost true sphere. vary J
y from twelve TO twenty inches 2
n diameter breaks from its y
GOT when dry; It's light q
talks and dry leaves are struck by tho }
ind, and it goes rolling and iumblng. 5
ounding over low Instructions rs {
'ould a toy balloon. and more rapidly /:
han would a straw hat. Neglected II
clds are very prolific of them. and t
hey may be seen by hundreds and Il
lousands in the railway cuts and
itches, against SHOW fence, and among h
anding corn. W hen one of these y
axes fire, and goes over roads t
nd plowcd ground it carries the fire d
asst all ordinary e-guards. cludcs the e
force of fire-iihters. and kim I,
cs new fires for them to resist n
The fire herein described was not one a