The San Francisco call., 1908-09-25
high Wind Fans Blaze Which
Destroys All in Its
Path
COnflagratiOn Consumes Timber
Land and Cattle and
Threatens Cities
ffWO Men Burned to Death
and Settlers Flee in
Terror

EUREKA, Sept. "a
Having gained new impetus
from a strong wind that
sprang up early this morn
ing and being famed now by
q stiff gale, the forest fires to
the north of this city are
creating terrible destruction
throughout the entire northern
portions of Humboldt and Del
Norte counties. Towns and val
liable timber lands are being
wiped out completely and as yet
there is no indication that the
miles Of flames will be checked.
At 9:3O o'clock tonight the
train dispatcher of the Oregon
and Eureka railroad at Samoa
received word from officials of the COM
pany at Bulwinkel to the effect that
Ashe mill Of the Little River lumber com
{ psny near that place valued at $780,
600, had been burned to the ground this
evening. together with a $4,000 cleo
tric light plant which had just been
installed. and other property valued at
$4,000 more. The mill was completed
only three months ago and has sawed
only one log. The chief officials of the
company are Frank B. Bronson, presi-
dent. and Levi CrandalI, secretary, both
OF Ottawa, Can, while the owners
are mostly Canadian capitalists.
FIRE ATTACKS RAILROAD
Other advices from BulwinkeI are
70 the effect that the fire has again
attacked the Oregon and Eureka rail-
road near there and that two engine
crews and fifty men are now battling
TO keep the flames away from the
trestles until morning. when il is hoped
that the fire will abate. The blaze is
now travelling southwestward through
rich timber lands with the force of the
wind at it's height. So severe is the
gale on the ocean, as well as on land,
that tWenty-four steamers are in this
port waiting for the weather to mod
crate before putting to sea A num-
Der of small fires broke out in Eureka
today. but quick work by firemen pre-
vented a conflagration that might have
wiped out the entire business portion
OF the city had the incipient flames
gained headway.
Only two deaths have been recorded
thus far since the fires broke out, and
so far as can be learned all the inhabi-
tsnts OF the area inclosed by the fires
have escaped. The body of a man who
was at first thought to be a settler
identified as Frank Whetmore was
found in the roadway, about 800 yards
south of Luffenholtz with all the cloth
ing burned away and only the metal
work Of a truss and a blackened watch
remaining to identify the fearfulIy
charred body. Another charred corpse,
which has not been identified, was
found near Trinidad.
NDROVES OF CATTLE PERISH
Hundreds of head OF cattle are
known to have perished and dozens of
families have not been heard from, al
though they are believed to have
reached safety. Refugees are coming out
of the clearings in the burning timber
lands by the score, carrying with them
only few personal effects, clothing
5ewelry and bedding, and leaving their
homes and contents TO become fuel for
the flames. Whetmore, whose body was
have attempted TO escape by the road
and TO have been overcome by the heat
and smoke, fainting and being burned
10 death.
II. ". Hamilton, millionaire lum-
herman Of this city, who was coming
down the coast from Portland in his
automobile, was forced to abandon the
machine at Trinidad and came through
on foot, arriving here safely after a
series Of narrowing adventures He
reports that at Stone lagoon, Is miles
north Of Trinidad, another forest fire
IS raging, burning its way south in the
direction Of the flames in this county
According 10 his report the entire
northern part of Humboldt and Del
Norte counties is dotted with smaller
but less disastrous fires in timber and
brush lands Five bridges between
Little River and Trinidad have been
burned out, but the telephone and tele-
graph wires are still in operation.
BIG MILL Is BURNED
Al Iuffenholtz & Kailstrom's milling
plant the fire has done its awful work
Of devastation and has passed on into
the Little River country, where it is
now burning 1ercely. The plant of the
Little River redwood lumber company
was thought TO be safe last night, as
was the town of Fieldbrook with its
many mills and residences, but the nill
burned and all that protects the town
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