The Butler weekly times. (Butler, Mo.) 1881-1918, 1904-03-10
LIVES LOST IN THE FIRE.
At Least Four PeriShed in South
western Oklahoma.
Hundreds Of Persons Homeless and
Property Loss Heavy---LawtOn and
Hobart Narrowly Escaped
DestructiOn--S
Horses Consumed.
Horses Consumed.

Lawton, Ok March . AT least
four persons persisted, several Others
received mortal injuries, hundreds
were rendered homeless and thou.
sands Of dollars worth OF property
was destroyed in u prairie fire which
swept over Southwestern Oklahoma
last night.
ID. Hammond, two unidentified We
men and an identified boy were burn.
ed to death All these persons lived
in the vicinity OF Lawton.
John Hammond, a brother OF ID
Hammond, will die, Others who re-
ceived dangerous injuries are; Mrs
Henderson, u widow, who lived three
miles from Lawton. aud her two
daughters, and A. n. rawford, A. s
Strickland and X. Z. Trasper wen
slightly burned.
BURNED OVER 3, 900 SQUARE MILES.
The territory devastated included
approximately three thousand square
miles. The fire started when the
great wind and sand storm it's
height, Many wires are down and
communication with several towns il
cut off. For this reason details OF
the catastrophe are meager. Anesti-
mate based on the Information at
hand places the property losses at
follows; Hobart, 100000; Vinson,
$4,000; Lawton, S., 600; smallcoun-
try towns, $4,000; farm property,
100000.
The fire started about nine miles
southwest of Lawton and for a time
this place was believed to be doomed.
At midnight 5000 people OF the city
we're up to do battel with the flames
Hundreds OF women and children
bundled together their apparel and
left the city while the men remained
for the fight.
TWO MILES OF ERE.
The advance line of the fire was
fully two miles in length and came il
a semi-circle; great balls OF fire wer
carried high into the air and burste'
into fragments like immense bombs
On the ground punches of burning
grass, strips of flaming timber, artl
cles OF household goods, brough
across the blazing prairie, rolle'
along, leaped all impediments, skip
ped avenues and flung themselves in
to the faces OF the battling people
glided beneath houses and barns an
|, rolled down the streets, passing on
, their mad rush for liberty and d.
struction.
A thousand men turned their e
, forts to checking the grass border
of the reservation at the city limit'
Water from every source carried !
D every conceivable way. was distribu
ed along this line end carried a
laround the city limits. This serve
the purpose of checking the advant
fines OF the fire, but was OF little ava
in hindering the continued rolling
the fire brands into the streets of tt
city. In more than a hundred plac'
the flames arose from dwelling
barns and outhouses and wherever
blaze grew men were present
: quench it with water.
q FAMILIES ALMOST FREEZING
a Stories are coming in tonight
. families which laid out on the BARR
t. prairie through the freezing night
g ter the storm had passed with on
IN the thin clothes on their back as
minders Of once prosperous homes
IN Hundreds OF people are destitu
" and are suffering intensely in the co
and with the excruciating pains {
- casioned by their burns. Cloth
medicine and physicians are bel
" sent out from all the cities and tow
y OF the district to relieve the suferir
~ A corps Of cavalry from Fort Sill
searching for missing persons.
- Anadarko, Ok, March 5.-F
" started in the horse barns at the I
! " grounds adjoining Hobart on
" north about 8 o'clock last night.
wind blowing at the rate OF eigl
~ a.