Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-04-05

HIeHMoRE tDak.), April 4th.-A de-
structive prairie fire started on the evening
of the 1st five miles from Highmore on the
farm of James Ingram. While he was
smoking his pipe his barn caught fire and
destroyed it. A fierce wind carried the fire
to the prairie and the work of destruction
began, and houses, barns, and stock were
burned. Tuesday morning the wind
reached terrific gale, and no ordinary fire.
break made any resistance to the sweeping
flames. At P. NJ the fire had reached the
heights fifteen miles east of Highmore.
where thirteen residences in the town were
destroyed.
At sundown on Tuesday another fire
started in the northern part of Hyde
county, sweeping away six homes and
burning to death Miss Annie Sweeney and
q fve-year-old baby Mr.. and Mrs. Tibbs
and Mr.. and Mrs. Ruby are dangerously
burned, the two former fatally The losses
Will reach many thousands Of dollars.
MITCHELL (Dak.l. April 4th.-Nobodv
but q man who has stood before a prairie
fire and tried TO stay It's awful rush and
roar when it is famed by fresh wind can
appreciate It's almost resistless force. The
fires that have brought so much loss and
suffering to Southeastern Dakota in the
last few days were practically irresistible.
The flames in some instances leaped 100
feet of plowed ground, and rushed avay
again on their career OF destruction. All
ordinary precautions were vain. The
spring has been very dry. and the top OF
the ground had been busted or baked, and
an extremely high wind prevailed during
the fires. Under these conditions, wherever
fire touched the grass it burst out with q
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. Flowing fire breaks
was slow work, and the high wind often
drove the flames across them. 1t was 8
o'clock in the afternoon when the people OF
Mount Vernon saw the spreading
prairie northwest of them break out into q
blaze. The smoke was dashed into and
through the town on the wings of the
wind. The flames rushed after it with a
savage fury. Mitchell was telegraphed TO
for help, and 100 firemen with hooks and
ladders were sent. The entire population
of Mount Vernon and men from Mitchell
met the furious flames on the outskirts OF
the town and fought them bravely Over
100 families were rendered homeless, and
the loss was $50, 900 outside of the town. II
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 come later.
BLUNT Oak. }, April 4th-Stories of the
fury of the fire continue to be brought into
town by stragglers. They say the wind
would gather up loose tinder, and hurting
1t high IN the air, carry it ahead of the sur
face fire, alighting on barns and houses and
ignlting the prairie fifty yards in advance
OF the surface fire. Houses and barns were
burned where the fire was carried over 1OC
yards across newly-broken ground. The
losses are estimated at $500, 600 in this vi
cinity.
YANKToN Oak. ], April 4th.-Stories o.
| terrible losses by the hurricanes of fire
that swept over the country north OF here
continue to come in. Violin Village has
! only three buildings standing. Olivet, in
Hutchinson county, was burned. Puk.
lama was wiped out. In Yankton county
about twenty-five families were burned out
In the vicinity of Janesville twelve miles
north of Yankton, eight farmers sustained
losses ranging from $1,000 to $1,000 each
Around GAINESVILLE the loss will foot up
$4,000.
One man lost $1,000 in money which he
bad in his coat, on piece of plowed ground
800 feet from the grass. Two new wagons
were burned 100 feet from the fire. Sixty
miles OF telegraph line was blown down
between Centerville and Huron.
SCOTLAND (Dak.), April 4th.-It would
take 100000 to cover the loss in the
county of Hutchison. The Herald office
was burned. Loss about $35, 600 with less