Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1910-08-24
FOUR HUNDRED PERSONS
ARE BELIEVED ROASTED
Conaagrat on Spreads over Sections
of Several States mad People Are
Fleeing fer Safety-Four Families
Escape by Wading Fifteen Miles in
Greek, Carrying Man on Stretcher.
fRy Associated Pressl

tBy ASsOciaf"d Pressl
SSPOKANE. WASH, Aug. 23.-Negr-
~ the whole Panhandle of Idaho. tim
hered mountain country. is on fire and
it is possible that four hundred per
SONS may have persisted. United s,ates
Forest Supervisor w. II. Weigle has
not heard from 400 of his men who
were in the burning woods and he
fears they have persisted.
The ether loss of life is estimated at
one hundred The mining town of
Wsrdner is almost surrounded by
flames and miners are out fighting the
fire.
The fires in the Cour D'Alene ma
tOnal forest are beyond control and
timber. worth millions of dollars, is
burning.
The fires On the cour D'Alene Indian
reservation are checked. as are those
of Palmous national forest.
Along the St. Joe river, which runs
through what is described as the larg-
est body of standing white pine tim
Der in the United States. there is
continuous fire from Plummer to
point in Montana.
Sweeps Over Forty Miles.
The United States is the largest
loser Next in Importance are the
losses sustained by the Chicago, Mil
waukee e. Puget Sound Railroad,
which has suffered destruction OF
bridges. buildings and timber lands for
forty miles.
The fires along the Northern Pacific
in western Montana have diminished
The Pen DOreille valley. heavily tim
bered, is on fire in several places and
less of life is feared. 1t is difficult
to get news from that region.
Dispatches state that four soldiers
Of company G, Twenty-fifth infantry
(colored) are missing. and also thai
a number of families near Avery have
been burned ont and many persons are
dead Of miss.n. Railroad employees at
Avery say that all the Bitter Root
Mountains are burning and that The
entire Cour DAlene national forest
may be destroyed.
Wade Fifteen Miles.
Four families Of homesteaders, re-
ported burned TO death. on la Tour
creek. KOOtanai copty, Idaho. escaped
to ST. Joe, wading fifteen miles along
the bed of the creek with fire burning
down to the waters edge forcing the
refugees frequently 20 submerge them
selves when the flames reached their .
faces. An old man in the party was
borne on A siretcher all the way.
While 500 forest rangers are missing
in Idaho and Montana. it IS probshle
tha, most of them will escape death
The telephone lines through the ma
iicnal forests have been destroyed OF
interrupted and the rangers might be
safe. hut unable to report.
Covers Fifty Miles Square.
Forest Supervisor Fem today Tor
wsrded 10 the forestry bureau al Mis-
souIa. a report from Koeskai. Idaho.
He assets that the fires have now
covered an 1rea Ct more than fifty
rouarc miles. that high winds preva-'
and there appesrs to be Ettic chance
Of bringing the flames rndcr control
The town Of Troy Is threatened
Prom the idaho side furious hrs
are reported coming over the divide AZ
the head 81 Rcxk creek and hcadin~
toward Eigh; Nile creek This hre|
has a front e Is miles and is said iol
he extending Ioane Der creek IN the
direction q Bonncr.
A late report from Supervisor Koch.
Who Is - 81 T,cgis. INDICATES thai
many Of the mcn reported 20 have PcF-
ishcd IN Buford zulch are safe At 81
Regis md arc assisting " driving
bact IN. Arcs that fhrea On The town
Reports were circulated today that
irccnaiarios attempted 20 spread new
fires :. - Regis last night The
charge we're made thai unidcn'ihed
pcrsons we're detected hurting burning
brands among The business quarter 81
The old town. 40 arrests were re-
ported.
Tho chicaxr. Mivaukee q Puget
sound Railroad today sent from Mis-
soni, two ucrk and relief trans 20 The
west end If he line ~ repair bridge
and seek out refugees At Lockout