Butte semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1886-1890, 1889-04-10
rHED AxOrA HREs.

rHE DAKOrA FIRES.
Great Destruction 81 ProPefsy' s
MrrcurrL. Oak, April 6.-Nobody q 2
man who has stood before 9 prairie y
and tried to stay it's awful rush and rosr
her Il IL famed by fresh wind, can appre-
ciate it's almost Irresistible force. Inc nres
that have broueht 90 much loss ana sul.
ferine Co ~sOuSheastern Dakota in the iasc
few days were practically irresistible. Inc
flames in some instances leaped 100 1895 OF
nloved ground and rushed away again on
their career of devastation, All Ordinary
precautions were vain.
Thespring had been very dry, and tne
Ton oil the ground had been dusty or
baked, and extremely high winds prevailed
during the fires. Under these conditions,
wherever the fire touched the grass u
| burst out with q flash almost like powdef,
and shot away across the prairie hke an
| arrow, it's course ever widening. To extin.
puish it by water was, Of course, out OF the
| question. Flowing fire breaks ~ SLOW
work, and the high wind often drove the
| flames across them.
| I'd was 8 O'Clock in the afternoon when
| the people of Mt. Vernon saw the wide
| spreading prairie northwest OF them break
out into q blaze, and the smoke was
dashed into and through the town on gne
wings OF the wind. The names rusneo
after with savage fury. Mitchell was teie-
oranhed to for help, and 100 firemen, with
| 8 hook and ladder, were sent. The entire
population OF MI. Vernon and men from
| Mitchell met the furious flames on the out
| skirts OF the town, and fought the hre
| with burning faces. One hundred families
were left homeless. Loss. 100000.
On the outside OF the town it is impossi-
| BILE yet to say what the loss is. Lonely
little farm-houses scattered over the pral-
/ rie are wiped out by the dozens. Stories
| OF the losses Of life may come later.
SOME OF THE RUINED VILLAGES.
YANKroN, OAK, April 5.-The stories Of
| the 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, Hutchin.
| son county, was burned. Pukwana was
| wiped out. In Yankton county about
| twenty farmers were burned. out. In the
| vicinity of GAINESVILLE, twelve miles north, OF
| Yankton, eight farmers sustained losses
running from 81, 900 to $4,000 each.
Around GAINESVILLE the loss will foot up
SIC, 900. One mar lost $1,000 in money
/ which he had in his coat or q piece Of
plowed ground 800 feet from the grass
Two new wagons were burned 100 feet
from the fire.
Sixty miles of telegraph wires were blown
down between Centervilie and Huron.
FURY OF THE FLAMES AROUND BLUNT.
BLUNT, OAK, April 5.-Stories of the
fury of the fires continue to be brought
into town by stragglers. They say the
wind would g.ther up lose finder and hurl
ing it high in the air, carry it ahead Of the
surface fire, alighting on barns and houses
and igniting the prairie fifty yards in ad
vace OF the surface. Houses were burned
where the fire was carried over 100 yards
across new broken ground. The losses ar,
ESTIMATED ats$2O0, 900 in this vicinity.
THE FOOL MAN AND THE NASTY
HIGHMoRE, Dak., April 5.-The destruc
tive prairie fire started the evening OF tn
list, five mites from Highmore, on the farm
of James Ingram. While he was smokin
his pipe his barn caught fire and was de
stroyed. The fierce wind carried the fire tt
the prairie and the work OF destruction be
gan. Houses and barns and stock wer
burned.
j; Tuesday morning the wind reached
terrible gale. No ordinary fire break, mad
any resistance to the sweeping flames. A
8 q. m. it reached Rec Heights, fifteen mile
east of Highnore, where thirteen resi-
dences in the town were destroyed.
At shutdown, Tuesday, another fir
started in the northern part OF Hyd
county. sweeping away six houses, burnin
to death Miss Annie Sweeney and ive-yea,
old Eugene Tibbs, Mr.. and Mrs. Tibbs anC
Mr.. and Mrs. Ruby aredangerously burned
the two former fatally. The losses will
reach many thousands OF dollars.
THE GREAT DAMAGE AROUND
SCOTLAND, Dak.,-It would take 5000, 90
to cover the loss in this country. Th
Hutchinson Herald" Office was burned
The losses amount to $35 600, with les
than 5 6 1000 insurance. Two farmers nea
Olivet were completely burned out, an
another Ere east OF Scotland destroye
everything on the farms of A.. o. Fansky
Gus Evanson and M. Shock.
On the stock farm OF E. P. Sweet thre
barns were burned. Loss, $4,000
Twelve miles west of Scotland the prairi
fire ragged, and 25 farmers are known t
have lost everything.
HOW LEoLA WAS
ABERDEEN, OAK, April 5.-The terribl
story of the destruction Of Leola, tn
county seat OF Mcpherson county, note'
in last nights dispatches. has been brough
in by couriers. Leola was q town OF 80
Inhabitants, and the country for mile
around was settled with Industrious an,
thrifty people. They saw the s%urroundin
country nearly devastated: Hundreds G
farm houses were in ashes, and the stool
is lying along the Ioadways. 1t is proba
BILE that one-tenth Of the damage is no
yet reported. The injured men, Old an
Wardell, at last accounts were very low
Nothing definite is known about re
building.
Citizens here will hold q meeting to tax,
measures for relief. Scores Of farmers ar
without seed wheat, stock, buildings o.
implements to commence the spring work
TWO LIVES LOST NEAR CHAMBERLAIN.
CHAMBERLAIN, OAK, April 5.-Prairis
fires have been raging fearfully in thil
county for the past two days. So far two
lives are reported lost, and fully 100 lam
lilies have been deprived OF absolutely
everything.
A TOWN SAVED BY B~ACK-FIR1Na.
HARTFORD, OAK, April ga raging
prairie fire swept down on this town, yes
day afternoon, and would no doubt have
swept it out OF existence but for the fore
thought and energy Of the town people in
back-firing around the town wherever I'm
protected. Heavy losses are reported
from every direction.
FERGUS COUNTY MINERAL.
Maiden Said to Have the Richest Gold
Bearing Mine In Montana.