The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1889-04-11
WITH A RUSH AND ROAR.


The Flames sweep Across the Broad, Rich
Plains Of Dakota, Wiping Out Every
Thing In Their Path-Fnrthcr Details Of
tho Losses by the Prairie Fires-Four
Persons Burned to Death.
HIGHMoEE, .. T., April a destructive
and calamitous prairie fire started on the
evening OF the 1st five miles from High
more, on the farm Of James Ingram While
he was smoking his pipe his barn caught
fire and was destroyed. A fierce wind car
Iied the fire to the prairie. and the work
Of destruction began Houses, barns
and some stock were burned Tues
day morning the wind reached ter
rifle gale. No ordinary fire. break made
any resistance to the sweeping flame At 3
p. IN. the fire reached Rec Heights, fifteen
miles east OF Highmore, were thirteen
residences in the town were destroyed
The losses estimated in Hyde County
are $1,000. At sundowr Tuesday another
fire started in the northern part OF
this county. sweeping away six homes,
burning to death Miss Annie Sweeney and q
5-year-old baby. Eugene Tibbs, Mr.. and
Mrs Tibbs and Mr.. and Mrs Ruby are dan
gerously burned, the two former. fatally.
Returns of losses are not in, but will reach
many thousand dollars.
CHAMBERLAIN, ID. T., April 5-Prairie
fires have been raging fearfully In this
county for the last two days SO far two
lives are reported lost and fully 100 fam
lilies have been deprived OF absolutely
every thing. The loss will reach fully
500.
FARMERS LOSE ALL
SCOTLAND, d. T., April 5.-It would take
e2O0, GOO to cover the loss in this county. The
Hutchinson Herald Office was burned. The
losses amount to So. 600, with less than 81, 900
insurance. David Ischettar and Howard
White, farmers near Olivct, were completely
burned out. Another fire east of Scotland
destroyed every thing on the farms OF A. q.
Fansky, Gus Evenson and NJ. Shook. On
the stock farm of f. s. Sweet three barns
were burned Loss, $1,000 Twelve miles
west Of Scotland a prairie fire ragged Twen-
ty-ive farmers are known to have lost
every thing.
THE DESTRUCTION OF LEoIA.
ABERDEEN, d. T., April 5.-The terrible
story OF the complete destruction of Leola,
the county seat of McPherson County, rs
been brought In by couriers. Leola was q
fine little town OF 800 inhabitants,
and the country for miles around was
we'll settled with an industrious and
thrifty people, 1t is twenty-five
miles from railroad and telegraph facili-
ties, and it is difficult to get complete in
formation. Out Of thirty places of business,
including two banks, two newspapers, two
churches, three or four hotels. and all
lines Of business, but four are left standing,
and out of from thirty to forty
residences less than a dozen remain.
The loss is practically complete, and
will reach $15O,OOO. The insurance was
very light G. w. Old and Thomas Wardell
were terribly burned, and the couriers say
they can not live. Parties who drove
across the country to Westport, the nearest
railroad station, say the surrounding coun-
try Is nearly devastated. Hundreds
of farm-houses are in ashes, and
carcasses of burned stock are lying along
the road The news continues to come
In slowly and shows the details of a great
disaster. Editors Herried and Beach. OF
Leola, will publish their papers in Aberdeen
ut present. Nothing definite il known about
rebuilding. Citizens here will hold a meet
ing to take measures for relief. Scores of
farmers are without seed wheat, stock,
buildings or implements to commence
spring work.
FLAMES IRREsrsTABLE
MITCHELL, ID. r., April 5-The fires which
have brought SO much loss and suffering to
Southwestern Dakota in the last few DAYS
were practically irresistible Flames in
some instances leaped 100 feet Of plowed
ground and rushed away again on
their career of destruction All ordi-
nary precautions were vain. The spring
has been very dry, and the top OF
the ground has been dusty or baked The
signal observer at Yankton says that the
humidity of the air was but per cent
Tuesday. As the mean annual humidity ID
20 this shows that the atmosphere was prac-
tically devoid of moisture Then the wind
from the northeast blew between forty and
fifty miles an hour, tanning the flames
into fury. Under these conditions when
ever fire touched the grass it burst out with
flash almost like powder and shot away
across the prairie like an arrow, its course
ever widening To extinguish it by water,
of course, was out of the question. plow-
ing fre-breaks was slow work, and the
high winds often drove the flames across
them.
1t was 3 o'clock in the afternoon when
the people of Mount Vernon saw the wide-
spreading prairie northwest of them break
out into a blaze The smoke was dashed
into and through the town on the wings Of
the wind The flames rushed after with
savage fury. Mitchell was telegraphed to
tor help, and 100 firemen with o hook and
ladder truck were sent at once. The
entire population of Mount Vernon and
the men from Mitchell met the furious
flames on the outskirts OF the town and
fought with desperation, but in vain. No
lives were lost, but forty five buildings were
burned and 100 families left homeless. The
loss is put ut $4,000.
Outside of the town it is impossible yet
to say what the loss is. Lonely little farm
houses scattered over the prairie are wiped
out by dozens Stories of losses of life may