The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1894-12-30
TO KILL HOT WIND
NIB. ANDREWS AND HIS THEORY IN
REGARD TO KANSAS SIMEON,
He Believes They are Generated From
the Great Burned Areas OF Prairie
in Western Kansas and He Wants
Tax Levied to Provide for Pro

Andrews of Ford county who is at pres
ent visiting his uncle, ]. S. Andrews Of
this city. Mr.. Andrews idea is to levy
a tax for the purpose Of fighting prai-
RE fires. He holds that the hot winds
result from immense burnt areas and
asserts that the western settlers are not
able to cope with the western fire fiend.
To a reporter for the Eagle Mr.. An
drews said yesterday:
! Recently the people have read and
heard a great many articles about irri-
cation. A more general, important
and far more reaching question as con-
Germs our agricultural productions is
protection from the effects of prairie
| fires. Irrigation is too much of an in
dividual interest. too local in its work
and benefit When we see millions of
dolloars worth Of labor lost by de-
struction of crops by hot winds, the
| question becomes one Of general inter-
est. Can hot winds be prevented?
| have been living ON one Of these broad
prairies 120 miles west of Wichita ten
years. I have conversed with many of
the older settlers as find them in al
most every city and town, and present.
| ing these theories many have not only
| agreed with me but suggested that they
be submitted to the public and to which
I call your candid consideration. 1 en-
phatically assert that the remedy
for our hot winds is in the prevention
of wide extended prairie fires. West
of Range % Of our state line, a belt 12O
miles wide and over 200 miles north and
south, the population is sparse and dur
ing the months Of March and April in
1883 over half this part of the state was
burnt over, leaving the ground bear
OF grass and vegetation. The hot sun
shining on this bare, dry surface rem
dered it remarkably hot and when heat
ed like bed Of ashes its heat is thrown
OH into the air and the prevailing
course OF the wind being inVaria bly
from the south and west the hot air is
carried from this hot bed over the state
during the months Of June and July
destroying the pollen Of a large por-
ton OF our crops, and as result gen.
eral failure. The fact that every two
or three years the western third Of the
state Is burnt over, more or less, that
IT becomes surface on which heat is
generated because of it's baroness, is a
fact hiatt should interest every farmer
and property owner in the state to
seek a sure preventative against future
crop destruction. The natural grasses
west are buffalo. bunch and blue stem
The last two can only live where fires
are prevented. The buffalo survives
but does not cover half the surface in
consequence Of repeated fires. The rays
OF light not being absorbed by green
vegetation are reflected and moisture
that would be retained in the earth is
drawn out, vaporized and carried away.
The evidence of this is that where the
buffalo grass is not burnt off for a num-
Der of years the soil retains the mois-
ture for weeks after the burnt off sur
face is hard and dry.
The smoother the surface the closer
the winds hug the face of the earth,
there being no objects to turn the
course of the winds upward. The low
er currents of electricity move along
the surface OF the earth with the wind
and when the rain cloud passes over
there is no connection between the low
err and upper currents of electricity
TO produce clap of thunder to precip- |
1tate the rain fall. We only hear a
rumbling noise and the rain cloud is /
waited upward and onward without a |
fall. Let the fires be prevented, grass |
grow and cover the surface, let dams !
be made in the draws TO retain the wa |
ter that falls and trees be planted |
around these dams, hedges be put out |
that will grow until the winds are |
turned upward, currents of electricity i
changed and our now hot bed portion |
OF the state will prove to be a produc- |
tive place suitable for habitation and |
at the same time protect the farmer |
throughout the state from the fell de- |
stroyer of hot winds. 1 am aware many /
will inquire where is our township fire /
guard law? Is it no account?' | ans |
wer, 1t is useless, because the popula- |
ton OF many of our western counties |
is not sufficient to protect themselves |
from fire. The burden of taxation |
should not fall on the lone settler when |
all are alike injured. Suppose a man |
in Sedgwick county, or any of our CEN
trally located counties has forty acres /
of corn in fine condition, all tasseled |
out and the hot wind cooks the pollen /
before the grain is formed, would it not /
be infinitely better for him to pay a
reasonable tax as a preventative to hot /
winds and save his crop. than to have
a partial failure or nothing at all but
fodder. What is true of corn is true of
very other crop that is likewise af-
fected. Local township officers are I'M
able to obtain force enough to do JUS
tice in fireguarding our western third
of the state. State officers should look
after this business, and a state tax be
levied to secure a proper amount of
work for a preventative of wide spread
fires, and only legislation that falls
short of this work of necessity will be
failure like our present fire guard law
on our statutes. Ten years of constant
protection would more than pay all
the state expenses by the sure Increase
of our agricultural products and in
crease of population because of the
proper protection Of the settlers interest
MUSIC AVID DRAMA.
The microscope man has decided to
stay in Wichita until p. m. today and
the machine will be on exhibition till