The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1908-10-03
FORESTS
BURNING
CALIFORNIA TIMBER INTER-
ESTS SUFFER HEAVY
DAMAGE
LAUNDERING Plants Destroyed and
Crews Have Narrow Escape.
Train With Passengers Who
Had Been Hemmed in Dashes
Through Burning Forest.

Through Burning Forest.
Eureka, Cal, Sept 26.-With strong
winds tanning it to increased fury, a
forest fire which broke out at Camp
No. 16 of the Vance Lumber Company
has already spread to Little River,
following a southeasterly course to
that point, and from there turning east
into the heavy timber, where it is still
burning furiously. The numbering
plant of the Kellstrom Company, which
lay in the path of the flames, was to-
tally destroyed, as were all the houses
of the settlement there, but Kellstrom,
with his family and the crew of the
plant, escaped to Trinidad, where they
are being taken care of by the people
of the town.
At first it was thought that Miss
Kellstrom was lost in the flames, as
she was left behind in the hurry of
departure, but she arrived at Trinidad
after terrible trip lasting three hours
which she made on foot through the
timber Kellstrom and his wife made
their escape in an automobile, which
is the only property they saved. The
loss at Kellstrom's is estimated at
100000, with no insurance.
The fire had swept over the tracks
of the Hammond Lumber Company's
logging road, destroying several miles
of track and number of trestles.
Traffic over the line will be tied up
for several weeks. The Hammond
Company has sent all it's engines to
the scene of the conflagration and the
crews are fighting the blaze, which is
gaining on them steadily, assisted by
a fifty mile an hour wind
Last reports from the scene state
that the plant of the Little River Red
wood Lumber Company is threatened,
as the flames are within two miles of
the mills and running toward them
fast. The plant is valued at a million
dollars, with it's surrounding timber
reserves, and has not been in opera,
tion since completed, several months
ago.
People from the numbering settle
ment of Luffenholtz are arriving at
Trinidad, leaving everything behind
them to be destroyed by the flames,
which are so close to the settlement
that the refugees are glad to escape
with their lives.
All the vast stretch of timber land
from Little River and Luffenholtz to
Trinidad is being swept over by the
flames and timber valued at many hun
dreds of thousands of dollars is being
destroyed. Smoke in huge clouds is
drifting in advance of the flames,
causing great suffering to people miles
away from the scene of the fire.
Dash Through Burning Forest.
The Hammond Company's passenger
train arrived at Samoa at o'clock
with refugees from Luffenholtz and
who escaped with nothing
but the clothes they wore. The run
of the passenger train through the
burning forest was a daring one and
was all that saved the train crew and
passengers from certain death.
The people tried to escape along the
sea shore to the north and east, but
were hemmed in by the fire before
they realized it. To the south the for
est was burning on both sides of the
track, with the ties in some places
&c act oil
the train, which was stalled at Luffen-
holtz, and, with the paint on the coach
es shriveling, the conductor gave the
engineer orders to make a desperate
run. For several miles the train
passed through a veritable sea of fire,
coach windows nearly breaking and
the heat SO intense that several wom-
en- tainted. Expecting to meet uisas-
ter at every turn of the wheels and
running at high rate of speed, the
train shot through the inferno" into
the open country above Samoa, with
the passengers cheering wildly, thank
full for the narrow escape.
The latest reports are to the effect
that the fire at Fieldbrook is under
control and that the town is in no i'm
mediate. danger, but at Luffenholtz the
town is completely wiped out, tracks,
roundhouse and flatcars destroyed,
with flames still raging and spreading
from heavy wind.
H. A. Poland, owner of the mill
there, who arrived on a late train,
stated that his property is in no dan
ger, as the fire was going eastward,
but If the wind kept up during the
night the entire district from Trinidad
to Fieldbrook, comprising thousands
of acres of valuable timber land, would
be swept by fire.
Up to the present time no deaths are
known of. Fatalities. if any, will not