DEATH: "We mentioned in last week's ADVANCE the fact that Phineas Gage, of Seward, had been seriously burned by a prairie fire on Wednesday, the 14th. -- Mr. Gage died on Thursday and was buried on Saturday. On Friday we called at the farm of Weston Gage, son of the unfortunate man, and from him learned the particulars of the old gentleman's death.

"It seems that a prairie fire came in from the west, and while Mr. Gage, jr., was back firing about the base of a hill to the north of the house, the old gentleman crossed the hill to see about the fire on the other side. While there, it seems, some one set a fire in the rear of Mr. Gage which swept down upon him with the speed of the wind. He was forty some rods from a strip of breaking [?] but old and lame he was was unable to reach it before the fire caught him. Seeing that flight was useless, he tore up the grass and the earth and endeavored to save himself but the fire pushed upon him and fired his clothing. He had on a heavy overcoat which he removed probably in an effort to smother the flames. All the details of the horrible struggle are not known, but his clothing was all burned off and the skin over the whole body was scorched. His finger nails were found on the prairie where he had clawed up the ground probably using the soil in his efforts to extinguish the fire. In this condition he crept to the top of the hill and shouted for help. His son ran to him and carried to the house. He lived about 24 hours after being burned.

“Mr. Gage was an old gentleman, about 73 years of age. This is the first casualty of the kind which has occured in the county.”



“Worthington Advance” - 22 Apr 1880
Worthington, Nobles, MN