The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1889-04-05
THE FLAMING WIND
Dakota Prairies Engulied
by Waves of Fire.


gF0HABB Ab0F& G0NeR&A ~ AAnG&-
Hundreds Of Farmers Len utterly
Dessstute-Loss 81 Lffe-
NfxNEAroLrs. April &. During The
past two days South Dakota and
Minnesota have been swept by series
of wind-Esorus which caused millions
Of dollars damage 10 property. and
several lives haye been lost. The
storm started Monday night and
swept over q large area south of the
Northern Pacific IN Dakota, extending
into the southern tier of counties ia
this state The greatest damage hiss
been caused BIZ wind alone. but in
many places the fires. famed into
fury by the storm, wiped out OF exist
ence several small villages and hun
dreds OF farmers houses. rendering
hundreds OF families homeless.
The towns almost completely de-
stroyed are Iolin. olivet, Punkwana,
Lestervilie and East Mount Vernon.
There are four other villages very
badly damaged. MANY head of cattle.
sheep and hsgs perishea. In many
places crops were covered by loose
sand and dust and will have 80 be re-
planted. Travel was suspended on
some lines OF road. so great Was the
force of the wind.
The storm has abated somewhat.
but the wind is high enough 70 keep
the fires burning fiercely. and further
heavy losses are almost certain
The damage In Minnesota was much
less than in Dakota. as the sorce of
the storm was pretty well spent before
reaching the border. The losses in
South Dakota are 5000. 600. at lew
calculation.
MITCHELL, OAK. April A. Nobody
but q man who has stood before a
prairie fire and tried to stay its awful
rush and roar when II Is famed BY d
fresh wind, can appreciate its almost
resistless force The fire that brought
so much loss and suffering TO South
eastern Dakota in the last few days
was practically irresistible The
flames In some instances ieaped 100
feet of pioved ground and rushed
away again on their career OF destruc-
ton. All ordinary precautions were
vain. The spring has been very dry
and the top of the ground has been
dusty and baked. An extremely high
wind prevailed during the fires. Under
these conditions, wherever the FIRE
touched the grass it hurst cut with
flash almost like powder, and shot
away across the prairie like ars arrow,
its course ever widening. To extin-
guish ii by water, of course was out OF
the question. Flowing fire-breaks was
slow work and the high wind often
drove the flames across them
1t was 3 o'clock in the afternoon
when the people OF Mt Vernon saw
the wide-spreading prairie northwest
of them break out III & blaze. The
smoke was blown into and Through
The flames rushed after with q savage
fury. Mitchell was telegraphed to for
help. and one b ndred fiTclmen with
hook and ladders were sent. The en-
tire population OF Mt. Vernon and the
men from Mitchell met the furious
flames on the outskirts of the towfi
and fought with the burning fires
One hundred families were LETT home
less The loss il SIC, 600.
Outside OF the towns ii is is impossi-
BILE yet TO say what the loss Is. Lonely
little farm-houses scattered over the
=.
Stories of losses of life may come later.
YASKToN, OAK, April 4.--Stories OF
terrible losses by the hurricane of lire
that swept over the country north of
here continue to come in. Violin Will
age has only three buildings standing.
Oliyet, Hutchinson county, was
burned, and Pukwann's was wiped
out. In Yankton county about
twenty farmers were burned out. In
the vicinity of GAINESVILLE, II miles
north of Yankton, eight farmers sus-
tanned losses running from $1,000 to
$3ela each. Around GAINESVILLE the
losses will foot UP $4,000. One man
lost 1900 in money, which he had in
his coat on a piece OF plowed ground
800 feet from the grass. Two new
wagons were burned 100 feet from the
fire. Sixty miles of telegraph wire was
blown down between Centerviile and
Huron.
Blunt. OAK, April 4.--Stories OF the
fury OF the fire continue to be brought
into town by stragglers. They say the
wind would gather up loose timber
and huri it high in the air and carry it
ahead OF the fire, alighting on barns
and houses and igniting the prairie 80
Yards in advance of the surface.
Houses and barns were burned where
the fire was carried over 100 Yards
across broken ground The losses
are estimated at $4,000 in this
vicinity.
HiaHNoRg, Dak., April A des-
fructiye prairie fire started the evening
OF the LIST. five miles from Highmore,
on the farm of James Ingram, while
he was smoking his pipe. His barn
caught fire and was destroyed A
fierce wind carried the fire to the
prairie aud the work of destruction
pegan. Houses and barns and stock
were burned. Tuesday morning the
wind reached a terrific gale. No ordi-
nary fire-break made an obstacle to the
sweeping flames. AZ $40 the fire
reached Rec Heights, Is miles west of
Highmore. where IS residences in the
town were destroyed.
At sundown Tuesday another fire
started in the northern part of Hyde !
county. sweeping away six homes and
burning 10 death Miss Annie sweeny
and 5-year-oid Eugene Tibbs. Mr.. /
and Mrs Tibbs and Mr. and Mrs. !
Ruby are dangerously burned, the /
tNo former fatally. The losses will
reach many thousands OF dollars.
SeorLssp. OAK, April Alt would
take 500, ,Gs0 to cover the loss in this !
county. The Hutchinson Hesuk3
office was hnrned. The losses amount
TO $500. with less than $tn00 insur-
ance. Two farmers near oliyet were
completely burned out, and another I
ire east OF Scotland desfroyei every
thing ON the farms of A.. q. Fansky. 4
Gus E.yans0n and Nj. Shock. On the /
stock farm OF f. S. Sweet three barns
wefe burned: loss. 5000. Twelve
miles west of Scotland prairie fires
ragged. Twenty-Five farmers are known
TO have lost everything.
AEERpEES, OAK. April "A tersi-
ssle story OF destruction in Leola, the
county seat of Mcpherson county,
noted in last nights dispatches, has
been brought in by couriers. leola
was town OF 800 inhabitants, and the i
country for miles around was well 1
settled with industrious and thrifty i
peorle They saw the surrounding !
country nearly devastated Hundreds .
OF farm houses are In ashes, and car
eases Of burned stock are lying along i
the rxsalways II u pFussatss that one