The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1916-03-18
Many PRAIRIE FIRES
Parts of Four Counties in West
ern Part of State We're
Burned Over.
SEVERAL RANCHES DESTROYED
Motor Cars Loaded with Volunteer
Fire Fighter were Rushed to Scene
From Dodge City.


Gently. The largest started some
where in northeast Finney county,
burning over parts Of Lane, Hodge
man and Ness counties, covering a
territory estimated as fifty miles long
and twenty miles wide. There is a
prolific growth of grass and the fire
was hard to fight There was a stiff
southwest wind and the flames swept
everything before it.
The people in the path of the fire
had hard work to save their homes
Cattle were driven in old fields for
safety, and women and children were
frantic.
1t is reported that one boy, whose
name could not be learned, was burned
to death and many others had mar
row escapes. Bert P. Rose, II miles
northwest of Beeler, was badly burned,
but not fatally. Jean Miller's ranch
was entirely cleaned of feed grass and
buildings. This is a fine ranch in
southeast Lane county, and new build
| ings in course of construction were
! burned. Much feed for stock was de-
stroyed. People from all sections hur-
ried out to fight the flames, and many
went out from Ness City in motor cars.
Several families are said to be home
less. No stock has been burned so far
as known
| Every available man and motor car
in Dodge City that could be spared was
rushed to the scene of the fire in an
effort to stop the conhagration.
Later two fires started in southern
! Ford county and burned to the south
ward driven by strong north wind.
! Over rural telephone lines efforts were
made to gather enough fire fighters to
! plow guards to stop the flames. One
I fire started five miles south of Kings
/ down from the burning of the Mohler
home. The second started south Of
Bloom. The wind rolled smoke and
f1rebrands in advance of the flames,
/ making it difficult for the fire fighters
/ to work.
K. U. Professor Resigns.-Dewitt c.
Croissant, professor of English at the
University of Kansas, has resigned
from the faculty to accept a similar
position at the George Washington col
lege, Washington, D. G.
| x X x
Fort Hays Entry Won.-James R
Start, representing the Fort Hays Nor
/ NAL, won first in the Kansas inter
normal oratorical contest at Pittsburg.
The subject of his Grafton was, John
Smith and Henry Jones and the War"
X X x
Killed BY Own Motor car-George
| K. Colties of Oxford was killed by the
overturning of his motor car near Win
| field recently. He lost control and ran
over a 1O-foot embankment-
Country Club for Pittsburg.-Mem-
bers of the Pittsburg Country Club
dedicated their new $4,000 clubhouse
recently with a Mardi Gras celebra-
ton. With the clubhouse, the Pitts
burg people acquired a golf course,
tennis courts and a lake.
To Give Wesleyan s25, GOETHE
Alumni Association of the Kansas
Wesleyan university viii raise S25,O
to endow a chair of philosophy. The
fund will be raised by means Of life
insurance policies on certain of the
members to become paid up and ne
| gotiabIe in ten years.
%\%
l
gram for the annual meeting OF the
Kansas Editorial Association, which
will be held at the University Of Kan
sas May and in connection with
Kansas Newspaper Week. has been an
nounced by ]. - Napier, president.
Irwin Cobb will deliver the principal
address unless he is called back to
the war zone.
Center of the U. S.-A monument
will be erected on the exact geographi.
cal center of the United States, which
is in Smith County, Kansas, if the plan
to raise fund started recently by the
Smith Center Commercial Club sue
ceeds. Surveys will be made at once
to determine the exact location OF the
monument.
Landmark Burns.-Fire of unknown
origin destroyed the implement store
OF Wright & Turpin- at Americas. The
building was one of the oldest in town
having been built before the Civil
War. 1t was the property Of J. s. Glib
son Of Americas and ". E. Miller OF
Council Grove.
x x x
Cabaret at Junior Prom.-Cabaret
4 performers from Kansas City were
brought to the junior prom at the Uni
versity of Kansas, which was given
In Robinson Gymnasium the other
night. The cabaret luncheon was an
innovation for K q. proms-
Two Pioneers DIe.-Two Franklin
county pioneers died the other morn
, ing. James Bay OF Williamsburg had
been a resident there for forty-fEe
years and Mahlon GroenmilIer, z
wealthy farmer and stockman, also
came there many years ago.
=
End SFneIter StriIee1The Joplin Orr
and Spe1ter Company and the Smelter
mems Union OF Pittsburg, affiliated
With the Western Federation s7F Mn