Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1908-09-23

OlOeauSt
cramped limbs from the icy waters.
They had been in the river since 10
O'Clock Of the night before. Long az
ter the flames had eied out the hot
sands rendered moving about an ex-
quisite torture, and long into the dis
NAL midday the survivors were con.
fined 70 the narrow circuit near the
river AS the day were on help came
in slowly from the northward. A rail-
road gang came to the rescue through
miles Of burning prairis and blockaded
roads The rescuers found less than
700 maniacal survivors of a population
| OF 2,00e. A search Of the town dis
closed unutterably grewsome sights.
Men had cut the throats of their chill
dren to spare them a lingering agony.
Ihen they had killed themselves.
Some women and children were put in
Weils, covered with bedding. for sat
ETY. But fiery tongues licked down
Ihto the deepest wells, destroyed ali
lie and made the waters boil Ike a
cauidron. Where houses stood the
ground was whipped clean as a carpet.
Rains Lessons Danger.
THE next night the long Dravad for
rain came and averted danger from
the bay cities and towns. A clean
sWath of blackened stumps and roots
showed the course Of a fiery temDesr
through the forest. The roads were
numbered with roasted cattle and the
carcasses of bear ami deer. The
bitches and cleared fields were strewn
with smaller game and wild birds.
Here and there a few pieces of twisted
iron and some human bones told of q
settler and his family fleeing in : wa
gon when oyertaken by the relentless
| flames"
Big Loss from Forest Fires.
The bureau or forestry states that
the annual loss from forest fires in
this country is at least $50. O00, 900.
Besides the immediate loss to timber
and property, the foz st growth is al
most irremediably damaged, canser-
walton OF vast area ruined. All
this loss and damage is prevent
able. Europe has few forest fires. In
Germany there is insurance against
them at low rates. India's 10000
square miles of forest are protected at
an annual cost of $40 a mile. Legisla-
ton to protect American forests is
mostly inadequate. 1t is estimated
that in the state OF Washington 3d.
000,000,000 feet of timber have been
cut III half Z. century, while 42,O00,0O0,.
600 feet have been destroyed by fire.
Many fires are caused by locomotive
sparks, as was the case with the Adrl-
ondack confagraLion of 1903 An en-
gineer removed his spark arrester
while going through the woods. The
careless burning OF ties and rubbish
by railroad hands is another common
cause. Settlers who destroyed brush
Irecklessly started the Oregon ana
Washington fires of 1902. A ciga.
butt throw away by twist often is
responsible for a costly blaze. Berry
pickers who wish to improve the crop
and sheep herders desiring to benefit
the pasture are among the guilty,
while mischieyous boys are sometimes
accountable. The malice of natives
against large estate owners and the
desire OF paid fire fighters to prolong
their jobs figured in the Adirondack
confagration five years ago. The al
legged cause of one fire that burnedv
over 10000 acres was a curved bit Of
broken glass lying in the woods that
served as a burning glass to focus the
rays of the sun on infammable ma
terial. Different tactics are used to
combat the three kinds of fires-crown
surface and the nderground-whieh
travel moulderingly beneath the earth,
move swiftly among the underbush or
leap fercely through the tree tops
but nothing human can stop a full
swinging borest fire. while it is easy
to smother any blaze at the start.