The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1898-10-02
UNDATED FURY
OF THE DESTROYER
Rain Alone Can Check
the Colorado Fires.
VAST TERRITORY OR. IN RUINS
FARMERS AND MINERS FIGHT
WITH DESPERATION.
In Some of the Districts Gale
Fans the Flames and Their
Progress Is I'M
checked. ~
VAST TERRITORY IN RUINS
FARMERS AND MINERS FIGHT
WITH DESPERATION. !.
Special Dispatch to The Can.

DENVER, Oct. 1.-The forest fires
which are devastating the western por-
ton of the State are burning with I'M
abated fury, only subsiding where fuel
is exhausted. A special to the Rocky
Mountain News from Red Cliff says:
Nothing is heard in Eagle County but
talk of fire from all sections. From
reports of new territory in the grasp
of the demon, when a provldential
storm comes and the summing up is
made, there will be little timber left to
tell the tale. A new country now send
Ing volumes of fire and smoke heaven
ward is Bear Willow and Lake creeks,
a magnificent stretch of forest. This
fire from it's direction will sweep on
to Camp FuIford, which has already
been scorched from another direction.
Ranchmen on Gore Creek are having
desperate time saving their homes,
as the Gore range foothills here send
continuous run of flame for miles
Along the side hills near Minturn even
the ground is burning: Cattlemen are
getting their cattle into unburnt dis
tricts as rapidly as possible, and even
then are compelled to keep a. close
watch on them and keep them moving.
A regular gale is blowing throughout
the county, which means the. fast traV>
ellN2
hurricane of fame The deserted VIII
lage of Gold Park was. reduced to ashes
yesterday; dwellings,; barns and store
houses and the. stamp mill OF the Gold
Park Mining and Milling Company
were licked UP in a few hours. This
town is three miles from the mouth of
the Holy Cross; and the" miners OF that.
district fought nobly to save the place.
The Holy Cross country. suffered ter.
rfbly. 1872. =. :. -. r.. =:,:
The mines have closed down and the
miners. are. utterly: exhausted from their
night and day battle with the fend..
Many narrow escapes are reported
from different parts: of the country.
Strong men have :succumbed to the
smoke and heat and must: be carried
off by their. comrades. AS: yet. no loss
of life has occurred, but many head
of cattle and horses have been burned
up. Notch Mountain, opposite Gilman,
is blackened ruin on the Holy Cross
slope. - Every bridge:%oIl Hornestake
Creek is destroyed; the. corduroy sec
ton Of the road is burned out and in
Vulnerable fallen giant: pines interldced
all along the line of travel Thousands
of acres of the finest timber are a thing
of the past. In several places there is
no doubt that the fires are of ineendiary
origin. Especially is this so in the vi
cinity of Hooper Mountain. Cotton
wood and Cattle Creek ranches are Be-
mountains have. been swept away.
There seems no hope of staying the fire
anywhere. The only hope is in rain or
snow. ~: -. r.
The forest fires on the west slope of
the Rockies continue to rage and only
heavy rain can stop them. In the
vicinity of Steamboat Springs there has
been a rainfall which checked the fires
there, but they are still smOldering and
will start into life again unless there
shall soon be more rain or snow. Lo-
cal Forecaster Bradenburg says he has
observed no change in weather condi-
lions that points 70 rain, though the
welcome prediction Of the Weather Blu
reau at Washington for Colorado is
Showers"
Governor Adams said to-day:
Il think the only thing that will put
a stop to the fires is good heavy rain
There is but little use in trying to put
out the fires by the usual means, as the
fire is not continuous. From what I
can hear, it must be in probably fifty
different places. In my opinion the
fires are due wholly to accident CamD-
ers build q fire, a spark blows into the
underbrush, which is very dry, and a
fire is the result 1t is so easy to start
fire just now that it is almost impos-
sible to ascertain the origin of it.
Sparks from railroad engines may have
caused some fires"
Within day or two fires have ap-
peared on the west slope of the Pixies
Peak Range, and large sections of tim
Der are being destroyed. Great vol
umes Of smoke can be seen rolling
over the crest of the range. The fires
seem to be burning fiercely along the
west side of Mount Badly, which rises
to an altitude of 1900 feet four miles
south of Pixies Peak. At shutdown the
volume of smoke had decreased per-
ceptibly.
TT 0F
coming terrified over the havoc
wrought by the fire that is now rag
ing near there. The County Commits
sioners are advising with the city au-
thorities as to the best method to
check the fire, but as yet no plan has
been outlined.
The fire on White River has burned
over an area of a hundred square miles
and IS still sweeping eastward in a
stretch ten miles wide.
The people of Upper White River
have fought fire for three weeks, day
and night. They have been aided by
Forest Rangers Dunn and Giblet
Parties from that section say they have
seen nothing of the other Government
rangers.
The towns of Kokomo and Hahn's
Peak are reported to be in danger from
the fires surrounding them.
Glenwood Strings is enveloped in a
cloud of smoke. and the situation in
that vicinity is rapidly becoming
worse.
A special to the Republican from
Breckenridge says; Forest fires are
destroying a great deal of fine timber
in the vicinity Of this town and the air
is heavy with smoke. The strong winds
are causing the fires to spread.
"A special from Crested Butte to the
News says: This city is surrounded
by a wall of leaping flames and ter
rible destruction of property is inlmi-
nent. A veritable hurricane is blowing
and flames are jumping five hundred
feet and travelling five miles an hour.
Many people are fighting fire by means
of back fires. The city is not in great
danger at present, but fire is within
quarter of mile of the city limits