The herald., 1897-10-05
Wipes a Little Village Off
the Map
A HUNDRED HOUSES BURNED
FIVE TIMES AS MANY PEOPLE
HOMELESS
The Prairie Fires in Dakota and Man.
itoba Cause Dire Suffering
and Heavy Loss
Associated Press Special Wire.

Associated freSs Speclal wire.
BUFFALO, N. Y, Oct. A special
to the Express from Wellsvilie, N. Y,
says: The little numbering town of
Austin, Potter county, was nearly wiped
oq the map by fire this afternoon and
evening. At about 8 o'clock a team
drove into the livery stable of W. r.
Phillips with a load Of straw The
straw struck against lighted gas jet,
and in a moment the whole building was
ablaze. The livery stable of P. A. Gal
up, just north was soon in ashes, and
the fire started for the business portion
of the town 1t was found necessary to
blow up the wooden building occupied
as a drug store by George Helmig in
ORDER to keep the fire from the mills. A
south wind was blowing ard carried the
fire TO the Methodist church and par
snage, the Presbyterian church and new
opera house.
The flames then turned toward the
long line of wooden dwellings, mostly
occupied by employees of the Goodyear
saw mills. ard soon eighty houses had
been burned 10 the grourd. The big
pumps, which are supplied by main
pond rear the village, and which are
used only in case of fire, were found to
be entirely useless on account of the
scarcity of water, the pond being at this
season extremely low.
A special train was rur. from Costello,
a peighboring village, which carried to
Austin all the fire apparatus which could
be produced in that town. Tonight the
main dwelling street is a smouldering
mass of ruins Only five dwelling
houses are left in the town Fully 500
persons are homeless, and are seeking
refuge in the few business houses on
Main street Insurance men who are
on the scene of the disaster place the
loss at from S165, 900 to s225,000 Tonight
the town is infested by gang Of toughs
from outside places, and it Is feared tina:
considerable of the property saved will
fall into their hands.
PRAIRIE FIRES
RAPID CITY, S. D., Oct 4.-Serious
fires have been raging north and south
of this place for four days and the citi-
zens are exhausted from fighting the
flames to save their homes. All night
900 men made desperate stand against
the line of fire approaching from the
north and finally succeeded in saving
the town, though many farmhouses
were burned. The fire had approached
within two miles of Rapid City. 1t had
been burning for four days in the heavi-
est timbered part of the Black Hills. 1t
was swept toward Rapid City in solid
sheet Of flame two miles wide. From
various points in Nebraska come reports
of disastrous fires Much farm property
has been destroyed and much stock has
perished. The woods and prairies are
very dry, no rain having fallen here for
two months.
Persons just in from twenty miles
north state that as a result of the big
prairie fire one person is dead and others
may die.
Hundreds Of tons Of hay and grain
were destroyed The fire was caused by
making a fire break.
AT WINNIPEG
WINNIPEG. Oct. 4.-Reports continue
to come in from all parts Of the country
OF destruction from prairie fires. Ap-
peals were made in all churches last
night for aid in that part of the country
where two men and five children had
lost their lives and many other families
had narrow escapes.