The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1909-10-21
PRAIRIE FIRES
BURN PROPERTY
SIX HAY STACKS DESTROYED ON
FRIDAY.
ENGINE STARTS THE FLAMES
IN THREE DIFFERENT PLACES IN
THIS VICINITY.

A freight engine going west soon
after dinner Friday set three prairie
fires In the immediate vicinity of
Brookings, which. had they occurred
at night or had not scores Of men
turned out to fight Them, would have
undoubtedly destroyed thousands of
dollars worth Of property.
The first one started about one
thirty o'clock about half way between
here and Aurora and before it was
under control it had burned over mile
Of territory. Fortunately e. w. Nc
Knight Of this city, was close to the
fire when it started and he summoned
enough help to check the flames be-
fore they had reached any farm build.
ings. A ten-ton stack of hay belong
ing to Thos. Morris was burned, but
this was about the extent of the dam
age in that vicinity
The second and most dangerous fire
was started in the railroad yards in
this city, just south Of u. Prentice s
house. The fire swept southeast with
the wind but before it burned far
the citizens living in that neighbor-
hood sent in a fire alarm which was
responded to by the fire department.
The flames had already reached the
sheep sheds of Fl. b. Greenly and were
threatening the stockyards when the
department arrived. Considerable
trouble was experienced in getting
water, as over 300 feet of hose had
to be laid to the nearest hydrant and
that piece of machinery refused to
work properly. However, the boys did
good work and soon had the flames
under control. A wind that approach
ed a gale was blowing and it is al.
most a miracle that the whole section
south of the track was not destroyed
The flames approached to within
a hundred feet of the stockyards and
had they reached that point it is hard
to predict where they would have
stopped. The big oil tanks Of the
Standard Oil company are located
about 200 feet from the stockyards
with high grass and weeds between
and had the fire reached them an
immense amount Of property would
have been destroyed by the explosions
The damage done by this fire was
not large, but had it not been for the
effective work Of the fire company
and citizens the North Western would
have had several thousand dollars
worth Of losses to pay. In this con.
nection we might mention the churl
ish attitude of a train crew which
was switching in the yards at the
time. They pulled down the track
to the c. ossing over which the fire
company had line of hose stretched
compelling the boys to uncOuple the
hose, and remained there at least ten
minutes while the fire was at its
height. Finally Chief of Police Gul-
lick told them to take their train and
get out of there or he would arrest
they whole bunch, and they got.
The third fire and the one that de-
stroyed the most property started
about a mile and a half west Of town
just west of the city pumping sta
ton. This was just beginning to get
a good start by the time the fire in
the city was under control, and City
Engineer Morton, ]. w. Warren and
the writer walked out there. The
party reached the fire zone just in
time to save stack Of hay for RobtI
Olson by "back-firing." Mr.. Olson
saved another stack by plowine
around it, but had five others destroy
ed The prairie fire was at least 6
mile wide by this time and was go
ing south at a rapid rate, so wore
was sert to- the city ard Il freight
train brought out the fire company
and the chemical engine. The party
which numbered about fifty, armed
with wet sacks and brooms, were
able to beat the flames out before the,
reached the buildings on the Olsor
farm and also saved four stacks o
grain farther to the west which tn,
flames had almost reached
THE BIG RED APPLE.