The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-03-05
At Least Five People are
Burned to Death.
HUNDREDS HON ELESS
The Fire Swept Over an Immense
Territory. At Midnight Five
Thousand People Were Bat
Ting With the Flames
at LaWton.
(By the Associated Press.)

! Lawton, Okla, March 3.-Prairle fire.
that swept over large portions of Kiows
and Comanche counties last night de
stroyed hundreds of farm buildings ant
much live stock, made 1000 persons home.
less, caused the death of several persons
threatened a number of towns and swept
away scores of buildings on the outskirts
of the towns. The following deaths ar,
verified:
DR.. HARMOND, six mics from Lawton
body found.
UNKNOWN BOY, body found on prairie
near Lawton; burned beyond identified
ton.
JOHN HARMOND and a daughter OF
Mrs. Henderson, living near Lawton, were
fatally burned.
The country was very dry. no rain hav-
ing fallen for months. Grass and stuhble
fires, set by farmers as is customary at
this season of the year We're driven be-
yond control by violent gale which
rose suddenly.
Estimates of the loss exceeds 5000, 900.
Reports say that more fatalities are
expected as the reports from districts are
meagre.
At Hobart the county seat Of Kiowa
county, the fire approached from the
east, destroying the stables and fifteen
race horses, fifteen residences. two bust
ness houses and various small buildings.
Spreading to the southwest, the fire
swept seventy-five thousand acres of gov
eminent military and timber reserve and
It'd ii
Indian houses and forty head of govern
ment CATTLE. Spreading westward the
flames covered miles of the honest cad dis
trict, destroying houses barns and stock.
It was in this district that five persons
are reported to have persisted in attempt
ing to protect their property. Two of
these were women and their names have
not vet been learned.
Late at night the fire began moving
southwark toward this city. At midnight
five thousand people of the city were bat
Ting with the approaching flames. The
advance line of the fire was fully two
miles in length, and came in semi crcu-
lar form.
thousand men turned their efforts to
checking the grass borders of the rcserva-
tion at the city limits. Water from every
source carried in every conceivable way
was distributed along this line and carried
all around the city limits. This served
the purpose of checking the advance lines
of the fire, but was of little avail in him
dering the continual rolling of fire brands
into the streets of the city. In more than
a hundred places flames arouse from
dwellings,, barns and outhouseS, but
wherever blaze gerw men were present
to quench IL with water. AS a result OF
the cool judgment Of the fire fighters the
city's loss was only 100000.
Families lay out on the prairie through
out the freezing night after the storm had
passed with only thin clothes on their
backs. Hundreds of people arc desti-
tute and arc suffering intensely from the
cold
Oklahoma City, Okla March 3.-Driven
by terrific gale from the north, which
at times reached a velocity Of ninety
miles an hour, a prairie fire swent over
$4,000 acres in Comanche county last
night. intiicting damage now estimated
at 5000 600. The city of Lawton was
saved only by extreme effort. while many
farm houses were consumed. Klowa coun-
ty was also visited by a prairie fire dur
ing the storm. while the damage Is re-
ported from all over the southwest. The
losses from wind and fire reported to date
follows
Hobart $4,000; Vinson $4,000; LaWton,
$1,000; Small country towns aggregate
$685. farm property 100000
Persistent reports of loss oil lie come
from rural districts; but, owing to diff
cultjes of communication they nave not
vet been confirmed.