The Kootenai herald. [volume] (Kootenai, Idaho) 1891-1904, 1895-06-08
1T is IMPOSSIBLE TO OBTAIN MEN
All Day the Fire Ragged. While People
Impotently Looked On.


Bradford, Penn, June 4.-The fire at
Russell City last night drove terror to
the hearts of 500 inhabitants. At 10
o'clock a brisk west wind famed the
burning underbrush and hemlock tim
Der into a solid mass of fire, covering
three miles in width. The flames spread
go rapidly that people had to
leave everything and run to a clearing
two miles distant, at Highland Corners
Women with children in their arms ran
to escape from the fire. Many fell ex-
hausted and were trampled on, but
reached Highland in safety Nothing
is left Of the once bustling little place.
The fire is still burning fiercely among
the oil wells. The Northern Oil Com
pany has 20 oil wells and a number of
tanks burning al those places now and
there is no abatement to the fury of the
flames. 1t is impossible to estimate the
loss.
The woods leading to Clarks Mills
are one mass of flames on both sides of
the road How the people who live
along the road could have escaped is
beyond comprehension. There is no
communication of any kind with this
place and no news obtainable from
there, but there is no doubt that every
thing has been burned in the path Of the
fire. Every available man is fighting
fire, and there are not half enough.
There is fire in every direction and all
efforts to check its progress seem futile.
Coon Run, three miles from Russell
City, which was wiped out yesterday
afternoon, was entirely obliterated. The
place consisted of % buildings, a pump
station, school house and sawmill.
A B. Fowler, superintendent of the
Northern Oil Company, says that while
he and his men We're back firing a
stiff breeze from the west came up like
magic and in less time than it takes to
tell it the fire was upon them. They ran
to the town and aroused the people to
flee for their lives. Men, women and
children made wild race for the rail-
way tracks, a distance of five miles,
while the flames played havoc with all
| their belongings. The Northern COM
pany lost 40 oil wells at this place and a
! large number of rigs built for new wells.
About 25 tanks of oil were consumed.
The fire at Ormsby is raging more
fiercely than ever The place is without
water protection and the flames are de-
vouring a large area of standing timber.
| Sawmills and a number of houses have
/
ing and there is no telling what the out
come viii be- The fire al West Kane
which threatened the destruction OF
that place is now under control. The
damage done was the burning of nine
oil well rigs, owned by the Griffith es-
tate, the engine house and dwelling
house.
The fire at Knapp's Creek is still rag
ing, and has done a large amount OF
damage.
The fire has spread to Bellies camp
and 35 oil wells are burning.
Reports from Duke Center state thai
the entire valley is on fire. The loss tC
the oil and lumbermen will be enor
nous.
Kansas Branch, Rixford. Davis City
Summit City, Dallas City, Oil Valley
Lime Stone, State Line. Derrick City
and Red Rock are all in it, and unless
rain falls soon will be destroyed.
The sky is black with smoke, thu
mountains are invisible and the hea
intense. Not an idle man can be founC
and calls for men come from every di
rection. Men are still fighting fire a
Degolia and apparently have it unde
control
Nothing has been learned from Yves
Branch, where a brisk fire was burning
Everything at Sugar Run, including thu
sawmills and dwellings, burned, ant
nothing remains of the place.
The fire at Brookstone is still burning
fiercely and there is no prospect o
checking the spread of the flames. It 4
impossible to get men, consequently tn
fire is making rapid progress.