Los Angeles daily herald., 1889-04-06
THE PRAIRIE FIRES.
Awful Destruction Wrought
by the Flames.
MANY PERSONS PERISHED.
Hundreds of Thousands of Dollars
Worth of Property Lost.
Homeless Families.

Associated Press Dispatches to the HERALD.
YANKToN, OAK, April 5.-The stories
of the farmers who suffered by the flames
on Tuesday, show thatit was no ordinary
prairie fire. 1t licked up everything
combustible, and grass and stubble and
wood broke into flames, seemingly with
out coming in contact with tho fire. The
combustion was almost spontaneous in
the dry and heated condition of the at
mosphere, set in motion by the terrible
gale.
HIanMoRE, Oak April 5.-The prairie
fire was more destructive and calamit 1us
here than was at first supposed. The
revised list of deaths is as fellows: Miss
Annie Sweeney, Mrs. Thomas Tbbs and
a boy of four years, Mrs. Jessup, Mrs.
Ruby and two boys, names not given.
Several others are severely burned. Fiji
teen families are left homeless and PEN
niless, and over fifty have suffered serious
losses. Several persons are missing, and
it is feared they are burned.
CHICAGO, April 5.-At George Hunts
place the family had just seated them
selves at the dinner table when Mrs.
Hunt saw sparks flying in through
crack in the kitchen. Seizing blanket
apiece, the people in the house threw
them over their heads and started from
the building. By good fortune all sue
twenty feet their path was through
q sheet of flames fifty feet
high. Many of the other farmers in
Rapid Valley barely escaped with
their lives from the wild flames, which
sped across the ground like a flash of
The wind was blowing at the
rate of sixty miles an hour. Had the
velocity of the wind been less, more
damage would undoubtedly have re-
suited. Thousands of dollars worth of
was destroyed. Within ten
miles of Freeman thirty-two families
lost their homes, only escaping partly
clothed. Machinery, hay, and great
amount OF stock were burned. The un-
fortunate farmers are entirely destitute,
and without food or shelter. In Douglass
county the fire was the worst ever known.
Many farmers lost everything, and are
homeless and destitute. The house of
VIM. Cline was burned, Mrs. Cline per-
ishing in the flames.
CHICAGO, April 5.-The Daily NeUs',
st. Paul, special says: 1.-THE list of
losses by the prairie fires in Dakota in
,reases and the descriptions of hair
breadth escapes are very thrilling. In
county, alone, the damage is
placed at $150,000. Near Rapid City,
Prof. @. E. Bailey's ranch was destroyed. |
When party OF the neighbors drove
through the binding smoke to the
.ear of the house an appalling sight met |
net their gaze. Standing in little hollow
below the ruins of the houee was Eloiss
Madison, blistered and scorched and
without hardly a shred OF cloth
ng upon her. She was terribly burned. |
Mrs. g. f. Bailey, in whose employ the
young girl was, and William Ashton, the
hired man, had very narrow escape
and, as it was, suffered painful but not
dangerous injuries. Mrs. Bailey says
hat when the fire caught the dwelling
louse il blazed up like a tinder and
allowed them no alternative but to run
or their lives. This they did, Mr..
Ashton taking each of the women by the
.rm, and starting with them through the
Jmoke and flames. They had gone but
\ short distance when Miss Madison fell.
The smoke was SO thick that when they
stopped to look for her she could not be
Ieen, and, thinking she had gone in an
,ther direction, they resumed their
Efforts to escape. After a severe strug-
,le they succeeded in getting to the
Tindward of the fire, and made their
way to a neighboring rancn.
Near Oakwood lake lives Frank Good |
elbow; he was away from home when
he fire came. Mrs. Goodfellow and her
hree children heroically fought the
lanes for several hours, and then were
orced to get down on their knees while
he flames passed over them, Mrs.
1oodfellow is so badly burned that che
will probably die.
In Brule county casualties are being
reported daily. Fully 100 families have
ost everything, the loss reaching $780,
700. Two women were burned to death
near Chamberlain. 1t is reported that it
was at the latter place that the fire was
started by Indians on the reservation.
The Grow Greek Agency had a narrow
escape.