Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1913-02-03
IOWA PRAIRIE FIRE.

IJoe Rowan in Dows Advocated
With this mental picture in view, let
the reader imagine the prairies afiame
with long lines of fire, Illuminating the
landscape, but reader must also note
the irregularity of the firelines, caused
by the irregular conformation of the
grounds over which the fires have traT-
,eled and also by the difference in the
amount of grass and vegetation met by
the fires. In some places, for illIstra-
ton, the river bottoms, the grass was
much heavier, denser and taller, the
bottoms at that time being covered in
many places by blue joint" very
tall grass which was excellent for hay,
and sometimes reaching height OF
four feet. When the fires were driven
by high wind where the blue joint
was, there was a rapidity and an in
tense heat which nothing could with
stand, but on the highlands where the
grasses We're shorter the fires pro-
crossed much more slowly and yet
there were times. when the season was
dry and the winds forceful, when the
fires progressed with great rap1dity,
even on the uplands Often farmers
lost large amour. of hay. for in those
days every man went oct where he
pleased on the prairies and cut his hay,
stacking it on the prairits and the one
thing to do was to guard against the
certainty of prairie fires, and this was
done in two ways. back firing and
blowing. and sometimes by com bina-
ton of both
The back firing was don. when there
was but little wind, and several persons
were needed. Small fires were set at a
distance from the stacks and as fast
aus they burned a small space. were
tramped out on the side next the hay
and allowed to burn on the reveree
side, and two Of these burned out rings
We're made around the stacks, but
sometimes this had TO be done hurried
~ as the prairie fires We're in view
and rapidly approaching. / viii here
narrate two fires which will serve as
avoid it Forty years ago my brother,
Joseph, since deceased, was taking my
daughter, Emma over to Boone river,
when wind-driyen prairie fire was
discovered rapidly approaching. He
had matches along and got out and
fred the prairie and large space was
burned before the fire was near, secur-
ing their safety but they were nearly
suffocated with the smoke
A fire which came IN from the east
in the fall of 80 caused great excite
ment. The fire was rather from
the southeast and struck the grore near
where the Sts1ens place is. and every
one who could was there was fighting
the fire for nearly rwenty-four hours,
but one thing made it memorable In
tie middle of the afternoon when all
were busy fighting to keep the FIRE out
Of the timber and from burning up the
Ford propety. loud rum bling sound
was heard and everyone looking up
saw a brilliant meteor fash across the
sky and burst into Thousand frag-
ments, with terrific noise.
The prairie fire is now only rem
but how ] wish ! could describe the
beauty, the grandeur, the gublimity OF
the long zig gag fires when darkness
save that Of the fires. had enshrouded
the prairies. but. alas! Words fail TO
describe thing like this. Miles and
miles of fires. wind driven over the
seemingly unlimited prairies. now dy-
ing down and then when the prairie
winds rose flaming up in dazzling red
brightness seen nowhere else on earth.
But the prairie fires have passed from
view and the few fire fighters who re-
main are fast passing. leaving only an
occasional one who knew these glorious
days