The Bozeman weekly chronicle. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1883-1889, 1886-10-27
A PRAIRIE FIRE.
GRAPHIC DESCRIPTION OF A RECENT
STRUGGLE OF THE FARMERS.

How tho Flames Aro Fought In the
Northwest-Spread of the Devastating
Elemcnt-The Tumble Weed-Peril from
Watcr Courses.
A prairie fire in Dakota differs vastly
from those fires which, in the early day,
were not uncommon in Illinois from the
fact that the grass in Dakota is so much
less rank and only about one-fourth of the
height of that of the Illinois prairies For
this reason an incipient prcirie fire in
Dakota did not appear to me to be O very
dangerous thing or one difficult to contend
with. This error was soon dispelled when
I saw line Of flame over G mile long
making headway against an Grny of men
armed with improviSed fails, stationed OF
intervals of yard or two, beating, sweep
ing, and slapping out tho fire with rapid
and vigorous blows.
CONTEST WITH THE FLAMES
When the alarm came to town every
vehicle on the street was filed with men,
the horses whipped into q gallop and
driven over hill and creek till tho fire was
reached. Others followed rapidly bring
Ing casks of water, old rags, brooms, old
woolen cloths and sticks. The sticks
were converted into mops or fails by hav-
ing the old cloths tied on one end. These
were soaked in the water, and as we ar
rived at the fire we joined in the contest
with the army already there. The flames
coming over little hill covered with
bunch grass and buffalo grass seemed not
over o foot high and appeared easy to
overcome, but though twenty men abun-
dainty supplied with water and weapons
contended with it they found it difficult
to prevent its lateral extension, while
under the impetus of u stiff breeze from
the south, its front swept northward at
the rate of about six miles an hour
against the efforts to arrest it.
Fortunate indeed is the settler who has
an abundant supply of water. In this fire
three teams were kept at gallop carry
ing saturated cloths and water to. satu-
rate others up and down the ''line of kat-
tle'' to supply the defenders, and it kept
fifty men busy to defend line of less than
o mile and prevent the westward spread
of the flames to the stacks end buildings
of the farmers, and they were aided in
this by a long stretch of ground that had
been moved to within an inch of the sur
face. Here, to my cstonishment, the fire
found fuel in the crisp buffalo grass and
short stubble; the former burning as if
saturated with naptha, and though the
flames did not mount high, their heat was
80 intense that those who fought them
without sticks to their cloth weapons had
their hands and faces blistered A friendly
field of late fax, which was about six
inches high and still green, arrested the
northward sweep and narrowed is course.
Northward of this field the fighters hur-
ried to keep the fire in its narrowed
IL
heavy growth of rushes gave additional
food % the flames, and for few minutes
there was an excellent initiation OF q fire
1 witnessed in Illinois in 1648. Along
this creek it swept unresisted because
irresistible, and followed the course of
the dry bed of the creek easterly beyond
our reach. widening the front Of the fire
aud threatening to make its destructive
swath many miles wide when o deep pool
arrested its eastward course and a rank
growth Of green weeds impeded its north
ward progress and kept it within the
limit of about mile in width.
At this rate it sped northward, the he
roic people fighting it and gradually mar
rowing it till midnight, when it was cx-
tinguished about fifteen miles from where
It started. In its course it found but lit
tie to give it extra impetus. A paper
covered shanty, winrows, or small Fieks
Of hay or dry lake-bed for the first
three miles; then q stack of four or five
tons of hay, few of barley or straw, and
fortunately for all, but few of those as
sistant demons of the prairie fury, the
tumble weeds. This vegetable incendiary
"a weed that ripens carly and is by no
means classed with the portulacca family,
and when ripe is almost true sphere,
varying from twelve to twenty inches in |
diameter-breaks from its roots when |
dry; its light stalks and cry leaves are
struck by the wind, and it goes rolling |
and tumbling, bounding over low OBJ
structions as would q toy balloon, and |
more rapidly than would q straw hat.
Neglected fields are very prolific of them, |
and they may be seen by hundreds and |
thousands in the railway cuts and bitches, |
against snow fences and among the |
standing corn. When one Of these takes |
fire. and goes over roads and piowed |
grounds, it carries the fire past oil ordin- |
ary fire guards, eludes the contending |
force of fire fighters, end kindles new fires |
for them to resist.
The fire herein described was not one |
OF our worst One that originated on |
the line between Hughes and Sully coun-
ties about noon some Of the time travelled |
at tho rate Of twenty miles an hour
before a fierce southern gale. A farmer
who had put off his shoes saw it appar-
emily two mics distant and before he
could clothc his feet the flames were
upon his fields and all he could do with
the utmost haste was to get Gs many of
his horses and household goods as posi-
ble upon rarden patch covered with
green vegetation, whittier his family had
fed, and see Lis houses, stables, and over
twent,. STACKS of hay and grain burn,
without the rover to save anything. In
seven hourJ it had crossed six townships
and by rnidIt;riit twelve hours it had
gone seven; miles y linst every effort to
check it. Il r@recl Ger portions Of about
thirty ioy-1,f,lfc. In its devastating
course Il L 4 ret probably ind tho grass
over twe.ve aches high il any continuous
tract cf ty7c3ty acres. Hero the tumble
weed G'Gcd It greatly, fer plovcd fire
guards f-cia i'm to thirty-threo feet Tido
were learcd. ioaG3 offered no obstruction
to 1t, wli.c tie drought that hG5 Erc-
vailed sirco TIC middle OF JC-e r-2de tho
beds CT g -ecrcs It's I2ost dangerous allies.
Blunt (rcl1) Ger Chicago Tribune.
Injury to tho Ego.