The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1894-10-26
PRAIRIES ON FIRE.
Flames Sweeping Over
Nebraska.
ONE MAN AND HIS PIPE
Responsible for a Vast Deal of
Mischief.
FOUR HUMAN LIVES SACRIFICED,
And There Is Reason to Believe
That Thousands of Cattle
Have Persisted.

OMAHA. Nebr., Oct. 25.-A special to the
Bee from Hyannis, Nebr., says: This
week has been a direful one in large
portion of the sandhills. Devastating fires
swept through the western part of Cherry
aud Grant counties, burning on the CT; b
side of the Burlington and Missouri Rail-
road track TO within about four miles of
hyannis. Lashed on by furious wind,
the fires travelled at a pace that carried
onsteTn alton as well as destruction. The
fire north of the railroad was set the first
of the week by man and his pipe about
ten miles northwest of Alliance. the
man was full and In filing and lighting
his pipe threw the burning match on the
ground where it ienited the grass In an
instant fire started, which, famed by the
northwest wind, at once set out on its mis-
sion of destruction.
Specific reports of damage done Cd the
ranches OF some of the sufferers are not in
yet. The losses in hay 80 far known are
as follows: Bartlett Richards, 1900 tons !;
NJ. A. Graves, 800 tons; Pat Moore, 100
tons; Mr.. West, 100 tons; H. Woodruff,
600 tons; Stanbv Bros, 1000 tons; j. II.
Miner, 1000 tons: Mason Bros, 1900 tons.
1t is reported that two men were burned
at Mullen. One is dead and the other
lying in q critical condition and will die
At about the same time another fire
started on the south side of the track, burn
ing everything clean from the track side to
the river At present the fire is largely
confined to the isolated districts of SheEi-
dan, Grant, Thomas and Cherry counties.
Little information is obtainable as the fire
is swept by high wind first in one direc-
ton and then in another, but the loss is
known to be heavy. The fatalities known
are as follows, though many unverified
rumors declare that many ranchmen we're
lost:
E l.. LDcher, ranch man. caught by flames
while trying TO save his home.
Bliss. brother-in-law of Locher.
Two unknown men.
In Sheridan County the fire has burned
over strip forty miles in width, and is
still burning. Thousands of tons of hay
have been destroyed, leaving cattlemen
destitute. The homes and stock of two
men were burned and the cattle range is
ruined. II will require thousands OF dol
lars to repair the great damage of the fire.
Nothing like the ruin has happened for
years. At Thedford, ten miles south, citi-
LCho "NlO Out uu vi a idkc HOuT last DIEUU
burning firegu ards, and at this time the
town Is considered safe unless the fire
should come in north of the strip burned
over yesterday. The wind is blowing at
the rate of sixty miles an hour, and grave
fears of destruction are expressed, as the
air Is full of smoke and cinders. SO far no
fatalities are reported in that locality.
Hundreds of thousands of head of cattle
are grazing in Cherry, Thomas, Grant and
other counties where these fires are raging.
These cattle were sent there from the
southern part of The State, where the
drought has been felt so heavily, and
were taken to the northern counties to
Craze for the winter. 1t is feared a large
portion of these cattle have persisted In
the flames. l. is almost impossible to get
any definite information concerning the
fires. as they are at some distance from the
railroad stations.