The record-union., 1898-10-02
viii Be Little Timber Left to Tell the Tale
When the Summing Up is Made.
RaAchRen Having n Desperate
Time Saving Their Homes-The
Village of Gold Park Reduced
to Ashes, All the Buildings in
the Place Being Burned Up
Within a Few Hours-Many
Narrow Escapes From Death
Reported in the Burning Re-
gion.

gion.
DENVER (Col), Oct. 1.-The forest
fires which are devastating the west
ern portion of the State are burning
with unabated fury, only subsiding
where fuel is exhausted. A special tC
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 providential
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 heav-
onward is Bear Willow and Lake
Creeks, a magnificent stretch of for
est. This fire from it's direction will
sweep on Camp Fulford, which has
already been scorched from another di-
rection.
Ranchmen on Gore Creek are having
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 country, which means the fast
travelling fire will be driven forward III
a hurricane of flame.
The deserted village of Gold Park
was reduced to ashes yesterday. Dwell
ings, barns and storehouses and the
stamp mill of the Gold Park Mining
and Milling Company were licked W
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 terribly
The mines have closed down and the
miners are utterly exhausted from
their night and day battle with the
fiend.
Many narrow escapes are reported
from different parts of the county
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
up.
Notch Mountain, opposite Gilman, is
a blackened ruin on the Holy Cross
slope. Every bridge on Homestake
Creek is destroyed, the corduroy sec
ton of the roads burned out, and in
Vulnerable fallen giant pines interlaced
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 incendiary origin
Especially is this so in the vicinity OF
Hooper Mountain. Cottonwood and
Cattle Creek ranches are being desert
ed. Shaft houses in the mountains
have been swept away, and there
seems now no hope of staying the fire
anywhere. The only hope is in rain
or snow.
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. Local Forecaster
Brandenburg says he has observed nc
change in weather conditions that
diction of the Weather Bureau at
Washington for Colorado is tshow-
ers''
Governor Adams said to-day: 81
think the only thing that will put a
stop to the fires is a good heavy rain
There is but little use in trying to put
the fires out 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. Camp
ers build a fire, and spark blows into
the underbrush, which is very dry,
and fire is the result. 1t is so easy
to start a fire just now that it is al
most impossible to ascertain the ORR
gin of it. Sparks from railroad en-
gines may have caused some fires''
Within a 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 volumes
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 al
titude of $4,000 feet four miles south
of Pixies Peak. At .sundown the vol
ume of smoke had decreased percepti-
bly,.
The people of Pitkin County are be-
coming terrified over the havoc
wrought by the fire that is now raging
near there. The County Commission
ers are advising with the city authori-
ties as to the best methods to check
the fire, but as yet no plan has been
outlined.
The fire on White River has burned
over an area Of 100 square miles. and
is still sweeping eastward in a stretch
ten miles wide.
The people of Upper White River
have fought the fire for over three
weeks, daN and night. They have been
aided by Forest Rangers Dunn and
Giblet Parties from that section say
they have seen nothing of other Gov
ernment rangers.
The towns of Kokomo and Hahns
Peak are reported to- be in danger from
the fires surrounding them.
Glenwood Springs is enveloped in a
cloud of smoke, and the situation in
that vicinity is rapidly becoming worse