Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1889-05-24
CURRENT AFFAIRS.
4 PRATRIE FIRE
A. Described by 81 Former WiudhRn
linmnIN ReniLemI.

Jne ROAD 10 Ine hfeHk, ana so mako IL Ahlel'
| begged him not to go, as thought the fire
was quite near but he went, and when he
got there and tried to light the matches the
wind blew so hard that it took him quite "A
while to get fire started, aud just rs he
succeeded the other fire reached him and
he had to run for his life lie ran about
30 rods aud got on to some stubble ground,
which the flames did not cross. He then
came to the house, and by the time he got
here the fire was ON the north OF us (the
other went south of u.s.. Two men who
we're seeding on the next claim south, saw
it coming and star ted to help us, thinking
they could reach our blowing before the fire
reached the grass ON our land but they
had TO go back to their own blowing, As it
was IA head wind where they were. The
fire crossed their stubbe ground, and as
soon as 1t passed they came to help US.
pumped water, and +. carried it and threw
it on the road and beside it, so the fire would
not reach the house. 1t caught in IA large
haystack ON the claim north of us, and then
it came flying. ! stayed and pumped wa
ter and +. threw it as long rs we could it
was coming so hot, we both ran. When |
got to the house, | looked for f., supposng
he was Just behind me but could not see
him. The smoke was 50 thick that | could
not see the stable or him Pretty soon he
came across the yard with two horses, and
called to me to come and get them. At first
| thought would lead them into the house,
l L. ~ 1 l., 1 4. "A. 4
to hitch them into it, Just then the two
men alluded to came If it had not been
| for them, the stable would have gone, sure
the straw and manure caught right up close
to the stable lots Of times, and twice the
haystacks at one corner were on fire, but
they kept watch and put it out till the dan
| ger was past The fire jumped more than
| 20 feet when it came into the yard, and it
came within a few feet Of the house.
| Groves, our next neighbor, had to fight
about as hard as We did ~ save his build
ings. This was in the afternoon, and the
| wind was northwest The fire went on
east Of us and took Mr. Cunnnghams sta
/ bile. think he was in town at the time.
| His wife took five horses out of the stable
aud when she was coming out with the last
ones the roof fell in. The fire went on to
| Murse's, aud took his stable with five cows
and two horses then 10 Young's, and burn
ed his stable and about 1000 bushels Of
grain In the night the wind changed to
southeast, and carried the fire north 1t
burned over my claim, with two stacks of
hay The next morning, seeing the fire
was going north, f.. decided to go up to
cousin l.. 5 and see if he needed help Mr..
Groves went with him. They saved his
house, hut the barn was burned, together
with all his feed and seed, pigs, chickens,
turkeys and hay. l.. saw the fire just at
daylight, and went out TO plow and back
fire - but he did not get time any more
than +. did, but had to run and whip his
cattle to place of safety
But our loss through here wasn't anything
like that north of US. As far as We have
heard, there were nine persons burned to
death, and there are but three houses left
in the valley township. \ family named
Tibbs, to whom we had rented our hotel for
IA few months, saw the fire coming and de
cided they could save nothing but the cattle.
Mr. f. took his wife and five children ON to
some plowed ground, and told them to stay
there while he went TO let the cattle out of
the stable He had five COWS, IA yoke of
oxen and several calves. But his wife
thought she could help, and started to go TO
him, and the oldest boy, aged seven, fol
lowed her. Mr. 7. saw her coming, but
before he could get 10 her, her dress caught
fire, and Just then they saw the boy coming
and saw him fall Mr.. T. ran to the boy,
losing sight Of his wife for moment in the
dense smoke, and when he found her again
her clothing was almost entirely burned off.
The boy died that night and the mother the
next morning. \ young lady living near
the 1ibhss was also burned to death. In
Rec Heights, the second town east of here,
- houses were burned, and in town still
farther east, the name of which | do not
recall, not "A single house remains. Mr.. In
gram, an old man living west of us, is sup
posed to have set the fire that went through
here with his pipe. He was smoking when
he went out after his cattle, and when he
came bdth lew minutes lhttl u HlioN
stack that he had passed was found to be on
fire. He lost his granary, farming tools
about 1000 bushels of grain, and all his seed
and feed. The fire north of the railroad
originated in the adjoining county, do moi
know how but if it had not been for tn,
fire last fall which burned all the grass
+ north of Highmore, nothing could have sav
ed the town.
+. went out this morning to plow unde
some seed that he had sown, but the win,
, blew So that he had to give it up, l neve
# saw the wind blow so hard as it did the da!
after the fire. All day long it did not hol'
up at all The posts of our stable were Sc
into the ground from foot and half T.
two feet and the wind raised them out o
= the ground five or six inches and kept tn
building rocking. 1t also blew away abou
= two tons of hay from the top of two stack
near the stable, and they were weighte
down. The telegraph wires would not wor
at all that day they tried to send despatch
es, but could not. We had lovely Marc
scarcely any wind but we are gettin
it now.
Our hens laid ,0l1 eggs last month, an
We sold IS dozen. They came to just $
Eggs are now only seven cents dozen.
We could get as much for eggs as you do,
would he worth while to keep hens.