Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1889-04-05
MILLIONS In ASHES.
DEVASTATION AND RUIN WROUGHT BY THE
DAKOTA FIRES.
Nothing Stands n the Way Of Thsr Rssisless
Fury The Flames Leap Long Distances
After Fresh Fael-Ssyera Lives Los! and
an Awful Destruction Of Property.

MINNEAPoLIs, MINN., April during
the last two days South Dakots and MN
nssOts have been e9ept by series OF wind
storms which have caused hundreds of
thousands Of dollars damages to property,
and several lives have been lost. The storm
started Monday night, and swept over a
large aTea south Of the Northern Pacific
road in Dakots, and extending into the
southern tiers Of counties in this State.
The gceatsst damage has BOl been caused by
the wind alone, hut in many places fires,
famed intO f0ry by the storms, nave wiped
out OF existence several villages and hun
dredsOf fsrmers' HOUSES.
The towns almost completely destroyed
are VOiiu. Ohyet, Pukwana, Lssterviils
and NJ Vernon, and three or four other
villages were badly damaged. AT Violin
every house in the plcce except three IS
demolished, and one handred people are
without homes. LesteIyille was hatteDed
to the ground.
A terrible gale OF wind struck Mt. Yer
non ard fire started from a small house
that was blown ever early last night No
human power could stop the flames. and
in an hour the business portion of the
place was one great raging fire Nearly
two hundred families are homeless, and
the loss will foot up $4,000 It Is re-
ported that several parsons los. their lives
IN this fire. bat 70 confirmation has Jet
been received. Four large elevators 2nd
ths Milwaukee depot were destroyed
Near Blunt one man lost five hundred
head of sheep which We're caught ~
prairie ire Several head OF horses we're
s wed by swimming the river
10 many places the crops we're covered
BY the loose sand and dust and will have
to be re3lantsd. Travel was suspended on
soue lines Of road, 50 great wss the force
OF the wind The clouds OF dust prevent
ed engineers from se7iDg the track. a re-
port from Gary say the snn wss totally o.
scured, and the supersJitiOus thought the
end OF The world had come. Farm houses
and barns were swept sway ana horses aud
cattle were bur ed 10 death by scores
Near Milbank fifty hasd of live stock are
reported lost and the fire has swept over
twenty miles of the country, causiaS im-
mepse loss. The storm has aDstsd eome-
what. bu. the wind is Sc, high enough 10
keep the tres burning iercely, snd iur-
ther he4vy losses ara almost certain. Ine
damage in Minnesota is much less than Ia
Dakota, as the force OF the storm was
pretty well spent before 1t reached the
boundary.
A dispatch from YAnkton, OAK, says;
The records of the Signal Office show that
dnrirg the prevalence OF tine fires in this
rfaion the humidity was bat per cent,
condition Of drynss', Sergeant Oswald
saws never bt fore attained IN this region.
The maximum humidity il 100; the mean
annual humidity here 20. This soo"s
tbst the atmosphere wss almost devoid OF
moisture. TIE velocity Of the wind was
torty-six miles an hour. The losses iu
South Dakcls viii foot up 3 OOl, 600 a.
Low calculation.
A disDstch from Huron, Oak, says: No
prairie fre in the history o. this part Of
Dakota equals that Of yesterday. 10 tins
coutty the Losses are much less than IN tre
counties west. Half a dCZan houses were
burned and many settlers Lost their barns,
live stock ana q large quantity Of hay sud
grain. The wind wss from ti,ty TO sixty
miles an hour, and sent burning embels
over the plowed srOund ard fre-hIeass
several yards wide, setting fire 10 every
thing i'm their c0uyse The fire cane up so
rapidly that settlers bad only time 70 save
themselves, leaving their property 10 l5e
mercy Of the flames. In Sully and Hughes
counties 5000 600 worth OF property las
been destroyed. Near Highu;o e, Miss
Sweeney was burned TO death, and near
st. Lawrence, Mr Babcock persisted in the
hamss.