, 1889-04-05
Through Fire and BIizzards.

HIGHMoRE, Oak. April A destruct-
i've prairie fire started Monday evening
about five miles from Highmore on the
farm of James Ingram. While he was
smoking his pipe his barn caught fire and
was DESTROYED. The fierce wind carried
the fire to the prairie and the work of
destruction began. Houses and barns
and stock were burned. Tuesday morn
ing the wind reached a terrific gale. No
ordinary frebreak made any resistance to
the sweeping flames. AT 3 p. m the fire
reached Rec Heights. fifteen miles east of
Highmore, where thirteen residences were
destroyed. AT shutdown Tuesday another
fire started in the northern part of Hyde
county, sweeping away six homes and
burning to death Miss Annie Sweeney
and .5-year old Eugene Tibbs, Mr.. and
Mrs. Tibbs and Mr.. and Mrs. Ruby.
BLUNT, Oak April 4-Stories of the
fury of the fire continue TO be brought
into tow by stragglers They say the
wind would gather up loose finder and
hurting it high in the air carry it ahead of
the surface fire, ~alighting on barns and
houses and l%gnitins the prairie fifty Yards
in advance. Houses and barns burned
where the fire was carried over 100 yards
across new broken ground. The losses
are estimated at 5000, 0G0 in this vicinity.
YANKToN, April 4.-Stories of terrible
losses by hurricanes and fire that swept
over the country north of here continue
to come in. Violin village has only three
buildings standing. Olivet, Hutchinson
county, was burned. Pukawanna was
wiped out. In Yankton county about
twenty farmers were burned out. In the
vicinity of Julesvillc, twelve miles north
of Yankton, eight farmers sustained losses
running from 81 600 to SO. 900 each.
Around GAINESVILLE the loss will foot up
$l0,0 One man lost 81 900 IN money
which he had in his coat on a piece of
plowed ground 300 feet from the grass.
Two new wagons were burned 100 feet
from the fire. Sixty miles of telegraph
wire are blown down between Centerville
and Huron.
CHAMBERLAIN, Oak, April 4.-Prai-
rie fires have been raging fearlully in this
county for the past two days. So far two
lives are reported lost and fully 100 fami-
lies have been deprived of absolutely
everything.
MITCHELL. Oak April 4.-Nobody
bat a mar who has stood before a prairie
fire and tried to stay its awful rush ana
IOul WiCh II ID lduuCu ny u lTCSu Wllu,
can appreciate its almost resistless force.
The fires that have brought 80 much loss
and suffering to South Eastern Dakota
were practically irresistible. The flames
in some instances leaped 100 feet of
plowed ground and rusded away on their
career OF destruction. All ordinary pre-
cautions were in vain. The spring had
beeu very dry and the top OF tho ground
had been dusty or baked, and extremely
high winds prevailed during the fires.
Under these conditions whenever fire
touched grass it burst out with a flash al
most 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 fire breaks was slow work and the
high wind often drove the flames across
them. 1t was 3 o'clock 10 the afternoon
when the people Of Vernon saw the
wide spreading prairie north of them
break out into a blaze. Smoke was dashed
into and through the town on the wings
of the wind. The flames rushed after
with savage fury. Mitchell was tele-
graphed to for help and 100 fremen with
hook and ladder were sent. The entire
population of MI. Vernon and men from
Mitchell met the furious flames on the
outskirts of town and fought them. One
hundred families are left homeless. Loss
$50, 200. Outside of town it is impos-
'sible yet to say what the loss is. Lonely
little farm houses scattered over the
prairie are wiped out by the fires. Stories
of losses of life may come later.
ABERDEEN, OAK, April A terrible