Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1889-04-25
DESOLATE DAKOTA.
Sickening Scenes in the Burned Dis
trict.

tflct.
The following letter from gentleman in
Dakota tells its own story.
THE fire started in Potter county, run
ming southeast through Sully county, al
most taking the town of Media, the county
seat, and which was only saved by the
herculean efforts of the townspeople.
The wind was blowing at the rate Of
about 90 mics per hour, and the atmos-
I h ere was intensely dry. The flames roll
I'd up in places to the hight of 20 feet, and
u was impossible for anything to stand be-
fore them. The fire ran down through
Sully county, burning distance of Is
miles square, in which 100 families suffer
cd more or less.
"Thirty families lost their homes, 81
barns were burned, 50 horses, 80 head of
cattle and 65O sheep, 100 in bunch were
killed. Sixteen families lost everything
but the clothes on their backs The coun-
" commissioners are doing all they can,
and many willing hands are helping them,
but they need bed and clothing, seed, plows,
iorks-anythlng and everything.
'MOst OF the people were poor.
There was another ire started south OF
Highmore, in Hyde county, and continued
south and east Gown through Hyde county
To Mount Vernon township, burning out
some % families.
"Six of the victims have already died
Considerable stock was burned and all
their seed grain and feed. AS drove over
that county to day all that was TO be seen
OF once happy homes We're wrecked stoves,
burned machinery and skeletons of cattle
and hogs burned to crisp and lying in all
conceivable shapes.
AT one place faithful dog still kept
watch over the wreck. Still another start
ed south Of Rec Heights and continued east
and south through Hand county, burning
out about GO families, some twenty-five Of
whom lost theiI homes, while others lost
| stock, machinery, barns, etc.
"One life was lost in this fire. The fumi-
lies in this county were in better condition
financially, but Will need help Tor seed
grain, bedding aud clothing.
"Some remarkable cases of heroism were
manifested. One girl, who had been left at
home alone, saw the fire coming and
! snatching up "a knife rushed to the barn,
cut the ropes and straps holding the cattle
and horses in the stable and turned them
loose on some piowed land. She then un.
dertoOk 10 escape but was caught near the
house, and when found was burned TO q
crisp.
"A man, seeing the fire coming, took his
wife and four children 10 some plowed land
and returned To try and save some stock
His wife, getting afraid that he would be
lost in the smoke and dust started TO aid
him. Her boy, about eight years old, fol
lowed.
The husband and father, seeing them in
them, but before he could reach them the
fire had caught them and burned their
! clothes all OFF. He stripped himself almost
| naked, wrapped them in his clothes, car
ried the mother and child to an old well for
shelter from the cold wind that followed
close after the fire.
HE then left them while he went across
the country for two miles without clothes
in the cold wind for help. The mother and
| child both died. The poor man is sight
TO behold. His face is burned TO a crisp in
many places; one hand is badly burned, yet
he is around and will get well.
Another man carried his old mother, so
years of age, TO some plowed ground to
keep her away from the fire. and had 10
cover her up with earth with his own hands
to keep her from being burned. The heat
was so intense that in one case it burned "A
mother and children, who were taking
refuge in cyclone cellar near the house,
SO badly that the mother has died and one
girl is low. In some cases the county has
furnished seed grain and Is trying to erect
houses for all who were burned out. But
there is nlnch need for the county to meet,
and all who can should help TO tighten the
burdens OF those who must boar much TO-
fore they are comfortable