The Topeka state journal., 1902-09-13
IN every COUNTY
Western Washington and Brit
ish Columbia on Fire.
Whole Villages Swept Away by
the Flames.
SEVERAL LIVES LOST.
Destruction Of Property and
Forests Is Great.
Grays HarbOr Branch Of North.
SEVERAL LIVES LOST.
Grays HarbOr Branch Of North
ern Pacific Is Burning.

Tacoma, wn.. Sept. 13.-Forest fires
are now burning in every county in
umbia. The towns of Elma and Fol-
som in Chehals county. Wn., have been
partly destroyed. Each was the center
of large logging. lumber and shingle
mill industries. Other towns which are
in great danger are Shelton. Mattock,
Blackhills, Bucoda, Rainier and Castle
Rock in southwestern Washington.
Enumclaw and Buckley, in the Cascade
mountains, are threatened.
The latest reports from Mason county
is in flames with the execution of Shell
ton.
The logging camps of Thomas
Bordeauy, near Olympia. are surround
ed by flames. Forty men have left here
on horseback to rescue the women and
children. The Grays Harbor branch of
the Northern Pacific is on fire, even to
the ties, in several places. Manv farm
houses about Enumclaw and through
out southwestern Washington, together
with other farm property have been
destroyed.
At Enumclaw Mrs. Biles was driven
from home with her dead baby in her
arms, while her husband was out fight
ing fire. The burning of a bridge at
Wellington on the Great Northern has
stopped traffic on that road.
Portland, Ore, Sept. 13.-The result Of
the forest fires which are raging in this
vicinity may be summed up substan-
TALLY as follows up to the present time:
Tillamook city has been saved from
impending doom by a timely change in
the wind.
The forests in Douglas and jackson
counties are on fire but the damage yet
is small.
Superintendent Ormsby. of the Cas-
cade forest reserve says that no fire has
yet entered the reserve.
Sixty people in the town of Spring.
water, Clakamas county. were forced
to flee for their lives and rendered
homeless and fine timber belt de-
stroyed.
Bridges and fences were attacked and
residences threatened in South Port
land.
The saw mill of the Bridal Veil Lum-.
Der company and the whole town OF
Palmer, situated 20 miles east of Bridal
Veil in this county, has been destroyed
The damage in eastern Multnomah
county amount to 5000 and every fam
lily has been fighting the fire since Mon
day
Several families have been burnedsout
on the section line road
Three dwellings and the county
bridge are gone in Pleasant Valley
The flames surround the dwelling OF
a resident of lockwood and are racing
west along the base line road.
To protect the town of Gresham, men
stand guard night and day. Fully 100
men are at work to save property In the
dangerous heat. M
AT Pleasant Home a saw mill was
destroyed and four others were in dam
ger.
Irvington. The residents of that part
of Portland were on duty from O'Clock
yesterday morning.
Valuable timber has been destroyed
near Coburg, Wilhoil Springs, vending
and other points. Men at Vending are
swamping the timber in order to save
{ it. The losses will amount to thousands
of dollars.
The destruction Of the village efsviola
seems certain. The non-arrival of grain
and coasting ships is due to dense
smoke at the mouth of the Columbia
river. The steamer Columbia is report
ed to be stranged in the river near AS
toria.
A woman was burned to death near
Vancouver, Wash, and a woman and a
child are missing.
Mills, lumber and timber to the value
of $1,000, 900 were destroyed in Chehalis
The damage near Lentz, Ore. amounts
to over $25, 900.
Details of various losses from numer-
Gus country districts are continually ar
irving and the record of small fndf-
vidual losses will not be finished until
rain shall have come to Quench the ever
spreading flames. The weather bureau
has given no promise Of rain within the
next "a hours
Everett, Wn., Sept. 13.-Forest fires
are raging also along the Great North.
ern between Skykomish and Wellington
Telegraph communication between
here and Seattle is cut OFF. Freight and
passenger traffic is demoralized from
the east by the burning of a bridge al
Alvin. near the Cascade tunnel The
Northern is patro1ling the line with en-.
gines fitted with fire fighting pumps.
FIRES IN COLORADO.
McCassels, Colo, Sept 13.-The 1arg
ever known in Colorado is raging be
the opinion of A. J.. Wells, state timber
ment Agent Nicholson, who are on tn,
1.-THE fire is entirely beyond control
and the only hope of saving the forests
and towns of Platte canyon from com
not shift from the east. Should th
wind shift to the west nothing cal
prevent the fire sweeping the canyoI
from top to bottom. Damage alread,
done to the Platte watersheds canno
be estimated"
The flames cover space of five mile,
in length by one mile IN width. Al
energies are directed toward prevent
ing the fire spreading down the canol
| from Shawnee.
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