The San Francisco call., 1896-08-30
Their Homes and Livestock Left
Behind as They Flee for
Safety.
PROBABLE LOSS OF LIFE.
Logging Camps Destroyed and the
Seasons Output Reduced to
Ashes.

PORTLAND, Or, Aug. 29.-An i'm
mense forest fire, the fercest that has ever
ragged on the banks of the Columbia River,
is now in progress between Oak Point and
Eagle Cliff. Back on the bluff, stretching
away from the river, is seething furnace,
comprising four square miles of once mag
nitcent forest. A mile away, at the
steamboat landing at Oak Point may be
heard the detonations caused by the rend-
ing of giant frs and spruce, bursting
through the explosions of steam rendered
from their own sap. High above the tree
tops scars vast belt of fame, drifting up
ward from the fierce blaze beneath. Down
on the bosom of the river rests pail of
smoke so dense as to cause navigation of
the Columbia at points near the fire 10 be
dangerous, it being impossible to see q
boats length ahead, even did not the
singing pitch fumes from the burning
tim Der blind the pilots of the steamers.
Captain Dell Shaver and Pilot F. G. Lewis
OF the steamer George w. Shaver said to
CALL representative to-day:
''Jt is beyond a doubt the largest fire
that has ever swept the banks of the CO.
lumbia. How it started is mere conjec-
ture, although to our certain knowledge
there has been small fire burning TO the
west of the present blaze for the past three
weeks. This has probably been famed
into larger blaze by the circling eddy of
the land breeze, which gathers each night
in the canyon back of Oak Point, and
aided by the draft caused by it's own heat
has been drawn into the adjoining timber.
This timber, owing to the long dry spell
of July and August, has become as dry as
matchwood, and it required but spark to
set the forest in a blaze. With the first
lump of the fire from the underbrush to
the timber the flames took hold of the
dry boughs and simply galloped through
the woods"
So rapid was the progress of the fire that
people in its path had only time to es-
cape in the clothes they were wearing,
leaving all other possessions behind. Ben
sons large logging camp, with its tram
way, cars, Locomotives and cut logs, was
swept olean by the flames. Hogan 81
Houng's cordwood camp, with 700 cords
OF wood ready for market, has gone up in
smoke. The Davidson family fought its
way through to the river bank and boarded
the Shaver, leaving behind them to burn
$1,000 house, barn and fences, q harvested
crop and all their personal effects, some of
the men escaping without even coat.
flames could be seen mounting skyward,
and the roar of the fire be heard miles
away before the steamer reached Oak
Point.
Gradually the smoke became thicker on
the river as the steamer approached the
landing until when within a mile of the
point the atmosphere was so dense as to
prove almost suffocating. From where
the Shaver tied up the fire seemed distant
about three-quarters of a mile back in the
timber. Whether lives have been lost or
not it will take some time TO determine,
but among the passengers taken aboard at
Oak Point last night was a woman. who
was greatly perturbed over the possible
fate of her sister who lived a mile further
back in the timber than she, and mas
much as the passenger had all she could
do to make her way out it was greatly
feared her sister had been caught by the
onward rush of the fire and burned to
death.