Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1891-09-25
Further Particulars Regarding the
Terrible Prairie Fire in
Emmons County.
George w. johnson and Son Burned
to Death While Fighting
the Fire.
About 5000 Bushels Of Wheat
Burned in the Vicinity of
Williamsport.

The following details of the destruc-
tive prairie fire in the Williamsport coun-
try are taken from the Emmons County
Record:
Tuesday night and Wednesday FORE
noon abig prairie fire was seen approach
ing the Williamsport country from the
south The citizens we're called out
Wednesday, but it was too late. The
fire jumped the public frebreaks, which
has not been burned between. The
flames were stopped about two miles
south of town, the wind changing to the
east and carrying the head fire away to
the west. During the night the wind
changed to the southwest, and at day.
light Thursday morning to the west.
The flames came rapidly from that direc-
ton. A large part of the fire was ex-
tinguished between Tom Kelly's home
stead and the center of the north line of
section 2, on the public firebreak. But
it passed through between Ed. Herrick's
place and DR.. Roop's tree claim, and
bounded away to the east on it's work of
destruction. The fire was extinguished
out in the Roop neighborhood.
Word comes from the country south
of Beaver Greek that George w. johnson
Jagged about fifty and his son Ga young
man) were burned to death by a head
fire. MI. Tabor, father of Mrs. L. A.
Couch, was also severely injured by the
flames while fighting them southwest of
town.
The fire crossed Beaver Creek near J.
w. Wescott's destroying a large lot of
hay for HIM.
Wallace Petrie, south of Beaver
Creek, lost the grain he had saved from
a previous fire.
BY back firing along the Bismarck
road northeast of town the fire was kept
out of Williamsport.
Probably as much hard work was
never before done in the same length of
time by the people of the Williamsport
ne%ighborhood.
Reports from the southern part of the
county are anxiously awaited, as the fire
is thought to have come up through the
thickly settled Hollander and Russian
settlements.
So far as heard from, plenty ofrange
has been saved in each neighborhood.
Following is the estimated loss of
wheat in the Williamsport ~neighborhood,
in bushels:
Thomas Bottomley, 1000; Mrs. Ra-
chel Procunier, $50; j. B. Brinton (Crog-
han place,) 500; E. G. Packer, $50; VIM.
Margach, 500; E. A. Keebler, 1000; Den
ham 4 Rhud ION Rhud place. 300; Jas.
per DeHham ION Albright place. $50;
John Perry, 300; Chas. Chapman, 200;
s. E. Wood, $50; DuHeaume & Rush
(DuHeaum farm,) 300; Joseph Caldwell,
200; H. D.. Conner, rs.
1t should be borne in mind that the
above figures are not exact, as in many
instances the losers have not yet been
seen and the figures are given by neigh
bors. Furthermore, both acreage and
yield per acre are estimated. In addition
to loss of wheat, there was a little hay.
Billy Margach lost his stable, a seeder,
header-box, wagon-box, chickens, etc.
The house on the Brinton place was de-
stroyed and Fl. G. Rhud and Chas. Chap
man lost their stables.
By a fire on South Prairie, Thursday
Of last week, Messrs. Fosburg, Mahaney,
Herholz, Honstain, and Parker each lost
hay or grain or both. The Record is
unable to give particulars, further than
that a muzzle- loader shotgun dropped
from the wagon of Joseph Bollinger,
went off and set the prairie on fire.