Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1908-08-05

RELIEF HURRIED TO
STRICKEN SETTLEMENTS
Now Believed That Death List
Will Not Exceed Fifty Mir
acuIouS Escape of Many
Thought Dead,
my Morning Journa, Special Leased wheI

NY Morning Journal Special Leased wheI
Vancouver, r G.. Aug 1.-The tor
ribly destructive forest fires which
have swept through the Grows Nest
district OF the Elk river valley in Brit
ish Columbia since last Saturday.
devastating a vast stretch OF territory.
destroying many lives and millions of
dollars of property, wipinR out entire
towns and rendering thousands of per
sons homeless, are stun raging, but are
now sweeping Wild and sparsely set
tied country and II is believed the
worst is over. The flames are eating
through vast forests on the mountain
sides, and IT Is thought they win soon
burn themselves out for lack of some
thing to destroy.
II Is impossible at this time to ar
rive at a summary of the situation as
regards loss of life and property with
oven approximate correctness So
widespread has been the destruction
and SO scattered are the people who
lived in the burned area OF more than
fifty miles In length and three mites
In width that any estimate of the
number who met death in the flames
Is nothing more than gu3Sswork. Sto-
ries of missing settlers Gre coming
from Fernle Cranbrook, Michel Hos
mer and other places. but many OF
these have turned up at some point far
from their original habltatlon, and IL
Is not believed the death list will ex-
cecd fifty names
Tho property loss has been very
great, but this. too, is difficult to es-
Innate correctly A conservative val.
uation would probably place tho
amount at between $6.0O0,00O and
$1,000, 900 Several thousand have
been rendered homeless. principally
residents of Fernie which. according
to all accounts. is almost completely
wiped out, scarcely more than a score
OF buildings being left where once a
prosperous town of 5000 inhabitants
stood
There has been suffering among tho
homeless owing to lack of food and
shelter, but this has been alIeviated
or partly relieved BY the prompt ac-
tion of the people Of every city In Brit
ish Columbia, as well as many of those
money and supplies to the burned dis
tricts. This aid has been most gener-
Gus and the temporarily destitute peo-
pie VIII be adequately and promptly
provided for Means Of communica
uon with the burned section has been
most difficult Telegraph and tele-
phone wires were destroyed Tor miles
IN places. and this fact. taken together
with the contradictory reports from
tho various towns, has led To great
confusion and probably much exagger-
alton as to the loss of llfe
A summary of the results Of the
Tires has been prepared here. which Ia
believed TO be a conservative estimate
as to loss OF life and property destroy
ed II Is as follows
Town OF Fcrnie. about {. 900 tnhabi-
tants. practically wiped out. loss Of
twenty lives and $1,000 900 or IS. 900.
600 in property Insurance about so
per cent
Town of Hosmer, about 500 inhabl-
tauts partially burned. with loss of
one life and $3.50. 900 In property
Three hundred persons homeless.
Town of Michel. believed not sori-
ously burned. but four p,v.,r ...p.
nd Killed and property destroyed in
vicinity estimated a. $1,000. 600 De-
tails uunhtaiuahie owing 10 the IacS
pf communication
Iown "i Sparwood. sawmill village.
."" killed and large mills DESTROYED.
Damage estimated Al S250.G
Damage 20 standing timber through
'ui fbs burned area estimated Al from
] 900. 600 tp 2.0n0. 900
Many pathetic stories of flight and
n many instances tho death of unfor-
.unatc settlers. who were caught In
he swirl of flames as swept through
hc great forests Of pine aud fir. ara
coming in from the various points
With which communication has been
re-c,tahlishcd 10 has not been deter
mined how the fire started. whether
through carelessntss or design but
once it had GAINED headway. % zwent
with almost incredible speed at times
eating up the timber as IL it were dry
under. lighting up the whole country
az night and nuing the atmospher.
with a choking smoke that often hid
the sun from view and turned daylight
almost into night
superintendent Hussey. of the pro-
Niucial police has been sent bv the
government of British Columbia To the
fire swept region. and is now in charge
Of the relief work in East Kootenay.
acting with the local authorities The
Dominion authorities have offered 70