The Holly chieftain., 1908-08-07
TOWN OF FERNiE, BRITISH CO.
LUMsIA, SCENE OF DisAS-
TRoUS coNFLAGRATioN.
THOUSANDS HOMELESS
ONE HUNDRED SQUARE MILES
SWEPT BY FLAMES WITH A
HEAVY LOSS OF LIFE.

ME, b. c., is wiped off the map as a
child cleans slate; Michel, fourteen
miles distant, is in flames. and the
fate of Hosmer, Olsen and Sparwood,
Intervening towns, is in doubt, they be-
ing cut off from all communication.
Over 100 lives are known to have
been lost, seventy-four of them in
Feinie.
A territory of 100 square miles in
extent is seething mass of flames to-
night Sunday. Through 1t are scat
tered hundreds of lumbermen and
prospectors, so that the actual loss of
life will not be known for days.
The property of the Canadian Pa
cific and Great Northern railways is
destroyed, the bridges and rolling
stock burned. SO that it is impossible
to enter or leave the burning area.
The inhabitants of the towns have fled
to open districts in the vicinity in the
hope of safety.
The railway companies have placed
all available trains at their disposal,
and unless there is change of wind in
the next twenty-four hours the whole
Of the Crows Nest Pass country will
be left to the flames.
AHSIe 10 III Vi
the loss of life and property which will
result, ftV the flames are driven by a
half gale, making 1t 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.
For the last month forest fires have
been raging in the mountains of the
Elk River valley country, but they
have not been considered serious.
Saturday morning heavy wind sprang
up from the west and carly in the af-
|ternoon the flames appeared over the
crest of the mountains to the west of
Fernie. This ran down the mountain
side and before the fire guard could
be organized had entered the town.
Within an hour the town was doomed
and the inhabitants sought safety in
flight, leaving their all behind them.
All night and this morning the exo-
dus continued, the destination being 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
built of brush or blankets, while a
constant shower of sparks from the
burning area keeps falling through the
pail of smoke by which they are sur
rounded.
For time communication with
towns to the east was kept open, but
with the burning of the bridges across
the Elk river this way closed.
The hills in all directions are a
seething mass Of flames, cutting off
every avenue OF escape. The fire
spread with unprecedented rapidity
and 1t is feared that several parties
who tried to get through the pass have
been cut off
In Fernie the only buildings remain
ing are six small shacks on the banks
of the Elk river, the offices of the
Crows Nest Coal Company. and the
Fixes woodward house. The offices of
the Canadian Pacific railroad and the
Great Northern are gone together
with all of the rolling stock in the
yards, the sleeping car Osceola being
the only car left.
One hundred cars of coke, the prop
erty of the Great Northern, are gone
and the stock piles of coal and coke,
holding about half million tons, are
In flames. 1t is now feared that the
fire may get in the mines themselves,
several of which are open in the neigh
borhood. This will mean incalculable
damage as the whole of the valley is
underlaid with coal.
At present the fire is following the
crest of the mountain chain above
Sparwood, eating down into the
valleys on either side. 1t is travelling
at tremendous rate and unless there
ic oh nf u,ip 1ry;11 ho
boundary into Montana within the
next twelve hours. There are thou
sands of mines and Lrospectors'
claims in the track of the fire, all Of
which are in peril. A slight change of
wind has occurred and Mitchell has
been taken out of the more direct
path.
A correspondent at Mitchell wires
as follows:
"There is now some hore of saving
the business section of the town and
every available man is on duty. Pre-
mier Campbell has arrived from the
Sparwood district on handcar with
three men, all of whom are badly
burned. They were at once taken to
the hospital. two of them in a pre-
carious condition. Mr. Forester, man
ager of the mill, with his wife and
about thirty men, were last seen try
ing to save the mill. A line of flames
cut them off from escape to the east
and unless they have been able to get
through to the west all are dead, for
the country is like furnace"
On the way the party found the body
Of Peter Miller lying on the Canadian
Pacific railroad. He had succumbed