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Prairie Fire in Nebraska
Raging Flames Sweeping
Phelps County
At Least Three Dead
A number of Ranchmen and Cowboys
are missing – Fire is sweeping toward the West Unrestricted
Kansas City, March 23. – A special to the
times from Loomis, Nebraska, says:
A prairie fire is raging through
this section of the state and already three deaths are reported, while a number
of farmers are missing.
Houses and stock running far
toward $100,000 have already been lost and the fire continues with unabated
fury.
August Olsen, an aged farmer, is
known to have been to have been burned to death and two of his hands are
missing.
James Lewis and William Anderson,
ranchmen are also dead.
A number of cowboys are reported
missing from different directions.
The flames are past all hope of
control and are leaping across the prairie at race horse speed, burning
everything in their path.
The Burlington Railroad has sent
a special train with fire fighters’ from Holdredge to assist the ranchmen in
saving the small town in the path of the flames.
From Loomis to the Platte River,
15 miles, the whole country will undoubtedly be swept clear by the fire.
Further west, toward which the
blaze is sweeping, the prairie country extends for nearly 200 miles. There are no streams of note along this
country and the fire may sweep to the bend of the Platte River
in that direction.
Gazette-Telegraph – March 24,
1904
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