Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1889-04-11
DAKOTA STILL BURNING
Reports of Raging Prairie Fires Con-
tinue TO Come in.
Hundreds of Families Absolutely De
prived of Everything.

but men VINO nave STOOD beIofe d ptalfie
fire and tried TO stay its awful rush and
roar, when famed by fresh wind can
appreciate its almost resistless force.
The fires that have caused so much loss
and suffering to southeastern Dakota IN
the last few days were practically irrestl-
BILE. Flames in some instances lesped
100 feet of plowed ground and rushed
away again on their career of destruction
and all ordinary precautions were vain.
The spring has been verg dry and
the top of she ground has been dusty or
baked, and an extremely high wind has
prevailed during the fires. Under these
conditions, wherever the fire touched the
grass it woald barst o1t with fash al
most like powder and shoot away across
the prairie like an arrow, its course
widening. To eItinguish it by water of
course was out of the question. Flowing
| fire breaks was SLOW work, and high winds
afterwards drove the flames across them.
! 1t was o'clock in the afternoon when
the people OF Mt. Vernon saw the wide
spreading prairie northwest of them
| break ont into blaze. Smoke
was dashed into and through
| the town on wings of wind. Flames rushed
after with savage fury. Mitchell was tel
| egraphed TO for help and 100 tfeu1en
| with hook and ladder were sent at once.
! The entire population of Mt. Vernon and
men from Mitchell met furious fla mes on
the outskirts of town and fought With
desperation, but in vain. No lives were
! lost, but forty five buildings were burned
and 100 families were left homeless.
Loss, $4,000. Outside of town it is i'm
possible 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 IN
later.
YANKToN, OAK, April 4.-Stories of ter
rible losses by the hurricane of fire that
swept over the country north of here,
continue to come in. The village of
Vohn has only three buildings standing
Ghvet, Hutchinson county, was burned.
Pukwana was wiped ont. The losses in
Yankton county, are: M. NJ. Joanson, r.
Anderson, f. OFT, Mrs. Stookwell, k.
Pringle, J. +. O'soB, David Perley, James
Hoxiug, John Hundershot, Lardy Jencks,
| NJ. Holbrook, f. q. Violin, A. I'll. Violin, j.
Beckmeir, II. Rake, G. Stencil, W. Randall,
! S. NJ. Howe. In the vicinity of James
| vile, twelve miles north of Yankton,
eight farmers sustained losses running
from &. 900 to $4,000 each. Around
jane Vile the loss will foot up $4,000
| One man lost 81 600 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 telegrap h wire was
! blown down between Centerville and
| Huron.
BLUNT, Dak-Aprll 4.-Stories of the
| fury of the fire continue to be brought
into town by stragglers. They say the
wind would gather up the loose timber,
and hurting 1t high in the air, carry 1T
ahead of the surface fire, alighting on
barns and houses ar d ignting the prairie
! fifty yards in advance of the surface fire
| Houses and barns were burned where the
| fire was carried ove- 100 yards across the
new broken grown. The loss is esti
mated at 100000 in this vicinity.
HlGHMoRE, Dakota, April A destruo-
/ tive prairie fire was started on the eve
ming 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. The
/ fierce gale carried the fire TO the prairie
and the work of destruction commenced
/ Houses, barns and stock we're burned
| Tuesday morning the wind reached
terrific gale. No ordinary fire breaker
made any resistance 20 the sweeping
| flames. At p. m, they reached Rec
Heighths Is miles east of here, where
/ residences IN town destroyed. At sun
down Tuesday another fire started in the
northern part OF Hyde county, sweeping
away SIX homes, burning to death MISS
/ Annie Sweeney and 5 year old baby.
| Eugene Tibbs, Mr.. and Mrs. Tibbs and
| Mr.. and Mrs. Ruby are dangerously
! burned. The two former fatally. Losses
will reach many thousand dollars.
SCOTLAND, OAK, April At would take
| $4,000 to cover the loss in this comfy.
! The Hutchinson Herald Office burned, and
| the loss is $4,000, with less than $4,000.
Two farmers east of Olives were COM
! pletely burned out, and another fire east
of Scotland destroyed everything on the
farms OF A, o. Fsnsky, Gus Everson and
| NJ. Shook, On the stock farm of 5. Sweet
three barns were burned; loss, $4,000.
Twelve miles west of Scotland, the prairie
fire ragged, and twenty-five farmers are
known to have lost everything.
ABEBDDEEs, Oak, April 4-The terrible
story of the complete destruction of
Leola, the county seat OF MCPHERSON
county, noted 10 last nights dispatches,
has been brought in by couriers. Leola
was town of 800 inhabitants and the
country for miles around Vas veil set
tied with industrious and thrifty people.
They saw tho surrounding country near
~ devastated. Hundreds of farm houses
are in ashes, and the csrcases of burned
stock ate lying along the road ways. It
is probable that one tenth Of the damage
s not yet reported. The injured men,
Old and Wardell, st last accounts were
very low. Nothing definite is known
about rebuilding. The citizens here will
hold a meeting this afternoon 10 take
measures for the relief of the sufferers.
Scores of farmers are without seed, wheat,
stock, buildings, or implements to com
meuee their spring work.
CHAMBERLAIN Oak, April 4.-Prairie
fires have been raging fearfully in TINS
county for the past Two da.s. SO far
two lives are reported lost ana fully 100
families have been deprived of absolutely
every thing.
HARrroBD, Oak, April IA raging
prairie TIRE swept down on the town this