The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1908-09-13
COUNTY BURNING
BENEATH RAYS OF
BL|STERING sun
Ground Is Parched and Many
Fields Are Ablaze From
Sparks Emitted From the
Stacks of Locomotives.
EXPOSED RIVER BOTTOM
SHOWS MANY SAND BARS.
Glover Cut and Lays on the
Ground, Farmers Fearing
To Permit Engines to Enter
Their Fields.
WHOLE COUNTRY SUFFERS.
MANY THREATS OF RAIN FAILED
CLOUDS THOSE OF SMOKE
FROM FAR DISTANT NORTHERN
FOREST FIRES.
FRUIT is SHRIvELING UP.
The Corn Crop 10 Not Alone In DAM
age Done-Wheat Sowing. Delayed
Cutting Corn for Shocking and
Feeding.
MANY THREATS OF RAIN FAILED
CLOUDS THOSE OF SMOKE
FROM FAR DISTANT NORTHERN
FOREST FIRES.
FRUIT is SHRIvELING UP.
age Done-Wheat Sowing. Delayed
Cutting Corn for Shocking and
Feeding.

Water, water, we need water"
This is the urgent cry of the rural
residents of Wayne county. 1t has
become more and more pressing as the
days have passed, but there has been
no answer from the clouds. And now
the pleading is going up from city res
idents and townsfolks. Cisterns in
the city are going dry. lawns are
parched and the sod has baked.
Richmond is remarkably fortunate ).
It's supply Of hydrant water and there
is little likelihood of the drought MAX
ing danger from fire greatly imminent,
so long as the large springs that fur
nish the supply continue their unin-
terrupted flow, there Is no chance for
local water famine.
The Whitewater river shows plain
est the effect of the continuous dry
spell. II has not rained in this vicin-
ity since August II. when the fall
amounted to one half of one inch. In
countless places the bed of the river
is exposed. Long sand or mud bars lie
bare and the mud usrface has baked
to crust. The larger rivers have de-
creased in volume with the falling of
of the supply from the tributaries. At
Cincinnati the Ohio is but four feet
deep. Boys and young men are wad-
ing and swimming clear across the
river. At the mouth of the Licking
river they are catching fish with their
hands A fall of foot and a half will
decrease the water volume one half.
In the rural sections clover Is cut
and remains laying upon the ground
where it was left by the mower.
Farmers are afraid to take thrashing
machines into the fields, as the sparks
from the engines might cause con-
fagrations. For days the grass along
the railroads through theS county has
been burning. Farmers have plowed
about the edges of their fields ada
cent to the right of way Of the rail-
road to prevent spread of the fires.
Fence posts have been burned of at
the ground, and the loss from this
source will be great.
And there are no indications of
conditions becoming better. The whole
country Is suffering in the same man.
ner. Rain has been falling and storms
have ragged along the gulf coast and
there has been little rain In the Da-
kotas, but elsewhere none. Neither of
these conditions offer any hope OF
rain in this district Fair tonight
and Sunday. Not much change In tenn
looking ahead thirty-six hours.
| Many days during the last several
weeks there have been what have
seemed to be threats of rain. but were
not. Days have been slightly cloudy
and the air has had that feel of inn
pending rain that most people accept
as a sure sign of its coming. The ex-
PLANTATION given for this Is that the
clouds are clouds OF smoke. It is
/ from the Northwest where forest fires
are raging, and have been raging for
weeks. Minnesota. Wisconsin and
Manitoba Many find this explanation
difficult to believe until they are re-
minded of the manner in which ashes
were carried almost around the world
after the volcanic eruption In the Isle
of Martinique.
/ Corn Crop Has Suffered.
As for the damage done by the
| drought, the corn crop has suffered
most. There should have been liberal
rains In July, August and this month.
i Conditions have been made bad for
autumn sowing of wheat. too. since
the ground is so dry and dust so pre-
4 yar<rt that uhoox Sruvv. v,rv fu vnnwn
likely to shrivel up and die than to
take root and grow. The result 10
seen in the grain markets. where corn
has already climbed high, and next
/ years wheat is selling at advancing
figures. Vege tables have been damag-
ed and the supply Is short Stock il
suffering because of the parched mear
down and grazing lands Alfoxefher