A Prairie on Fire.

Te Aroha News, Volume V, Issue 206, 11 June 1887, Page 4

A Prairie on Fire.

A special from Atobkon, Kansas, says :—: — The reports concerning the destruction of life and property caittod by the great prairie fn-ethat swept over a portion of Atchison and Graham counties Saturday last, are yet meagre, but c-n-ough i-> known to appall the stoutest hearts. The lire started near Nicodemus, in Girtham county. The wind, which was blowing forty miles an hour, car vied the flames over the dry grass at a frightful speed. The geneial destruction of the property commenced near Roscoe, in Graham county. Here the fiie spread over the country for fully two and a half miles in width, and as the wind carried io north, it was constatitly spreading until it was 7 miles wido where it eroded the north fork of the Solomon river, throe miles east ot Dinsmoie, Bouses were burned and eveiy fetable with its stacks of hay and cribs of grain was burned, leaving hundreds of families almost destitute. It is pitif till to pass o\ er the burned disl trict and .see the thousands of burned chickens, turkeys, and hundreds of hogs, with occa&ional horses and numerous cattle. Almost every farmer lost from 50 to 500 bushels of corn, beside small grain. It is definitely known that from thirteen to sixteen lives were lost in the two counties, but the names have not been learned. Four children perished in one family. How far the fire extended north from Solomon is not known, but it must have travelled a longdistance. At the same time another fire> swept doAvn the south forks of the Solomon^ to a point near Millbrook, sweeping every?, thing in its path, and burning six persons-. to death, a father, mother and four children, and a large number of cattle, horses, hogs: and poultry. In one instance a womanprematurely gave birth to a child. "When the- fire Avas discovered approaching, heii" husband took her in his arms and started, for ploughed ground, but before he reached iii the woman's clothing Mas on fire. Hq succeeded in putting it out and saving, her life. The babe, less than an hour old,. was with the other members of the family and was saved, but the hou.se and other property on the farm was destoyed. Hundl'fi^S- of narrow escapes could be related.