Fort
Dodge, Iowa
Prairie Fire
November 2, 1860
Horrible accident
Five Persons Burned to Death
Daniel Swearingen,
a farmer, going from Tuscawara [sic] county,
Ohio, to Fort Dodge, Iowa, while crossing the
prairie, near the latter place, on the 2d inst,
with his wife and four children in a wagon, was
overtaken by a prairie fire, and all except the
father perished. The Nevada Advocate
says:
Without other warning than a moment's sensation
of heat as felt through the cover of the wagon
in which they were all traveling in fancied
security, they were overtaken by fire on the
prairie. Before any measures for protection
could be taken, the wagon cover was in flames.
In a moment the bedding and other inflammable
material was on fire , and before Mr. S. could
make his way out of the wagon, through the
flames, his clothing was on fire.
Unfortunately as he fell out of the wagon, he
was kicked by one of his horses, and for a time
stunned beyond ability to help the others.
He revived in time to see his wife fall from
the wagon, burned to death, and to drag from the
flames one of his children, already dead.
His own clothing was burned entirely from his
body, and he is severely burned, especially in
the head, face and hands. He is at present
sightless, but hopes are entertained of his
recovery, and that his eye-sight is not
destroyed. Two of the children were literally
burned up in the wagon. Of one, nothing could be
found but the skull; the other a charred mass,
in which was no trace of humanity left. One of
the horses was burned to death in the harness;
the other succeeded in freeing himself, but is
badly burned. The dead are
Mary Ann, the wife of
Mr. Swearingen,
aged 30 years;
Sarah Jane, Rebecca Ellen, George Dalton and
Sabrina, his children, aged
respectively, eleven, nine, seven and two years.
The calamity occurred about seven miles
northwest of this place on the Fort Dodge road,
in a small basin, or commencement of a water
channel.
The Daily Dispatch, Richmond, VA 12 Nov
1860
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