Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1892-03-31
NOVEL FIRE FIGHTING.
Lashing Out the Flames of q Burning
Prairie with an Ox's Hide.

Lashing Out the Flames of Burning
Prairie with an Ox's Hide.
Whoever heard of killing horse or an
OK as the first step to be taken toward put
ting out a prairie ffreP What dweller in
the Dakotas has not heard of iti For it is
frequently done by the settlers of the new
northwest, where prairie fires are greatly
dreaded menace to life and property. It
was the chief of once important tribe of
Indians who remarked, upon completing a
sightseeing tour through the principal
cities of'the east, Good, heap good; not so
good as prairie f1rel"
One who has never seen prairie fire has
missed one of the grandest sights. To the
beholder who knows that no loss of life or
property will result from it such a spec
tacle presents picture Of grandeur some.
times too awful to be really beautiful.
If there were policeman on every rail
road locomotive in the Dakotas, to act as
spark arrester, the number of prairie fires
would no doubt be almost as great as it is
now.
The prairie grass of that region does not
remain green until killed by the frosts Of
autumn, but ripens as do the small grains
1t is plumply filled with an oily substance
very nutritious for grazing purposes and
highly infammable. The exceedingly
meager rainfall and the entire absence of
dews in the greater portion of those states
serve to put the grass in the best possible
condition for making a fierce, quick fire,
when aided by the strong winds that al
most constantly blow over those prairies.
Every dweller of the great northwest is
more or less familiar with prairie fires.
They have often at nightfall seen their
1urid lights in the distant horizon, or by
day their huge volumes of smoke rising
and bending with the clouds, and many
are even familiar with the consuming
march of the flames themselves. Probably
the first intimation the settler receives of
an approaching fire comes from the falling
of burned particles of grass, that have been
carried long distances by strong air cur
rents.
Later on smoke may be seen on the dis
tant horizon, which increases in volume
and blackness until the whole sky may be
darkened; or, if the night be coming on,
the flames will light up the whole land
scape and their glow will be reflected
above. The wise Dakotan has his farm or
ranch protected by firebreaks. These are
usually made by plowing two strips, few
flrrows wide and several rods apart, and
Burning the grass between.
There is but little likelihood of putting
out Dakota prairie fire during the day
as the wind, which is almost invariably
blowing, and which the fire seems to
greatly increase in force, never lulls until
the coming of night. Then, though there
is no dewfall in that region, the fire burns
less fiercely and may be at times entirely
extinguished. The most successful method
of putting out fire, and one frequently
employed, is to kill horse or cow, and
splitting the carcass drag it along the fire
line and over the flames, which are thus
extinguished.
This is done by attaching long wire ropes
to two limbs of the carcass, to each of
which is hitched horse on which is an ex-
perienced rider. One of these horsemen
rides on either side of the line of fire, and
by skillful refining they draw the body of
the dead animal directly over the flames
Sometimes a fresh hide, weighted down
with pieces of iron fastened to it, is used
instead of the carcass of an animal. By
this method line of fire twenty miles in
length may be cxtinguished in one night
Men on foot usually follow after the horse
men and put out any fire that may remain
after they have passed.
The scene presented by such company
of fire fighters is extremely weird and one
which beholder is not likely to forget.
Fortunate it is If those interested COM
plete their work before the coming of
dawn, for if they do not the rising of the
wind may send the fire leaping over the
area of country they have labored to save,
and hlackened plains and the smoldering
heaps that mark the sites of former ranches
and homesteads will tell the oft told story
of the Dakota prairie fire. Chicago Her
aid.