The Brandon news., 1904-03-10
FURIOUS FIRE
AND DISTRESS
HUNDREDS, HOMELESS EXPOS.
ED TO BITTER COLD.
NUMBER OF LIVES LOST.
Prairie Swept by Devouring Flames
Driven by Terrific Gale From ths
North.-Many Farms are Devastas.
ed.-Towns Invaded.

Oklahoma City, Okla.-Driven by
terrific gale from the north, which al
times reached velocity Of ninety
miles an hour, prairie fire swept
over $4,000 acres in Comanche county.
infiicting damage now estimated al
100000. The city of Lawton was
saved only by extreme effort, while
many farmhouses were consumed.
Klowa county was also visited by a
prairie fire during the storm, while
damage is reported from all over the
Southwest. The losses from wind and
fire reported to date as follows:
Hobart, OyOO0; Vinson, $4,000;
Lawton, $4,000; small country towns
aggregate $4,000; farm property,
100000.
Persistent reports of loss of Efa
come from rural districts.
Lawton, Okla.-Five persons were
burned to death and 5000 square
miles OF territory in Kiowa and Co
manche counties were swept by prai-
RE fires, according to reports received
here. Hundreds of people are home
less and it is impossible to estimate ae-
curately the financial loss, owing to
the wide extent of country affected.
AT Hobart, the county seat of Kio-
wa the fire approached from the east,
destroying the stables on fifteen
ranches, two residences, two business
houses and various small buildings.
Spreading to the southwest the fire
swept $4,000 acres of government mid
itary and timber reserve and Indian
School reserve, destroying several In
dian houses and forty head of govern
ment cattle. Spreading westward the
flames covered miles of the homestead
district, destroying houses, barns and
stock.
It was In this district that five per
sons are reported to have perished In
attempting to protect their prsnerty.
The names of three have been Earn
ed. They are: Dock and John Har-
man, brothers, and a man named Fish
er.
The two others were women and
their names have not yet been learned.
Late at night the fire began moving
southwark toward this city. At mid
night five thousand people Of the city
were up to battle with the approach
ing monster of destruction. TIE ad-
vance line Of the fire was fully two
miles in length and came In semi
circular form. A thousand men turn
ed their efforts to checking the flames
in the grass borders Of the reservation
at the city limits. Water from every
source, carried in every conceivable
way, was distributed along this line
and carried all around the city lin
its. This served the purpose of check
ing the advance lines of the fire but
was of little avail in hindering the
continual rolling of the fire brands in
to the streets of the city. In more
than a hundred places flames arose
from dwelling, barns and outheuses,
but wherever blaze grew men were
present to quench it with water. As
a result Of the cool judgment Of the
fighters, the city's loss was only $fe,-
600.
Stories are coming in of how fami-
lies lay out on the prairie thrssghout
the freezing night after the STORM had
passed with only the thin clothes ON
their backs as reminders Of the onca
homes.
Destitute an in Pain.
Hundreds of people are destitute
and are suffering intensely from the
cold and with excruciating pains &C.
casioned by their burns. Clothes, med
icine and physicians are being sent
out from all the cities and towns Of
the district to relieve the suffering.
Cavalry from Fort Sill and officers
from this city are searching for miss
ing men, women and children.
I. C. Strickland, the sexton of the
Lawton Cemetery, and his wife and
two children, were seriously burned.
The mother and one little daughter
may die.
r. E. Trosper, living three niles out
of Lawton, lost all his property, q
herd Of cattle, and was burned seri-
ously, but with his entire family In
night clothing, escaped to ploughed
ground and remained In the cold night
air until dawn.
A report has been received at Fort
Sill that an entire Apache Indian va-
lage was swept clean. The report has
not been verified.