Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1886-08-17
FIRES IN THE WOODS.

FlhGSliE HE WOODS.
Newspaper Man Traverses the
burnt District Contiguous to Green
Bay.
Green Bay, Wis, Aug. IA cores.
pondent drove southwest from Green
Bay this morning through the burnt
region in that vicinity. East of Green
Bay the country has been cleared OF
timber and is occupied by farm houses.
Every one is suffering from the drouth,
ana the crops are very poor. In the
township of Bellevue the ravages of the
hre became apparent. Little patches of
burnt timber stood among the surround
ing pine forests. The ground III places
was covered by the gray ashes of the
brush and leaves which had been con.
samed. and here and there great
.Wlndtali,' as tree which had fallen
aoWn Is termed gave out red glow. A
KICK on the massive trunk sent up
shower of sparks, and little flames darted
from the orevices in the log. The woods
looked as though nipped by an early
irost. The leaves on the oak and hickory
trees were brown anu faded from the
effects of the heat, while in portions of
away the leaves and small branches.
the great trees stood grim and
bare, spreading out their great
blackened branches without obscnripp
the rays of the sun. The woods were
devoid of life. In my six mile ride |
did not see single bird or living thing
of any kind. The township OF Eaton has
suffered terribly and the loss OF prop
erty has been great Near what is known
as Lilly lake, mere pond near the Juno
tion OF Bellevuesdepot and Eaton town
ship. stood Woodrutf's mill, which is
owned by one OF the fneRt typical young
Americans, Harry Woodruff. His name
will be remembered as long as Brown
county lasts. All along tor the past
week Harry has been anticipating fires,
and during the time worked like beaver
hauling water to his place, and SO his
neighbors who were q great distance
from the source of supply. On Monday
he left his house with number of bar
rels of water for James Olansen, Ger
man neighbor. Returning at slow trot
he saw the smoke approaching and
whipped up his horses. at one mo.
ment," said Mr.. Wocdruf, there wes not
a sign of fire, Five minutes later 1t
seemed as though the woods all around
me were blazing. He started the team
home at mad gallop, barely escaping
with bis life. Then the fight with the fire
began. He wet down his house and barn
and the old mill with water, of which
he had laid in good supply, and as the
fire brands came around extinRuished
them. In less than an hour the fire had
swept on and left him out OF danger.
He went to Clahsens place to render
what aid he could. House, barn and
wheat farm had been swept sway, and
all around were strewn the dead bodies
of pigs, sheep and cattle. Woodruff
began the task of looking for the bodies
of the family, but without
success, when he heard sepulchral cries
and traced them to an old we'll, which
contained about four feet of water, and
MIR. Clansen, with his wife pnd three
children was found. The Olansens did
not save O dollars worth of property,
and had no insurance. ALI through
Eaton township similar tale is told.
Some farm sites are marked by h
dwelling which has been saved by al
most superhuman efforts, but not barn
in the burned district is left. All through
the woods, miles away from the
farms, are the dead bodies of cattle and
other domestic animals, some burned to
q crisp and Others with no sign of the
manner of their death. Anton Borgor.
din, John Shaffner, Peter Ronkers and
Charles Brockman barely saved their
lives and those of their families. They
lost everything they possessed. John
and Henry Soper and John Norcross
lost all but their houses. Most of the
families in the belt OF fire have taken
refuge with friends, but one German has
constructed kind of shanty of half
burned logs, and is living off the re-
mains of q sheep which had been killed
by the flames and some provisions given
him by charitable neighbors. The
children, the smaller of whom was al
most entirely naked, peered out of the
opening in the hut. Ihe old man re-
turned my good morning" in half
hearted way and continued to smoke mis-
pipe. The poor woman looked at me and
then, hiding her face in her apron, burst
into fit of weeping as she rocked her.
self to and fro on the log on which she
was sitting. There was no. need to ask
any Questions. The melancholy story
was too plain. Years OF hard work to
lay up little money against the coming
of old age had gone for naught, and the
hardearned savings of years fruRality
aud labor had vanished in smoke. I
drove back by another route through the
center of Depere end Bellevue towns
ships. Here the loss was even greatest
than in Eaton. The inhabitants are Tor
rather were, for it seems as though they
had now deserted their townships)
mostly Poles, who have carried on insnr-
ance, and Swedes who have something
toming from that source. In Bellevue
townships the DEVASTATION is complete
and the suffering terrible. Many OF the
burned-out people have been injured