Prairies On Fire

Kansas City, Ma, Oct. 31 -Report received here from Kansas show that Tast prairie fires are raging all orer the western part of the state and also in many counties in the eastern part. From Franklin county comes the report that thousands of tons of hay have been burned, while. corn in shock and bins have also been destroyed. The flre in Gray county is supposed to have started from a spark from a locomotive, and as the grass is like tinder it spread rapidly and soon swept over the county, licking up everything in its path. In Butler county the flames overtook a herd of cattle, and sixteen head were burned, while seven others were so badly injured that they will die. Not only was the grass burned but every house in the line of the flre was destroyed, and frorn the meager details obtainable it is thought that seven houses were burned in Butler county alone. In Franklin county two houses have been burned with all their contents, and the fire is still raging fiercely. In Ford county the people had no time to prepare for the fire and were compelled to flee, leaving everything behind them and losing all the grain, buildings, stock and implements in the place. Thousands upon thousands of grazing lands have been burned over, and as there were many berds of cattle upon them, numbering into the thousands, the loss among cattle is supposed to be very great. There is no authentic report of loss of human lives by the fire, but it is said that two men who were fighting the fire near Beaumont were overcone by the flames as they were running toward the town. They hava not been seen since. They started along the track, but the people of the town were so busy looking after the safety of the place that they did not pay much attention to the men. Near Argonia Mrs. C. Twining was burned up in her house. This fire surrounded the town of Argonia and it took hard work to save the buildings on the outskirts. A telegram from üuthrie, O. T. , received late Friday night says prairie fires have swept over the entire Pottawatoiflie reservation and the adjoining oounties, doing thousands of dollars' damap-e. llundreds of farmers have lost all their hay, grain and pasture, while a score or more have their homes destroyed. Many new settlera were caught on the road and their wagons loaded with their household goods burned. No Uves were lost bnt a larg-e amount of live stock perished, and the fire is still raging in the wooded district, wbere hundreds of people have been ffghting1 the flamea all day. Mandan, N. D., Oct. 31.- A prairie fire that started Thursday night northwest of Mandan and burned toward the Missouri river did considerable damag-e. A range 40 miles by 20 miles wide was burned. Momesce, 111., Oct. 81. - Prairie firea are Bweeping the country east of this city between the Chicago & Indiana coal road and the Kankakee river. The heaviost losers thus far are the Cuatfleld brothers, one-half mile east of Momence, who lost all their farm buildings Friday afternoon, including1 4,000 bushels of grain and a large amount of hay and implements. Their loss is between $5,000 and 56,000. Farther east and south the fire swept over a dozen farms, bui-ning several liundred tona of hay, but destroying no buildings of considerable valué. Unless the stiff south wind abates the loss will be much larger, as the fires are still burning. índepknuk.nck. Ma, Oi-t 31.- Prairie fires near here destroyed sixty acres of corn and thirty tons of hay, besides several sheds, board fences, etc. St. Lolis, Xov. 3. - Forest fires are devastating western St. Louis county. The damage vvill reach a considerable figure unless rain saves the threatened property. Tom Nicholl's homestead fire started the blaze. The house was consumed, a loss of $.",000. Mascoctaii, III., Nof. 3.- Forest flres have been raging in Kaskaskia river bottora, 10 tniles south of here, for several days. Some farm property and a vast amount of timber have been destroyed.