Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1908-08-21
IRE SWEPT FERN|E,
". A. Frazer Describes Devas-
tated British Columbia Town.

w. A. frazer UeSCrIDeS UevaS-
tated British Columbia Town.
slTE OF VERY RICH MINES.
Made Several Men Wealthy Almost
Against Their Will-Author, Familiar
With Crows Nest Country, Declares
This Northwsst's Worst Fire.
w. A. Frazer, the author, who proba-
bly, knows more about the northwest
than any other man In New York at
the present time and Is particularly
familiar with the Crows Nest country
Of British Columbia, where the towns
Of Fernie, Cove Greek and Hosmer
were recently destroyed by fire, made
some interesting comments to New
York Times reporter on the fire and
the history of the district.
1.-THE fire is the worst the northwest
has ever experienced" said he. lin the
bss Of life, the extent Of the destruc.
lion and the value Of the property de-
stroyed outside the timber. In Fernie
alone the property loss should be ut
least 100000 without taking into
consideration the Inconvenience and
delay that the coal mines will expe-
Renee before they can get to operating
again. These mines are the most val
liable and productive in the northwest,
and not small part of their loss will
be In their being unable to fill con-
tracts and obligations for some time to
come.
sit is snot generally known that
James j. Hill is part owner of these
mines and that he bought the fifth in
terest which he holds today, at
price in excess of that for which the
entire property was offered him If
teen years ago. The history of the
discovery and development of these
mines would till book In itself. About
| forty-fiveS years ago a young pros.
pector of the name of Fernie left
Butte for the north country and re.
turned half starved and haggard sew.
eral months later with wild tales of
the things he had found. Every one
scoffed at him, but he formed his COM
pany and tried to raise money ON the
shares.
"He interested several other poor
prospectors in the scheme and peddled
the stocks about the Montana, Idaho
and Colorado mining camps Finally
people bought them in order to get
rid of the promoters persistence. They
sold at q very low figure, and in time
it began to be the regular thing to
buy 'Fernie' as you would place money
you had in your pocket and did not
know what to do with on the wheel
know several remittance men and
poor prospectors who did this and are
today very rich men.
at has been said of Fernie that he
sat down on a lump Of coal and made
a million. OF course the property was
worthless without railroad and for
many years little or nothing was done
with 1t. Fernie went to Hit and Of
fered him the whole business at a
ridiculously low figure. but Hill did
not see the proposition Of running the
Great Northern up there. Then be
turned to the Canadians. Finally he
induced DR.. Selwyn of the geological
survey to make trip into the country
with him. The doctor was not pleased
with the look of things as they went
along and one night when they were
almost within sight of the valley in
which the town of Fernie lay told his
companion that it was "a wild goose
chase and that he was going back.
''Then the determined prospector
practically kidnapped the, doctor and
made him go on by refusing to give
him horse or food for. the return
trip. On the strength Of DIR. Selwyn's
report Senator Robert Jaffray Of To
ronto became interested in the proper.
ty, and through him Sir William Van
Horne put through the Canadian Pa
cific. Jaffray and Sir William have
both made fortunes out of the mines.
Besides them, Hill and Fernie. who is
still alive and one Of the active man.
ayers of the property, the principal
owners today are Sir Henry Poilat and
e. w. Rogers. the Toronto coal king.
Last spring. when l made my last
visit to Fernie. the mines were aver
aging an output Of between 1000 and
5000 tons Of bituminous coking coal
day. and 1t was estimated that If the
oven capacity Of the mines were in
creased four times the supply would
last 1000 years.
'Of course the terrible thing about
the fire is the loss of life. which Is read
lily understandable by one who knows
the country. Fernie was located in a
little valley, completely surrounded by
mountains 1900 or 5000 feet high.
The entrance and exit was over the
mountains through almost impene-
trable underground or by the railroad.
which comes In and out of the valley
by narrow cuts. 1t is not more than
three-quarters of mile from the top
OF one range ncross to the other
''The fire evidently swept around the
mountains and then came over the
range and caught the inhabitants of
the town like rats In Al trap. The
mountains We're covered With pine,
spruce. cedar and redwood. all resin
Gus, and surrounded by an under
growth which would make fire that
would burn like an inferno. Any one
who has not seen Il forest fire In this
kind Of timber has no conception of
the raptdity and fierceness with which