Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1886-03-19

a forest on fire-a forest of t;ndor
where the flame has tenfold as mnch ~ ,
feed upon, and where no little c;rola "
safety can be made by burning = sn,oa
clear of everything that will burn. 'p'''
mere had now been two weeks dur
ing which not a drop of water had
fallen, and the whole spring had hean
uncommonly dry. The fires which ho od
troubled us heretofore had usually been
carrier IN the season, sometimes
even coming in the last DAYS Of
April. We had hoped, therefore, HAVING
escaped so long, to escape ALTOGETHER
this season. But now it was evident
that the woods were on fire. and tho
wind was fast rising.
81 hope.' I replied to Hod]ov ..tho+
the fire will be unable to make serions
Roadway at this late day in the season.
Already there is a considerable growth
OF vegetation on the ground, and even
the trees begin to look green. We NAV
AVE something of a blaze, but nothing.
think, which will ~cndanger our prop
erty." p
Suppose that we drive around and
eXamlne a little for ourselves said
Hadley. sit rs late in the season truly.
but uncommonly dry for the time, and I
suspect there is a chance for mischief
yet. L can't say that l like the looks of
that smoke. 1t is too fierce and hot.
There is a fire at the bottom of it, you
may be sure. and growing more serious
every hour"
''There is at all events no harm in
making observations" 1 replied, at the
same time refining my horses to the
right. ''1t may be that there is more to
feed the flame than 1 have supposed.
The smoke certainly has the same old
look OF vengeance, and it is already evil
dent that we are to have a powerful
wind to help it on"
We took a circle of a mile and a half
to the right, where We found that the
fire had not only swept through old
fences, but that it had got Il firm lodg-
ment in the great forest which bounded
the road running north and south
through the town, and which lay to the
west of the principal buildings in the
settlement. Several men we're engaged
in bringing water, and digging earth to
prevent the destruction of the log house
and barn, which a new settler had built
the previous summer.
MIR. Hadley and myself joined the
group of begrimed laborers, and
worked for an hour to ward off destruc-
ton from the little fortune of our neigh
Dor, and left only when further labor
was evidently u~navailing, the building
being in flames, and the very ground
beneath our feet alive with Goals.
In the hour which we spent at work,
the wind gathered fresh energy. AS yet
there was not a cloud in the sky-not
even a speck upon the horizon-it was
clear, hot, and fearfully windy. Fear
fully so, in view of the perils which it
involved. l do not think the wind was
serious of itself; probably it would have
been thought nothing uncommon, only
that the fire lent it an Importance and
magnified it in the imaginations of all
Of us. 1t seemed to be a terrible wind.
In returning, Us in going, WI fol-
lowed the road which wound through
the valley Of u little stream, the hills be-
ing high enough to hide the fire from
our view, till we assembled directly into
the main road, from which we had first
made the divergence.
I'VE have never had anything like
this" said Hadley. Great heavens!
What a sight!!'
.'It is indeed terrible! I can not recon-
cilc my mind to these awful visitaticns.
See how the flame leaps from tree to
tree! The whole forest is a boiling cal
dron of liquid flame. 1t is terrible!'
Directly in front Of us was one vast
volume of smoke, through which the
wind drove blazing cinders, and to our
right was Il sea of fire. l hesitate to
speak what l know to be true. for / am
aware that in few places in the world
would the fire go into a forest us it went
into that, on that hot afternoon in May.
The flames darted up trees, rolled from
clump to clump of pines, and timber
fell as rapidly rs though it were but
grass and the flame a mower.
A bay full of ships and the
ships on fire, could not have
presented a grander sight than that old
forest in the hot sun and burning flame.
The fire became seated in the scurf, in
fallen trees, in dry trees standing, OF
which there We're Il great number owing
to previous fires, and from these firm
seats it devourcd even the green trees.
1t ate the earth from their roots, and
they were swept over by the wind. ii
climbed to their tops and lit millions OF
candles in their branches. 1t lowered
around the clumps Of pitch pines,
sending off the %fiercest heat, and the
whole roaring like the ocean in a STORM.
"You will have to drive carefully
said Hadley, as l dashed the horses into
the smoke which covered the road.
1.-The neighbors have had the wisdom tc
take away the fences and place the rails
in the road. 1t is better for the rails,
!, but not as well for us"
''But 90 through we must, rails OF
, no rails" replied. ''There is but one
course for us
| Eyes, 90. for Heavens sake, and
quick, too, or we shall be too late to be
/ of any service. ! have never"
: The density Of the smoke was toe
f much for him, and not another wore
was spoken in all thatfearful ride. Fol
: a mile and a half we pressed through
the hot, binding smoke, over a roac
' filled with rails. How we accomplished
the feat l am unable to say, only know
} that we accomplished it, and actually
came out through the smoke-or the
l:...kl, =, fror% ~