The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1895-09-13
FORESTS ALL ABLAZE
THE STATE OF WASHINGTON COW
Erred BYA BLANKET OF SMOKE.
Enormous Damage Done to the Timber
Lands Along Puget sound-Commerce
and Navigation Hindered by Smoke.
wild Animals Becoming Tame.

Wild Animals Becoming Tame.
The state Of Washington has been cover
cd for several weeks by thick blanket Of
smoke that increased in density day by
day, until week or ten days ago ii Oh
scured the sun in many regions and was a
serious hindrance 10 commerce. The
smoke Is particularly dense in the Puget
sound country IL comes from forest fires
burning fercely in all the timbered regions
of the state. Many railroad bridges have
been burned and vast tracts Of valuable
timber destroyed but SO far only a few
human habitations have been burned.
A vast portion of Washington west of
the Cascade mountains and al along Pu
get sound is covered with dense forests of
yellow pine fir, hemlock and spruce, and
the biggest fires are in this region. There
is also "a considerable quantity Of timber
on the eastern slopes Of the mountains,
and this, too, is suffering from the flames.
The smoke has blown east and west until
il covers the whole of the state Railroad
men and travellers report that il is encoun
tered as soon as, or a little before, the state
line is passed, and that il increases in
density as the sound is approached, except
that when near the highest point Of the
mountain range il thins out a little.
spread over into British Columbia and in
to Idaho and unless heavy rains come
soon the aggregate damage will be enor-
nous. The main reason for the great
havoc of the flames is that the summer
has been remarkably dry, and underbr,Ish
all over the state and adjoining regions is
like finder.
Most of the cities and large towns along
Puget sound have suffered greatly from
the dense smoke. In cities like Seattle
and Tacoma the sun has been obscured as
though hidden in thick fog, and COM
merce has suffered. The smoke has inter
fered seriously with salmon fishing in the
Columbia river, and sometimes the smoke
hangs so low and thick over the water as
to hinder the movements of the steam
boats. Congressman Cannon of Illinois
went TO Washington some weeks ago to
look over the country. He travelled direct
through the state from Idaho TO Seattle
and then continued on 10 San Francisco
He went to Washington with the intention
of spending several weeks studying the
Puget sound country, "but the smoke was
SO thick everywhere" he said, THAT it
was impossible to see anything unless close
up, and it would take too long 10 acquaint
oneself with "a country under such condi-
tions"
1t is hard to summarize the reports of
the extent of the fires and the amount of
damage they have done and are yet doing.
Passengers in trains and steamboats, and
travellers of all kinds from every part of
the state tell of great areas in flames and
immense damage done. The steamboat
captains who travel along Puget sound
say that the lower sound and the straits
are enveloped in thick, impenetrable
clouds of smoke The forests on the sides
OF the Olympic mountains appear TO be on
fire in dozens of places. AT night the light
of the fires can be seen here and there,
but the smoke prevents an accurate esti-
mate as to where the worst fires are and
what is their extent.
Along Lake Samis there is an unbroken
line Of fire, and one curious result has been
the driving of the wild animals down from
the hills To the lakes and the water courses
and into the cleared lands about the settle
ments. Herds of deer are almost as tame
~ sheep and n number Of cougars have
been encountered on farms. The settle
ments in that region have been in constant
| danger, and in some cases the citizens have
had hard work keeping off the flames by
| back firing and other methods of fighting
the fires. In the Ceur d'Alene country
| the miners are abandoning thefr CABINS
and seeking refuge in the cleared settle
ments. A few cases of houses being burn
ed have been noted, and If the fires con-
tinue serious danger will soon threaten
many settlements. But SO far the damage
has been confined to the destruction of
vast tracts of grand old forests. But there
is smoke everywhere, from one end of
Washington To the other, and there is no
| remedy for the Inconvenience and discOm-
fort.-New York sun.