The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-08-03
SURVIVORS
FLEEING TO
s THE FIELDS
Bush Fires Invade Fernie, B. C..
Only Seventeen Houses
Are Left Standing.
H0SMER, SHELTER TOWN,
COMPLETELY WIPED OUT
FLAMES SPREADING IN ALL d.
RECTIONS-HEAVY LOSS OF
LIFE-MANY HOMELESS.



.ttS*<<**%%tt*%ttt%++%*%++%
~ Portland Ore, Aug. "A special 20 y
~ the Oregonian from Vancouver. B.
c., says:
\ report from Cranbrook. the first !
= station west of Fernie. says that =
siNty-one men and two women were
burned 10 death in No. logging =
camp of the Ely Lumber company. \
The camp was surrounded by fire and \
+ not a single person escaped. Hun
\ dreds of refugees are being sent
y through from Fernie TO Cranbrook \
y tonight.
~<<<~<<+<<+<S+ +<<+++%<%*%
Winnipeg Manitoba, Aug. AS a re-
suit of bush fires the town of Ferne, B.
c. is wiped off the map as a child cleans
n 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 COM
munication. over 100 lives are known TO
have been lost. seventy-four of them in
Fernie. territory of 100 square miles in
extent is a seething mass of flames
Through il are scattered hundreds of lum-
bermen and prospectors so that the actual
loss of life will not be known for days.
The property OF the Canadian Pacific and
Great Northern railways is destroyed, the
bridges and rolling stock burned. so that
II is impossible TO enter or leave the burn
Ing area.
Fled to Open Country.
= The inhabitants of the towns have fled
open districts in the vicinity in the hope
of safety. The railway companies have
placed all available trains at their dis
posal and unless there is a change of
wind within the next tWenty-fOur hours
the whole of the Crows Nest Pass coun-
try will be left to the flames. There is
no possibility OF estimating the loss OF
life and property which will result for the
flames are driven by a half gale. making
It impossible to put up fight against
their advance The conflagration is the
greatest which has ever visited Canada
and ranks only with the San Francisco
disaster.
Fires Raging for Weeks.
For the past month forest fires have
been raging in the mountains of the Elk
river valley country, but they have not
been considered serious Saturday morn
ing heavy wind sprang up from the west
and early In the afternoon the flames ap-
peare6 over the crest of the mountains to
Nc west of Fernie- This ran down the
Mountain side and before a fire guard
could be organized had entered the town
Within an hour the town was doomed and
the inhabitants sought safety I'm flight
leaving their all behind them All night
and this morning the exodus continued
the destination being a small prairie i'm
the valley three miles south OF the town
At present 3,001 people are camped here
in the open. their only protection being
shelters built OF brush or blankets. while
a constant shower OF sparks from the
burning area keep falling through the
pail OF smoke by which they are sur
rounded. For time communication with
the towns to the east was kept open. but
with the burning of the bridges across the
Elk river this way closed.
Escape Gut off.
The hills in all directions are a seeth-
ing mass Of flames. cutting: off every ave
nue. of escape. The fire spread with I'M
tod rapidifr a. fc fe.ar hat
several parties who tried to get through
the pass have been cut off
In Fernie the only buildings remaining
arc six small shacks on the banks of the
Fix river. the offices of the Crows Nest
Coal company, and the Fixes WOODWARD
house. The offices of the Canadian Pa
cific railroad and the Great Northern are
gone together with all rolling stock in
the yards. the sleeping car Osceola being
the only car left. One hundred cars of
coke. the property Of the Great Northern.
are gone and the stock piles of coal and
coke. holding about half n million tons.
are I'm flames. II Is now feared that the
fire may get in the mines themselves. sew
erai OF which are open In the neighbor-
hood This will mean incalculable damage
as the whole OF the valley is underlaid
with coal
Fire Following Mountain Crest.
At present the fire is following the crest
of the mountain chain above Sparwood
eating down into the valleys on either
side. IL is tFaNeinS AT Il tremendous rate
and unless there is a change of wind will
cross the boundary into Montana within
the next twelve hours. There are thou
sands of mines and prospectors' claims in
the track of the fire. all of which are
in peril. A slight change Of wind has oc-
Cured and Michel has been taken out of
the more direct path.
Fire fighting apparatus is of no avail
for the air Is filled with fragments of
burning wood and sheets of flames seem
10 leap ahead of the confederation as
though the air itself Is IN flames. The
heat Is intense and many of the fire fight
ers have gone down ahead of 1t.
A correspondent at Michel wires as fol-
lows:
Continued on Page 2.