The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-08-24
lightRain Gives Fire Fighters
New Hone In Midst
Of Terror
LIST OF KNOWN DEAD IS
STILL VERY LIMITED
Belonging to the Government and
to Private Individuals Is
Destroyed

Spokane, Wash, August ga special
from Wallace says that Forest Supervisor
! Nege has received word that a crowd
OF 20O men, under Chief Ranger kootlSey,
have perished in camp near Falcon at
the headwaters of the St. Joe river.
Light rain began to fall this afternoon
In wallace and other Couer d'Alene min
ings towns that have been scorched or
threatened by the forest fires and the
/ weary fire fighters took new hope. Moth
ing, however, but a long and heavy down.
pour will quench the flames that are
eating up the big trees Of northern Idaho
northwestern Montana and northeastern
Washington.
The Idaho militia and the United States
troops are on the way to battle with
the flames, but the soldiers can accomplish
little more than to protect the threat
ened town. The forest supervisors in
idaho and Montana are unable to get
|, into communication with 300 of their
rangers, but it may be that many of them
are unharmed.
The most sensational rumors of loss of
lifo continue, but it is impossible to verify
them, and 1t seems likely that aside from
losses among the national rangers the
number of dead in the three states will
not exceed 100.
Late this afternoon list of known
dead, compiled in Spokane, contained only
81 names
Miners Fighting Fire
The mining town of Wardner is almos.
surrounded by flames and the miners are
out fighting the fire.
mi. ~ M
tional forest are beyond control and
timber worth millions of dollars is burn
ing. The fire on the Couer d'Alene In
|, dian reservation is checked as are those
of Palmous national forest. Along the
st. Joe river. which runs through what is
described on maps as ''the largest body Of
standing white pine timber in the United
States,' there is a continuous fire from
Plummer to point in Montana.
The United States is the largest loser
and next In Importance are the losses sus-
tanned by the Chicago, Milwaukee and
Puget Sound railroad which has suffered
destruction of bridges, buildings and
timber lands for 40 miles.
The fires along the Northern Pacific in
western Montana have diminished. They
were largely in timber that had been
= fre-swept In former years, but the Idaho
fires are burning virgin forests.
Hard to Get News
The Pen d'Oreille valley heavily tim
bered, is on fire In several places and
loss of life is feared. 1t is hard to get
news from this section.
The weather service says no rain is In
prospect. Dispatches received by the To-
cal officers of the Chicago, Milwaukee
and Puget Sound railroad state that four
of the soldiers of Company G, 18th Uni
ted States infantry (colored), sent out
from Fort George Wright, to fight the
fires. are missing. The dispatches also
say that a number of families in the vi
cinity of Avery have been burned out
and large number of people are dead or
missing.
Milwaukee employees at Avery say 1t
seems as though the Bitter Root noun
tains are burning and that the entire
Couer d'Alene National forest will be de-
stroyed.
The four families of homesteaders who
were reported burned to death on Latour
creek, Kootenay county, Idaho, escaped
by wadlng Is miles along the bed of the
creek with fire burning down to the
waters edge. forcing the refugees fire.
uuently to submerge themselves when the
flames reached their faces. The families
were those of Walter Osborne, B. A.
Smith. F. o. Address and J. o. Address.
The aged father of the Address boys was
borne on stretcher by the other men.
They arrived at St Joe with their charred
clothing ready to fall from thier bodies.
Most Serious Feature
The most serious feature of the forest
fire is that 800 forest rangers are missing
in Idaho and Montana
The telephone lines through the national
forests have been destroyed or interrupted
and a party Of rangers might be safe but
unable to report.
Following is a. partial list Of dead to
date in the fire areas in northern Idaho,
northern Washington and Montana:
Louis Holmes, Spokane.
Thomas Welsh, Spokane.
George Zeigler, 81 years old. Newport,
Wyo.
Mrs. Ernest Denhardt, Newport Wyo.
George Campbell. Newport, Wyo.
Thomas Carey, Newport Wyo
Cady, rancher Newport. Wyo. M
Davies, rancher, Newport, Wyo.
Henry Literman. Darw'ood. Ida.
v. Nicholson, aged IT, Gem, ldano.
Lawrence Ryson, aged 80, Wallace
Idaho.
Leslie Sellers, 1S, Gem. IdahoS
s. ID. Adams, 30, Chicago.
A. Renstern, Hillsdale, Wis.
Ernest Elgin, so, Wallace, Idaho.
william Mickey. Taft, Idaho.
Dead at Salter, Mont:
Roderick Ames, rancher, Big Creek.
Joseph Beauchamp. ranger, Big
Creek.
Jose c. Byrd, Wallace. Idaho.
Joseph Fene, Placer Creek.
william Hearmouth, War Eagle,
MINI.
Joseph Smith. burned near Mullan.
4 Idaho.
n "French" Familiar. Spokane, charac-
ter, on Placer Creek.
John Williamson. fireman. killed near
CONTINUED ~ 4AGp -