The Lynden tribune. [volume] (Lynden, Wash.) 1908-current, 1910-09-15

u,onderf,,l community gains all tle
result of one Of ire worst forest ire
Of recent years. that burned terrific
~ sreday afternoon ana nlgLl
and Monday, and that Is still puTnlhs
All day Monday ana part Oh ues
i dav itssened INST certain mat Lyn'
A. would he wiped out. All bust
no haIises were closed. All able
hodiad men were cut lighting the
flames. -
Al the sar-e time fires We're
.,.a,+anivq or burning homes,
mills and other property all about.
Roo & Van IeeuN ems mill was
tbreatened- even caught fire time
or TWO. Heatou's mill was IN great
danger. S~me of TIE Lynden S1ingit
Co buildings were burning. TEE
Union Manufscturil Co, WAS sur
rounded by fires = us and families
were calling for help-calling on Lyn
den for help when Lynden was calling
on Bellingham for help wren Lyn-
den business men were fighting IL
choking smoke and burning teat arc
Lynedn women were gathering valua
bles and clothing into packages that
could be carried IN hurried race.
1t was terrifying 1t was appalling
1t was inspiring. And. L WAS stape-
flying. When tire FIST frantic calls
for help began coming IN everyone was
excited Everyone was all energy
But after fighting for hours in smoke
so thick that one could not sc
could scarcely bEeatA- dul ed the
brain to the terror and wiped out al
inspiration. Men VINO had been
Mortified at TIE danger Of ere nome
discussed coolly tie possible less OF
the town and their ALL Yes, sat
down and discussed 1t as the day be-
fore they had discussed the political
chances Of some candidate.
This part Of the Puget Sound coun-
try gets a few times a year, strong
wind frem the non tEeast- wihd
that comes down from a gap in the
Cascades. They generally last three
days Saturday, enc OF theze wlha rs
began suIlG@-g, 1t : - blowing
gale. Sunday night, George Cole ana
the writer counted a dozen or more
forest fires from a mile To five or six
miles distant from Lynden. The worst
was northeast of town, and a little
enquiry showed tsey were already 40
ing damage.
WHO started the fire.
In the opinion of the Tribune a
hundred different men started IT. 1t
was the result Of maay small Dfush
and clearing fires swept into roaring
racing forest f.es by the gaze Ne
man or mer we've to blame. 1t was
what the law calls AN act OF Provl-
dence.'
Monday morning thhe blaze in the
Northwest had swept down over par
TALLY cleared fields ard through IN
cleared stump lands into the city lin
it's.
At about 9 o'clock call for help
came from the James Milan farm
a mile north of town. The buildings
in the neighborhood- We're Attire
Business men began hurrying out
in that direction.
Few if any of them got to the
Milan place. They found work to do
closer homework even more In
perative for the Milan place was
doomed.
A great field of towering stumps
lay Just north and east Of the town
It was a great furnace of blaze. Flame
running up the high stumps and shoot
ing cinders as large as hazel nuts
cracked and Kissed. The cindtrs ano
brands were being carried by ire wind
sometimes q distance OF hau a mile
New fires were starting every where
Inside of 10 minutes of TIE time the
call for help came from the Milan
ranch, two fire alarms were turned
in. One caEle ffrcm Days place at
the west end Ct Grover street "a mos
the opposite direction from Milan :
Another came from ColliIs real
the new school house Eoth of thest
fires were extinguished, but ty this
time men began 70 realize TIE q n
ger. Fires were s.aftirg eyaryWhe'
along tie north and east sides OF town
Bank. department store, groceries, al
n,acas of business were deserted -
locked. or left in-oharee OF Womei
clerks.
About noon several frantic appeals
were sent to Bellngpam iof ne y
especially for TIE lcaa Of fire hsse
LINDEN has a new water department
that not all the pipe oni'
a few Of the hydrants and ie" coH
nectious are in. TIE fire hose wa
not yet in town -.
Bellingham responded ana se"' -
hose and sore men. -,
No one paper will ever give a COZ
nlete list OF the fire losses. ne;
are widely separated and many VIII
never be reported. 49,,
Tuesday James Milan's loss Wa ",
.,+, hioeast individual loss in this VI
cinity. 1T f,rm
north of Lynden about d '''