Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 41, Number 12, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 20 October 1908 — FIRES AT SHELBY HAVE BEEN RAGING [ARTICLE]

FIRES AT SHELBY HAVE BEEN RAGING

Hundreds of Acres of Land Burned Over and Great Amount of VjDamage Results. t^

Shelby, Ind., Oct. 17—Fires have been started in the dry vegetation along the Three Eye railroad near this place and have been conque ed ■with the greatest difficulty. The greatest loss occur: ed on the Nell Brown ranch east of this place. The fire spread so rapidly that it ran over about 2,000 acie3 of land and sheep that were grazing could not escape and about 46 perished in the flames, and 23 others were so badly burned that they had to be killed, fences also suffered and one cow was so badly burned that she died. Alio 2CO tons of hay, and 35 acres of corn. West of Shelby about a mile' fire was started by the Three Eye and burned over a thousand acres, burning up stacks of hay valued at $330, belonging ■io a. man named T. i. Carew. The fire also burned to the P. J. Larson’s farm but did not do much damage to him, burning 120 rods of fence and runnnig through the orchard, where It is estimated that S2O damage was done, alio burning 1,500 feet of lumber. . At J, E. Castor’s (arm it burned a tool shed 12x42 feet in dimensions, 75 shocks of corn, a binder, 480 fence posts, chicken house, oil tank, 3 tons hay, barn 18x40, granary 12x16, a quantity of hardwood lumber, 4 barn

doors, 40 bushels of corn in crib, 1 ton of hard coal and some other farming tools, a cow shed 18x45, Corn crib Bxl6 and ajot more corn, 3 piles of lumber, with an estimate total loss $1,200. At Snyder a fire dealroyed the house and barn of Honey, the caibbage man. His cabbage crops and horses were burned. At DeMotte a residence was burned. At Wheatfieldi 19 ricks of hay and a school house were burned. .The land is so dry that a spark) from an engine sets the ground afire and it takes heroic efforts of section men and volunteers to put out the fire. At Caster’s a hard time was had in saving the house. G. W. Gaidley, the dredge man, who is building a big dyke here, took a load of volunteer. fire fighters to Caster’s in his automobile and they fought valiantly to put out the fire. Two road bridges were burned near the bouse. ... At Fair Ooks some fires have been started by both the Mpnop and C. & E. I. and heroic efforts were made all day Friday to conquer the flames, Theo. Warren bad a felid of corn ruined by the flames. At Shelby the section bands are burning along their right of way to protect the surrounding count: y. ——— ■ ■