Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1913-04-19
FIRES UNDER CONTROL
Nearly Thousand Men Trying to Check
Confagration. Forestry Officers
Doing Great Service.


many fires been started as in the past
week, and owing to the high wind that
has prevailed, they have been wide
spread and destructive.
The first that started broke ont on the
ranch owned and occupied by Mr.. Ed.
Lindsey and family, and near the Smith
ranch, about three miles east of Pringle,
and soon reached the Tanner ranch five
miles south. 1t spread rapidly as it
went and for while the Highland"
ranch (now owned by Mr.. Emanuel Nc
Kirshan) was in great danger. From
there it swept on and took in the ranch
owned by Mr.. Abner Cole, and we regret
to say it destroyed everything in its path
and house, barn, stacks of hay and grain
all went up in smoke.
The ranches of Charley Baker, W. II.
Warren, and Walter Scott were saved by
the strenuous efforts of the forest ra ngers,
assisted by the neighbors and men from
Custer and other towns. 1t is estimated
that not less than thousand men flock
ed to the reserve and helped to get the
fire under control. They came by team
and horseback and on foot, and it would
seem that all the automobiles were
pressed into service for the emergency,
and to their credit be it said they done
good work. Custer, Prinsle, Keystone,
Hill City, Rapid City, Hermosa, Buffalo
Gap and Hot Springs were all represent
ed, and all used their best efforts to SUBJ
due the conhagration which at this
writing is considered under control.
Forest Supervisor lines, who had the
direction of the work, laid out good
plan Of battle against the fire and his
efforts brought results. The scope of
the fire as near as could be ascertained
extended about five miles north, three
miles east, five miles west, and two
miles south from the point from which
it started. We are told that consider
able lumber, ties and cord wood was
burned, and Of course millions of feet of
excellent timber was destroyed.
There is saying that calamities
never come singly, and this was made
| true by another fire which started near
j. e. Browns ranch, three miles south
west from Custer, on the same day. 1t
spread rapidly and burned with great
fury, threatening the Nithrow place
and the state sanatorium. But the pso-
pie from Custer and the surrounding
country gathered en- masss and by their
united efforts soon got it under control.
The Burlington railroad company is de-
serving of greal deal of credit for the
prompt action which it took in coming
to the assistance Of the fire fighters, in
transporting them from place to place
and in keeping train at the disposal of
the forest reserve officers.
Another fire on the 10th got started
on the Cy Robbins ranch by some care
less fellow driving along the road and
after lighting his pipe threw the lighted
match into the grass. 1t soon caught
and was burning towards the buildings
and hay stack, and in another five min
utes these would have been destroyed.
There were no men on the place, but
fortunately there were two ladies, wives
of Mr.. Henry Raver and Charles John
son, who from the house saw the flames
and realized the danger. These two
brave women rushed to the scene and
with their wet mops soon put out the
fire and saved a good deal of valuable
property. OF course it is hard to tell
what a woman will do in case of an
emergency, and in cases where their
sympathy or friendship is enlisted, they
have been known to do some brave and
strenuous things. Still we question
whether there are two other women in
the county who would have done so
brave and kindly act.
And still another fire was started on
the 18th, and this occurred near the
Illsley ranch, about nine miles north
west of Custer. VIM. Lovett, with bis
automobile loaded with fire fighters,
and several other wagon loads of men
with the necessary tools furnished by
the forest Office drove out to the scene
of confagration. The fire was gotten
under control before much damage was
done.
1t is not out of place to say right here,
that there is too much carelessness ex-
hibited on the part of many of our citi-
zens or these fires would not be so COM
mon. The man who will throw q
lighted match into the grass needs a
guardian, and the man who doesn't
know any better than to try to burn up
worthless straw stack with the wind
blowing gale, should be consigned to
an institute for the feeble minded. That
is very mild expression of our private
opinion. We hope there will be no more
of such carelessness.
Fire at Elk Mountain.
Elk Mountain, 9. D., April IL.