Show I AN OCEAN OF FIRE Two Kansas Counties Swept by Seething Billows of Flame Human Lives Lost and Property Shriveled Up in the Burning Waves of the Prairie Governor Hill of New York Kills a Well Digested Republican Partisan Parti-san Job With His Little Veto Au Appaliiiff Visitation ATCHISON Ks April 13A special to the Champion says The reports concerning i the destruction of life and property caused I by the great prairie fire that swept over the eastern portion of Norton and Graham counties Saturday last are yet meagre and unsatisfactory but enough is known to appal the stoutest hearts The fire started near Nicodemus in Graham county The wind which was blowing forty miles an hour carrying the flames over and through the dry grass at afrightful speed The general gen-eral destruction of property commenced near Roscoe in Graham county Here the fire spread over the county for fully two and ahalf miles in width and as the wind carried it north it was constantly spreading spread-ing until it was seven miles wide where it crossed the north fork of Solomon river three miles cast of Dinsmore A few houses were burned and every stable with its stacks of hay and cribs of grain was burned leaving hundreds of farmers almost destitute It is pitiful to pass over the burned district and see thousands of burned chickens turkeys and hundreds of hogs with occasional horses and numerous cattle Almost every farmer lost from 50 to a 500 bushels of corn besides small grain It is definitely known that from thirteen to sixteen lives were lost in 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 traveled a long distance At the same time another fire swept down the south fork of the Solomon to a point near Mill Brook sweeping everything in its path and burning six persons to death father mother and four children and a large number of cattle horses hogs and poultry In one instance a woman prematurely prema-turely gave birth to a child when the fire was discovered approaching He husband tooK her in his arms and started for the plowed ground but before ho reached it the womans clothing was on fire He succeeded suc-ceeded in putting it out and saving her life The bade less than an hour old was with the other members of the family saved but the house and other property on the farm was destroyed Hundreds of narrow escapes could bo related |