The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-01-12
THE PRAIRIE ON FIRE.
Description OF Thrilling Scene by
One Who Has Seen 1t.
Mai. Burke. in chicago Inter+ocean.

fuckers, some tied, some browsing
around. according to local custom. Sud-
denly Buck Taylorsuncoiled his six foot
three of muscle off table whence he had
been gazing out Of window, and shouted {:
Look at that fellow coming! Wonder
what's behind him2n II
Slithering over the prairie like a streak
of lightning was Buffalo Bill's best racer,
kite" who had record of l :43 On
he dashed, the crowd growing more put-
zled, till we made out little Johnnie Nell
son on his back, without saddle or bride,
only just the halter rope. and presently
he flew past, unable to stop him, and
shouted to Buffalo Bill, who stood at the
doorway: F.e ts1af. f.1
"Firel Pop says prairiel whoa boy,
whoa boyv"
While the tlehalf-breed was curbing
his steed the crowd turned out and
blanched cheeks. Sure enough, there
beyond Cody's ranch was the dull, black
50 fearfully well known to the old hands
and, horrors of horrors! the
WIND WAS DEAD
on the town Kite circled around with
the foam on neck and sides, and his
young rider yelled out his appalling mes
sage again: ~; r~.4
"Pop, says the prairie fre-to come
be pretty d--n quick, or theren be hi"
Next instant the crowd were scramb-
ling into buggies, catching horses, seiz-
ing blankets, overcoats and rugs from
the stores together with matches, rope
kegs of kerosene-anything to assist
in the struggle with the flames. If Buff
falo Bills ranches were burned the town
must go, for they were all that separ-
ated the open prairie from the wood
city. The colonel naturally took com
nd hfa RYsuf inc Vsau
Where are the plowsln
"Out on the ranch,'' says the young
ster. -. -.
Fright" says BiilEnever a man Of
many words, and ina twinkle he was
mounted on Old Charlie, and off like
flash, followed heller SHELTER by the
whole crowd, In the direction of the thick,
black smoke that was rolling up in the
east and increasing in volume every in
slant. MY Godp' says somebody; cold
Jack Moulton is doomed But there was
no time to discuss that question. 1t was no
SLOUGH OF A SCARE,
that. You know what fire is in brick
built city; but Judge what hurricane of
destruction comes when the thick, tall
grass Of prairies gets afame, and there
are no barriers to stop the march of the
roaring devil that sweeps on with a
tongue of fire ten miles wide, and seems to
revel in the havoc it is making. The Great
Scott, it makes my hair stand on end now
to think of it!
About two miles out on the ranch we
were met by scores and hundreds of
frightened cattle, horses and mules
Moulton's and Cody's undertaking on
in maddened terror to escape Cody
hastily ordered some Of his men to head
them off, so that they would cross the
railroad track, behind, which we kept a
strip of land ready burned of in anticipa-
ton of some such event, and then off we
plunged again.
About half mile beyond the home
stead Major North, BFoncho Bill.and the
ranchmen had already started six big
plows-four and six horses to plow,
man on the leaders, another to handle the
whip alongside and two men taking turns
at the handles, making fire break, or
plowed strip of land to the river bank.
Other teams with water barrels were
streaming along; and presently dashing
here and there giving orders and dis
patching couriers, rode Buffalo Bill,
whose arrival was the signal for wild
shouts of applause. The little army
knew that his experience would tell
him what best to do. Dipping long ropes
in the kerosene and lighting them, dozens
! of us rode alongside the furrow nearest
the approaching danger, firing the grass
close to the plowed ground.
BURNING LINE
! to the river was soon slowly cracking
against the wind, while with wet blankets
| ran here and there, men whipping out
any stray sparks that crossed the border
or fell from the air which had now be-
come almost sitting hots.the 4fine ashes
which were falling making 1t look gray,
as if it showed. Faster approached the
great mass of smoke and flame 1t did
not sweep along as. the 'tback fire. did,
but jumped 100 yards at time, Kissing,
rumbling. cracking as If it were snap
ping up forest of young timber. A
grand sight and a fearful one; though
we'd not much time to look at it. We
just put In five years work il one hour,
reckon, and some of us-old John Nelson,
! especially-fought it so close that he had
beard and eyebrows singed.
There was a dead silence. "My gal
Annien was missing and we gazed at each
other with Mortified faces. Then old
Jack turned to Chicago with lightning in
his eyes.
"She stood beside you as you mounted,
you cur! Why did you leave herr"
The youngster mutbered something
about having no time, but, almost before
he had opened his mouth, the old man had
cut him down senseless with the butt of
the heavy whip he carried. Next mo-
ment he sprang to his saddle and would
have forced the trembling horse back
toward the approaching flames, but the
iron hand of Buffalo Bill had gripped the
bride
"Moulton, )" said heY ''it's awful; but l
can't let you commit suicide' So.
All this had passed in a few second S,
and our boys were still working away for
dear life all along the ''ire break" In
the meantime the
THE FRIGHTRD, FBIeBTEHED HORSES
which had been turned loose, their
masters being at work on foot, had dashed
off for the ranch, with old Charlie at
their head and couple Of cowboys at
their tails. The backfre slowly worked
to windward, and when it reached dis
lance of about "a quarter OF mile 1T
seemed, all at once, to be swal-
lowed up by billow of flame, which as 1t
struck the saving shore, leaped a hun
dred feet in the air and turned to clouds
of the blacklist smoke.
Then rose mighty shoutfrom the river,