The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1894-10-28
wILDFIRE ON THE PLAINS.
MENoRABLE EXPERIENCES OF
SOME OF THE PIONEERS.
CONSIDERATIONS sweepi.e over Hussress Of
gsusre Niies sf Prairie sus nestroyisg
Evsrythtug n Thetr Fath-Savst ~
Raeh.nr - vvsua.
FrOm ne 81. Loot. Globe D.mocra,.

SENAeNEe WAVE.
Fom ne 81. Loot. Globe DEMOCRAT.
BEATRICE, Neb.. Oct. 1.-THE horrors of the
forest fires in Wisconsin, Michigan, and Mime
sofa, and the Losses OF farm property and life In
snd Nsbsrssss, have hsih broSs ISskC WivIdIy tonne he
minds Of thousands Of Western pioneers their
own awful experiences in times Of flame on the
not been in the midst OF q season OF prairie Ares
knows anything OF the frightfulness and suffer
ing OF such. an experience. The subject has been
dealt with by many a strong writer, but there is
nothing ln literature that adequately tells what
wrought BY such a fire cannot be realized by one
who has never seen the autumn flames among
the tall, rank grass Of the more fertile portions
itself is baked and hardened by the dry summer
weather and when the flames are urged onward
so largea part OF the prairie is now broken mp
ip most places that the. fires have lost much of
f isei Of G' The set, i.Ts snn max. Srsn Il. Gan S%s 70, % p Sery
erty and NE the @Erester. When the country
airy OF the United states, and even beyond, was
almost, or. for that matter. entirely unsettled.
a great fire could sweep almost from one end of
II To the other aud do no damage except To the
game II might o%vertake IN Its mad clnse. with
settlement the danger To man begins. and as
long as there are any considerable stretches Of
prairie there IS always danger unless the farm
buiidings, and villages are carefully provided
with fire-breRks.
Hoinme county, d.. T.. opposite NiObrara. Neb.
There was II strong southeast wind. and II swept
AWAY w VI nOTlnNtNI IOT OVER sUU nllltt, nCk-
ing up the dry prairie grass and rolling up great
columns pf smoke on the soft September air for
harlow. being kept from o Spreading 70 iSp tSe west
by the Missouri River. and from making much
progress TO the East ut first, by. the Jim River
and later by the wind. which shifted more 10
the east. Hut In some places the tract burned
over reached a width Of seventy-hve miles. and
II averaged. perhaps. fully fifty. II, found few
the Missouri; what few II did encounter II had
Ia the uas% rs : WIN y 3um lsIplii N er ,ssfsd' , ins di srsISis
streams, where the grass grows rank and tall to
the, very waters edge. seems almost past belief,
creeks are dry for the greater part OF their
course, and In case the fire can not cross In one
so IL PUSHES on. frequently leaving large I'M
burned, Irregular A-shaprd places along the
streams or lakes. hut leaving the country, as u
whole, black. barren, and fOrbiddlng.
This fire took over u week To 20 rather more
than 200 miles. This may seem slow, but sew
necessarily hipdered It's progress. There was
course. travelled very slowly then. At other
times, when II got among stretches OF blue Joint
travelled at such a rate that a horse. be he ever nae;
50 fast, could not keep ahead. The front was,
OF course, very irregular. and, as usual, Il would
main, line OF flame and rush onward. forming a
island OF burning grass behind. The LETT u the
mighty advanclnx column Of flame was re.
tHr1eu the second or tntru uAy IN un sstng
through the Bitou Hills. Later the right be-
came entangled among the Washington Hills
IL finally died out among the Coteaux. close to
the Missouri Rive. in the neigh6orhood of the
Le Beau and Bois Cache Creeks. In fact, IL was
there or the wind got into the south, il would
have swept on $50 miles further out OF Dakota
and ON into the British possessions, no one knows
how far. There were no settlers In Its track.
close TO the river. and no damage was done.
h NAaa mt tha Ii FUaa - ria ArA aNsAr 10 "a MN
In that country by any means. As late as 1881
a are swept down from the British Possessions
reached the Northern Pacific Railroad. OF l25
miles, Further to the north 1t was perhaps 200
the m,,t Missouri @ip' River uss'n85 One Dse OF p tSs srssde ses sish ~
that was possible TO see was Witnessed by the
passengers on the Northern Pacific trains dur
ferent places near its track. The tongues OF
seemed to be leaping NJ, higher and higher
they were really further away than they looked.
being held back by the company's nre-break or
There was no sleep on the trains passing that
fire, but the windows and platforms were crowded
passengers, eagerly watching the rolling.
foxes, Jack rabbits, and other animals would be
seen In great numbers hurrying before the
that some OF them were struck by the
train and killed. Those that reached the south
as the fire did not cross. Later in the sea
son: however, the usual smaller fires prevailed
tOutn OF the ROAD. |
Seven years before this a nre rolled across Da-
kota from the southwest. II reached Fort Tut
ten and Lake kampeska, ESQ miles apart, on the
same day. and IL was thought 10 he the same fire
- that there was an unbrnken line Of iamc be-
tween the places. II was supposed TO have been
by the Indians, according To = previous
arrangement, as a number OF separate hires Oc-
Cured along the Missouri River. In 1880 q
shiSd OF . r sIaTiS P nsSlPse'G srs fq fe over al f%s
s,ocEmen were looking up cattle range. along
Nha laAnn and ~ ~ nAnE la |
Woods Creek. They were careless
In covering their fire, and after they went to
prsiris nre' II stsmpeded tHSeIr horses. and
found them a week later among the Turtle
driven the entire distance ahead OF the fire.
In 1879 a great hre swept oyer western Ne
SIsssS , Ssrn ~ sb uoT HAY Lays H III sith Ter ; side OF the
times run n peculiar course among the Nebraska
sand hills. Coming up from the more fertile
little pillows OF sand piled up by the wind, il
ioes not ind the vegetation SUFFICIENT to sustain
Il, except In the few widely scattered and mar
row valleys winding an uncertain and serpen-
tine course among the hills. Following these,
inward a Score Of diaerssnt ires' SEEKING among
the labyrinths OF sand dunes a sea OF shifting,
moving sand some outlet TO the world from
Gradually these vagrant fires, sometimes rush
Ing along with the wind, and sometimes slowly
beating against IL, will come together as the val
Join until, at last, they may all Join In the
arger valley OF some stream aud so pass along
The escape from some weird, solitary, lonely
sand hills.
Every prairie town where the people are not
rs they Frequently are, by "a spirit Of
'rim!nal carelessnes- " surrounded 10y a fire
break. This Is usually made hy blowing y few
burrows just outside aud entirely around the
Further out, say 100 yards, another cir
lie OF burrows Is made, and then the grass Is
burned bet Seen them. This enerIuaiiy prevent9
any hostile hrr from aking the city. IL very
happens that this hre-Lrsak Is CON
'trIcted after the IRE which IL 10 intended to
guard against has APPEARED. On such occasions.
\ hilr one party goes out with bTuOms, shOyels.
I'D grain sacks, aud other weapons. 10 stay the
JruErrss OF The hre a. much as possible. another
attaches teams Ia all the plOughs that can be
uIud and begins To make the needed burrows.
he attacking party j. usually headed by the
Has ar. while the Justice OF the Peace or the
lawyer Is apt to lead the plough brigade.
rs sUDn aS the furrOws are turned the back
Ire :" lelMeen Is sIArLnal. and usually the town Is