Rensselaer Republican, Volume 28, Number 10, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 7 November 1895 — FLAMES SWEEP PRAIRIES. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

FLAMES SWEEP PRAIRIES.

Indiana Towns Have Narrow Escapee from.Destructipn, The prairie fires which have been burning south of Whiting, Ind., for the last two weeks finally reached the border of

Ale place Sunday. At noon the Whiting; North Ilammnnd and Standard Oil. Company’s tire dejia rtments -were called out, and fought the flames al) the afternoon. Two thousand acres between Whiting and Hanunbnd have been burned. Much of this territory is a kind of peat arid is still burning. ’ At one time it seemed that tho entire town of Robertsdale, with the Sheffield racing properly, would be destroyed. The Hames swept upon the fences nnd outhouses buck of the first row of houses in tire edge of town, burning them, and firing several cottages, but the combined efforts of the departments saved the cottages and fought the flames back. The soil about the town is sandy, and now that the grass has been burned off the fianies have receded and the town ■is out of dangers t that point. Prayers were offered Sunday in many of the churches in the Kankakee region for rain. Thcentire Kankakee region in 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 (lames. The tire is smoldering along the rivqr 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.

HOLMES HEARS HIS DOOM.