Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1889-04-10
WITH A RUSH AND ROAR.

WITH a RUSH AND ROAR.
The Flames Sweep Across the Broad, Rich
fiaihs or Dakota, Wiping Out Every
Thing In Their Patll-Further Details Of
tho Losses by tho Prairie Fires-Four
Persons Burned to Death.
H1GHMoRE, D. T., April 5.-A destructive
anu calam1tous prairie fire started on the
evening OF the LIST five miles from High
more, on the farm Of lanes Ingram. While
be was smoking his Pipe his barn caught
nre anu was destroyed A fierce Wind car
rled the fire to the prairie, and the work
or destruction began. Houses, barns
and some stock were burned. Tues
day morning the wind reached ter
r1tic gale. No ordinary fire-break made
any resistance to the sweeping flame. At 3
p. m. the fire reached Rec Heights fifteen
miles east of Highmore, were thirteen
residences in the town were destroyed.
The losses estimated in Hyde County
arc $4,000 At shutdown Tuesday another
fire started in tho northern part of
this county, sweeping away six homes,
burning to death Miss Annie Sweeney and a
5-year-old baby. Eugene Tibbs Mr. and
Mrs. Tibbs and Mr.. and Mrs. Ruby are dan.
gerously burned, the two former fatally
many thousand dollars.
CHAMBERLAIN, D. 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
$4,000.
FARMERS LOSE ALL.
SCOTLAND, D. T., April Sit would take
$500, 900 to cover the loss in this county. The
Hutchinson Herald office was burned The
losses amount to 49, 600, with less than Sc coo
insurance. David Ischettar and Howard
White, farmers near Olivet, were completely
burned out. Another fire east of Scotland
destroyed every thing on the farms OF A. O.
Fansky, Gus Evenson and NJ Shook On
the stock farm Of f. s.. Sweet three barns
were burned. Loss, $4,000. Twelve miles
west of Scotland a prairie fire ragged TWEEN
ty-fve farmers are known to have lost
every thing.
THE DESTRUCTION OF LEoLA
ABERDEEN, D. r., April 5.-Thc terrible
story OF the complete destruction of Leola,
the county seat Of Mcpherson County, h Is
been brought in by couriers. Leola was a
fine little town OF 300 inhabitants,
and the country for miles around was
well settled with an Industrious and
thrifty people, It 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.
10
will reach $4,000 The insurance was
very light. c. 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
at present Nothing definite il known about
rebuilding. Citizens here will hold meet
ing to take measures for relief Scores of
farmers are without seed wheat, stock,
buildings or implements to commence
spring work.
FLAMES IRRESISTABLE
MITCHELL, D. T., April 5.-The fires which
have brought so much loss and suffering to
Southwestern Dakota in the last few days
We're 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 saws that the
humidity of the air was but per cent
Tuesday. AS the MEAL annual humidity is
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
a 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 8 o'clock in the afternoon when
the people of Mount Vernon saw the wide
spreading prairie northwest OF them break
out into 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
for help and 100 firemen with a hook and
ladder truck We're sent at once. The
entire population of Mount Vernon and
the mon 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 at $50, 00O.
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
come In later.
CHARGED WITH SMUGGLING,
A Firm Doing Business In Paris and New