The Topeka state journal., 1897-10-09
BURNING UP.
Uncomfortable Fires Raging in
Swamps and Forests
In Various Parts of the COun-
try Resulting From DrOuth.
LOSS is ENORMOUS.
Hundreds of Acres Burned Over
in New York.
Lumber Camps, Mills and
Houses Swept Away.
GREAT BEDS OF FIRE.
Indiana Marshes Burn to a
Depth of Four Feet.
Unprecedented DrOuth Prevails
in Many States.
Crops of All Kinds Have Suf-
fered Great Damage.
SCARCITY OF WATER
Is Proving a Serious Matter in
Many Localities.
Crops of All Kinds Have Suf-
fered Great Damage.
SCARCITY OF WATER
Is Proving a Serious Matter i'll
Many Localities.

Albion. n. Y, Oct. 9.-Tonawanda
swamp, on the south border OF Orleans
county, is on fire. Farmers have quit
work to fight the flames and save their
buildings.
Hundreds of acres of farm lands have
been swept by fire and great damage
done. Two lumber camps in the swamp
have been utterly destroyed, mills and
huts and huge stacks of timber being
licked up by the fire as if they were
tinder wood.
South Bend, Ind, Oct. 9.-The marsh
fires that have been raging in this
country, have done much damage to
many huclSlebeTry marshes, as well as
burned much hay and many fences. In
some cases the woods have burned. on
q 800 acre marsh tract a few miles
south of this city, the marsh muck has
been burned down distance of three
or four feet to the underlying clay,
creating in places great beds of fire
under heaps of ashes
Fort Scott, Kan. Oct. 9.-In south
western Kansas the drOuth that has
continued unbrOken for over two
months is the worst that is remember
ed by the oldest inhabitants In CherO-
kee Crawford and Montgomery cOun-
ties not half an inch of rain has fallen
in three months. At GaIena, Baxter
Springs and Columbus the dust is SO
deep that, on a windy day, business is
perceptibly affected by it.
In this city, according to the report
of w. w. billiard. the government OBJ
server, only 40 of an inch of rain has
been precipitated in over six weeks, and
for many weeks the water company has
been channeling the MarmatOn river
for miles into country to let the water
down from the deDressiOnS in the river
bed.
The situation recently became so ser
iOuS that the company sent a former
superintendent here from Baltimore to
rnIa hn ir1f 1f
economy in the use of water.
For a month or more the stock ponds
have been dry and the stock feeders
and farmers generally have been com
PEELED to drive their stock to the rivers
for water With a large per cent of
them this means a drive each day of
from three to ten miles. The pastures
are burned up and most of the stock is
being fed. Vegetation of all kinds is
blighted and the trees have been pre-
maturely stripped of their leaves.
The merchants of the cities and towns
where street sprinkling has been neces-
sarily discontinued on account of the
scarcity of water, have experienced q
material depreciation in their stock on
account of the dust having blown into
the stores. On a windy day the stores
are closed tightly and in many instan-
ces the stock is kept covered. The Fort
Scott Water company has not only shut
off the street sprinklers, but has pub
1shed a notice requiring all patrons to
discontinue the use of their lawn
sprinklers and asking them to be as
economical in the use of water as pos
sible.
Owing to the scarcity of water on the
farms it is almost impossible for an
overland traveller to get water for him
self and his stock. Nearly every farm
gate bears a sign reading: No Water
Here"
The condition of the soil is such that
no plowing has been done and the acre
age of winter wheat. which would have
otherwise been larger than for many
years VIII be greatly reduced.
CnntOn- Mo, Oct. 9.-The last gener-
al rain of any consequence in this sec
ton was during the first week in JULY
Local showers of little Importance have
since visited several portions but the
drouth has been practically continuous
since that date Pastures are dry and
crisp. Early in September trees Dre-
sented the appearance of having been
visited by a killing frost, leaves driving
and shriveling up and falling off
The scarcity of stock water is caus-
ing farmers severe Inconvenience. With
In radius of six or seven miles OF this
place farmers daily haul water from
CIintOn'S flowing artesian wells At
every hour these are crowded with
teams hauling wagons of barrels and
awaiting their turn. Dust in the coun-
try is sitting.
The drOuth has seriously affected the
apple crop and ruined the late peaches.
The potato and turnip crop is consider
ed nearly an entire failure
hTank1oII, Ky, Oct. Sc Ommi iSsiOn-
er of Agriculture Moore in his month
ly report, says that the tobacco s,roD
has been cut short 16 per cent as a re-
suit of the drouth in Kentucky. The
corn crop is also badly damaged. Hogs
are reported dying in many counties for
want of water.
Sloan Springs. Ark. Oct. g-The
drouth throughout this section of Ar
kansas and all the eastern portion of
the Indian Territory still continues and
the situation is daily growing more
alarming. In many neighborhoods
throughout the Cherokee country de-
structive prairie fires have been rag
ing ever since Monday.
The damage has been very great.
Thousands upon thousands of tons of