The Rich Hill tribune. (Rich Hill, Mo.) 1903-1911, 1904-03-10
PRAIRIE ON FIRE
GREAT DAMAGE DONE IN
OKLAHOMA.
CITY Of LAYTON IN PERIL ALL NIGHT
People Fought Desperately 20 Protect
Their Homes. Thousands Of Aerea
o. Prairie Burned-one Man Per-
lshed and Several Persons burned
Buildings Burned az Hobart.

LAwToN. o. T,-tspeciail Il =
with heartfelt thanksgiving that the
citizens Of I.awton saw the wind go
down AZ dawn Thursday morning. For
six hours every householder IN the
city had been battling for his home.
AT times Il seemed to be a struggle
for life itself. A furious gale. blow
ing az the rate OF sixty miles an hour.
vomlted flames and cinders upon the
city from thousands OF acres OF burn
ing prairie.
LAYTON Is absolutely without fire
protection, but had the splendid plant
hat the government is soon to build
been in operation it would nave
awaited nothing in such a torrent OF
smoke, clnders and gravel.
Each man as best he could. With
bucket and wet g~unnyssck, fought for
his own home. The marvel Is that
there was so little loss in the city
from fire. a half dozen barns max.
ing up the aggregate. The fire dam
age does not approach the injury that
the wind did in the city itself. but
the loss OF stock and property north
and northwest OF here is appalling.
SO far but one man. %. Harmon, Is
known TO have persisted In the flames.
His brother. Jack Harmon, however.
cannot recover. They were burned In
& house on the Strickland place, four
miles northwest OF town. A little girl.
the daughter OF Mrs. Henderson. a
widow. is so severely burned that she
cannot recover. Many others have
been so cruelty burned that recovery
is doubtful.
The soldiers at Fort Sill fought the
flames all night. Thursday morning
at roll call two men were missing.
and again the weary soldiers were
called 70 search for their lost com
rades. SO far they have not been &C
counted for.
II is supposed the flames started
some miles west OF IAwton from
sparks from a Frisco engine. That
was early in the day and the gentle
south breeze carried the fire north
aud away from town. II was about
10. 30 at night when the wind sudden,
~ switched. A furious norther drove
the flames Into the military reser,
walton. The cattle of the Apache lnd.
ians stampeded before r. The gov
eminent fences finally blocked their
wild flight and there sixty steers we're
inctnerRted. South Of the military
reservation Is the indian school ~
serve. with a bound the flames
crossed is two miles OF dry winter
pasture, and here It was At the town.
The residents Of the city. by heroic
work aud energetic back firing, saved
the town. But west Of the city there
were no wide streets 10 stop the
flames. nor were there 10000 people
TO fight them hack, Here was where
the great loss occurred.
Nearly leo farmers lost almos, sv.
eTything in the flames. r. e Tros.
per lost thirty head Of cattle, six hors'
es. chickens, hogs. house. barn and
every outbuilding. Warren Dunbar
lost a splendid barn. ). Strickland.
sexton az the cemetery. lost his house
and ou~tbuildings Thus Il continues.
There IL NO great suffering. the
homeless are being provided for and
the weather ia not cold
Another death has been reported
tina, of a boy whose chArred body
was found on the prairie a few miles
from town, % disfigured as TO make
Identification impossible.