Lexington gazette. [volume] (Lexington, Va.) 1871-1962, 1910-11-09
Placed at About Fifteen MIL
lion Dollars.
over MILLION ACRES BURNED
Hurricane Blew Small Fires Into One
Big onfasration-May Be Portion
of Trees Not Killed-Steps Being
Taken to Sell Off Injured Timber.
Loss Equal to Twelve Years Supply.

A rough estimate of the fire loss
upon the national forests in Montana
ara northern Idaho. upon which the
forest officers OF the United States de-
p3rtment of agriculture have been en-
gagged since the fires were put out. puts
the total amount of timber killed or
destroyed in this one district at over
6.OO0.O0O.C01 board feet, worth approx
imately $1l.OOO.OOO The area burned
over Is put at over 1.2JO.OO acres.
The heaviest losses We're in two Ida
no forests the Occur d'Alene, where
over 2.oO0,oOO.O0O board feet of timber
are reported killed or destroyed and
over 4JOoc0 acres burned over, and
the Clearwater. where 1000, 100000
feet Of timber were killed or destroy
ed and 301.OuO acres burned over. On
the Helena national forest. in Mon
taua. the loss IN timber is believed to
have been 100000. 900 feet, on the Cab
met forest 4OO.OOOOOO and on the Lolo
forest 3OOOC0OOO.
Practically One Fire.
large part of the l~sses on the
Occur dAlene. Clearwater and Lolo
was due to what became practically
one great fire. The burned district is
shown on the forest service maps as
extending in nOrthwesterly and
southeasterly direction from north Of
Wallace. Ida, to a point some thirty
miles southwest Of Missoula, Mont, or
nearly 100 miles. At its widest point
this area has width of about forty
miles, but its shape is very irregular.
1t was really union of a number
Of separate fires driven to fury by the
fierce hurricane of Aug. 90. To the
west Of the aho-Montana boundary
in the region OF this fire lies a very IN
accessible mountainous country into
which. ON account of the absence of
/ trails and of forage, it was almost i'm
/ possible for forces of fire fighters to
penetrate. When the hurricane arose
/ 1t drove the fires upon the parties
/ who were hewing way toward
them. forced these parties to seek ref
uge wherever II could be found and
swept down upon the forests where
the fires were up to that time general
/ ly wei in hand.
Loss May 30 HeOuce0.
| Forester Graves believes that, az
usually happens in the case Of big
fires, there will be found to be con
siderable areas of living timber with
| In the regions now mapped as entire
| ~ burned over. OF necessity the fig
ures given are tentative. for it has
been impossible to examine all the
burned areas thoroughly. AS fast as
possible. however, the forest officer:
are locating and estimating the bodies
OF timber killed. but capable OF being
numbered il taken in time. There will
be an enormous quantity OF fire killet
timber. both on the national forests
and on private lands. to be disposed
of as soon rs possible.
1t Is believed that last summers
fires either burned up or killed be
tween and per cent OF the tota
stand of national forest timber a
the present rate of cutting from tn
national forests 6.OOO 100000 feet 4
equal to twelve years supply, but
Is less than one-Sixth of a single year
cut in the entire country. or enough T.
keep all our lumber mills busy 70