The weekly tribune and the Cape County herald. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1914-1918, 1914-11-27
FOREST BLAZE
HIDES CAPE IN
CLOUD OF SMOKE
Residents of This City Unable
To See Sun For One Whole
Day.
FIRE SWEEPS SWAMP,
NOW RAVISHES HILLS
ConflagratiOn is Burning From
Few Miles of Cape Down to
Arkansas.

4
raging for the past week in the swamp
lands in Southeast Missouri anC
Northeast Arkansas, show no signs OF
diminishing, and in fact are no longer
confined to the sunken areas. The fire
has reached the hills bordering the
low timbered lands, and are sweeping
the entire country south of here.
1t is reported that the fire extends
as far into Arkansas as Hot Springs
and much property has been destroyed
in that locality. The flames have
| made their appearance in the hills
southwest of this city, and are plainly
visible from the Bloomfield road.
Railroad men report that all along
the Hoxie line, the forests are burn
ing, and that between this city and
Chaffee the electric headlights will not
penetrate the smoke for a distance of
forty feet.
The dry leaves feed the flames and
all attempts to check their progress
by the construction of fireguards have
proven useless on account of the fly
ing embers that are carried by the
breeze for great distances from the
burning tops of the dead stsading TIM
Der.
1t is believed that the entire timber
ed section south of here will be de-
vastated in case there is not a heavy
fall of rain within the next few days.
The swamps are unusually dry for
this season of the year and the exist
ing conditions render it almost impos-
sible to resist the fire.
The smoke from the forest confa-
grafton has obscured the sky all over
Southeast Missouri and into Arkansas.
A heavy cloud hung over Cape Cir
ardeau yesterday, and as a result, the
steamer Rees Lee narrowly avterted
crashing into the ferry boat Gladys
during the afternoon.
AS the Rees Lee approached the
city, Capt. Roy Jaynes pulled away
from the wharf and started on a trip
to the landing on the Illinois shore
He did not see the approaching steam
ar, and had knowledge of her presence
until her whistle sounded but a short
distance ahead of him.
In speaking of the incident, Mr.. Jay
nes said: eve were pulling up the
river through the dense smoke, in
tending to get above the bar just south
of the power house before starting
across.
"The smoke was so dense that we
could not see our way ahead of US,
and for that reason we sounded the
whistle at regular and frequent inter
Gals, in warning to other crafts, of our
location.
81 did not know that the Rees Lee
was near until she blew her whistle
when directly in front of US and but
short distance away.
even at that time she was not Wis
ible, and rather than take chances on
pulling out into the river and attempt
ing to go around her, we hurriedly
changed our course and pulled in I'M
der the bar where we knew it was i'm
possible for her to come.
"The move proved to be a wise one,
as before we were fairly turned, the
big steamer doomed up in front of us,
and instead of being headed directly
down the river, was almost at right
angles with the stream and had we
delayed our action but few seconds
longer, there would have been a COL
lision, and the little ferry boat would
have been crushed. and perhaps both
vessels sunk.
"The Rees evidently had pursued the
course it had taken in order to miss
the dixie, and in cutting across to the
Missouri side and come in such close
contact with the bar on the Missouri
side, that she was compelled to head
straight out in the river in order to
avoid going aground.
"After the danger was passed and
the larger boat had gone by, we con-
tinued our trip and felt our way in
safety to the Illinois landing"