New Britain herald., 1925-03-27
TERRIBLE FIRES
 RAVAG|NG PLAINS
Three Towns Burned, Several
 Lives Already Lost
ny The AssocIated press.

l ny The Associated Press.
 St, Paul, Minn., March 27.--I'ire
 lighters in two widely separated
 areas. today continued their battle against prairie fires which have. ac- pording to unconfirmed reports. de- Itroyed three villages, taken the lives of four persons and devastated more than 300 square miles of land, after raging virtually unchecked for two days.
 Lives Are Hampered
 In the Rosebud Indian reservation country of South Dakota, near the Nebraska border, volunteers from six counties were fighting blaze which had leyelled the villages of Tutbill, vetel and St. Francis, in South Dakota. An Indian woman, her two children and another child were reported burned to death at Tuthill. The other fire was sweeping into northern South Dakota from southern North Dakota and. though in early reports yesterday. was said to be under contr6A later was re- ported to be fiaring across huge strip of land.
 Vast Arcar Rayaged
 Reports that four persons perished in the fire when it destroyed Tuthill could not be confirmed early today. Several persons were reported in- jured, while great property damage was suffered near the South Dakota Nebraska border. In that territory. pioneers characterized the fire as the largest in their memory. About 100 square miles of land was said to have been laid waste, with the flames pushing on toward Valentine, Nebraska,
 Thousands of tons of hay, several head of cattle, farm buildings and machinery were destroyed, according to reports from the Rosebud coun- try There are no telephones in the l heart of the fire area and effortS to notify those in the path of the blaze were unsuccessful.
 A school house on the Rosebud reservation was destroyed latest re- ports said. and information from Cody and Nezel, Neb., was to the ef- feet that persons in those towns were awakened during the night and 1 congregated in hotels, ready to flee should the fire surround the towns. | With farm telephone lines down, fire | fighters returned to their home in the towns were depended upon for /, information. Two hundred head of i cattle were lost near Cody, Neb., re- i ports said.
 Finally Under Control |
 ThsIfre on the North and South Dakota border. burning from Walk ! pala, s. D., to Sefridge, N. D., over 8 rectangular area, estimated at more than 100 square miles, was late yesterday reported under control after destroying five farm houses near selfridge, an unestinated amount, of hay and 200 sheep, Later however, was to the ef- feet that the flames were within eight miles of Wakpala and were be- Ing swept by a heavy northwest wind.t Corson County, s. D., and r Sioux County in North Dakota were bearing the brunt of the flames.
 Isolated Fires
 Several small isolated fires also reported in the three states, but farmers and townspeopIe were able to cope with the situation in each instance. '...
 A thirty mile an hour wind pre- vailed in the Rosebud country at last reports and the flames were said to be making jumps of several hundred yards in some instances. Streams and roads were straddled by the fire. Fire fighters were hopeful of get ting the situation in hand should a more favorable wind prevail today, put latest indications were that the gale would continue strong.