New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1908-08-05
OWN Of
FE3NII IS
BURN D
|. Fire Destroys City
in Canada.
! LOSS OF LIFE IS HEAVY
Believed That More Than One
Hundred Persons Died.
PROPERTY LOSS IS ENORMOUS
Thousands Of People Rendered
Homeless by Flames.
PROPERTY LOSS IS ENORMOUS
Thousands Of People Rendered
Homeless by Flames.

Winnipeg, Man, Aug. 3.-The town
of Fernie, B. c., is wiped off the map
as child cleans a slate Michel,
fourteen miles distant, is in flames
and the fate of Hosmer, Olsen and
Sparwood, intervening towns, is in
doubt, they being cut off from all
communication. Over 100 lives are
known to have been lost, seventy-four
of them in Fernie alone. A territory
of 100 square miles in extent is a
seething mass of flames. Through it
are scattered hundreds of lumbermen
and prospectors, so that the actual
loss of life will not be known for days.
The properties of the Canadian Paci-
fc and Great Northern railways are
destroyed, their bridges and rolling
stock burned, SO that it is impossible
to either enter or leave the burning
area. The inhabitants of towns have
fed to open districts in the vicinity
in the hope of safety. From towns
are escaping as rapidly as possible
The railway companies have placed
all available trains at their disposal
and unless there is a change of wind
within the next twenty-four hours the
whole Of the Crows Nest Pass country
will be left to the flames. There is
no possibility of estimating the loss
of life and property that will result,
for the flames are driven by a half
gale, making it impossible to put up
a fight against their advances The
confagration is the greatest that has
eyer visited Canada, and ranks only
with the San Francisco disaster.
For the past month forest fires have
been raging in the mountains of the
Elk River valley country, but they
had not been considered seriously.
Saturday morning a heavy wind
sprang UP from the west and early in
the afternoon the flames appeared
over the crest of the mountains to the
west of Fernie. They ran down the
mountainside and before a fire guard
could be organized had entered the
town. Within an hour the town was
doomed and the Inhabitants sought
safety in fight, leaving their all be-
hind them. All night and Sunday
morning the exodus continued, the
destination of the Inhabitants geing a
small prairie in the valley three miles
south of the town. At present 5000
people are camped there in the open,
their only protection being shelters
of brush or blankets, while constant
shower Of sparks from the burning
area keeps falling through the pail of
smoke by which they are surrounded
For time communication with towns
to the east was kept open, but with
the burning of the bridges across the
Elk river this was closed
Refugees on the Prairie.
Scattered through the valley are
! many small prairies, and all of these
have their groups of refugees. The
mass of flames, cutting off every ave
nue. of escape. The fire spread with
unprecedented rapidity and it il
feared that several parties who tried
to get through the pass have been cu'
off Families have been separated
/ and there is at present no means OIL
checking up the fatalities
In Fernie the only buildings which
remain are six small shacks on the
bank of the Elk river, the offices O
/ the Crows Nest Coal company anC
/. the Fixes Wood warehouse The of
4 fees of the Canadian Pacific railroad
and Great Northern railroad are gone
together with all of the rolling stool
in the yards, the sleeping car Osceol;
being the only car left. One hundred
cars of coke, the property of tn
Great Northern, are gone and tn
stock piles of coal and coke, abou
100000 tons, are in flames 1t is nov
feared that the fire may get in tn
mines themselves, several of whicl
are open in the neighborhood. Thi
would mean incalculable damage, a
the whole of the valley is under1ai
q with coal.
At present the fire is following th
crest of the mountain chain abov
4 Sparwood, eating down into the va
leys on either side. It is travelling a
a tremendous rate and unless Their
Is q. change of wind will cross tn
boundary into Montana within til
next twelve hours There. are thol
sands of miners or prospectors' claim
s in the track of the ire, all of whic
are in peril A slight change of win
!. has occurred and Michel has bee