Democratic Sentinel, Volume 19, Number 44, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 8 November 1895 — FLAMES SWEEP PRAIRIES. [ARTICLE]

FLAMES SWEEP PRAIRIES.

Indiana Towns Have Narrow Escapes from Destruction. The prairie fires which fiaye been burning south of Whiting, Ind.* for the last two weeks finally reached the border of the place Sunday.' At noon the Whiting, North Hammand and Standard Oil Company’s fire departments were called out, and fought the flamed all the afternoon. Two thousand acres between Whiting and Hammond have been burned. Much of this territory is a kind of peat and is still burning. At one time it seemed that the entire town of Robertsdale, with the Sheffield racing property, would be destroyed. The flames swept upon the

fence* end outhoase* beck of the first row of honses in the edge of town, burning them, end firing several cottages, but the combined efforts of the departments eared the cottages and fought the flames back. The soil about the town is sandy, and now that the grass has been burned off the flames hare receded aud the town is out of danger at that point. Prayers were offered Sunday in many of the churches in the Kankakee region for rain. The entire Kankakee region is one vast waste of ashes, with here and there the partially burned carcass of some cow or horse to tell of the fury of the flames. The fire is smoldering along the river for miles and the only danger now is from a high wind driving the sparks and burning brands to territory which has not been burned over. The crisis is believed to have been passed, though there will be frequent heavy losses until there is long and continued rain.