The San Francisco call., 1910-08-27


found safe. according to dispatch re-
ceived tonight by District Forester
Greeley from Bonner, Idaho.
100 Dead and 90 Missing
MISSOULA, Mont, Aug. ga revised
compilation made today by the Office
of field district No. l, forestry service
embracing the entire burned district in
Idaho and Montana, gives 109 as the
number of known dead in the employ
of the service.
Sixty more employees are missing
and still unaccounted for. Complete re-
turns have not yet been received from
the Occur d'Alene region in the vicinity
of Wallace, Idaho.
When these are in it is thought the
list of missing will be materially re-
duced.
The missing include the following:
Ranger Thenon's crew at Indian lake,
"a men.
At the Setser creek camps. five men.
Ranger Halms crew, 16 men.
The discrepancy in the number of
reported from Wallace to consist of 20
men, and which, according to the rec
ords of the district office, is only com
posed of 16, can be explained through
the fact that the original party con-
sisted of 90, but after starting out
many were transferred and some dis
charged, reducing the number of the
party to Is.
The district office is still hopeful that
the Hahn party is safe.
w. NJ. Bennett. connected with the
Occur d'Alene and Montana mining
companys workings near Trout Creek,
reports distressing condition in the
Trout creek district. In that terri
tory hundreds of persons have lost
everything they possessed, many fam
lilies being entirely destitute.
All Of the mining and lumber camps,
together with sawmiIls and other COM
mercial enterprises, have been de-
stroyed. The property and personal
loss is enormous. The forestry station
on Trout creek is lost with all the
stock and equipment.
destruction only by the efficient assist
ance rendered by a force of 100
laborers.
Charred and unrecognizable bodies
have been found on Swamp creek and
the search for others who are missing
is still being prosecuted
Near the mouth of Swamp creek all
property for miles was licked up by
the flames. In that district there are
cri hat xxrIar
have not been accounted for.
The Button family was saved by re-
naming in a well until the flames
passed. other families protected them
selves by seeking the center of the
river, where they remained immersed.
One man carrying a bundle of cloth
ing, apparently crazed by heat, dashed
into the river with his burden strapped
to his back. He sank and was not
seen again.
SPOKANE, Wash, August 26-"It
is impossible" said Forester Silcox
today, Ito give any estimate of the
area of the timber burned or it's value
Not until after the rains come can we
make an estimate. We know, however,
that 100000 900 feet on the Lolo, re-
Gently sold at $3.50 a thousand is wiped
out, entailing a loss of $3.50, 600, and
counting SO thousand for wages of
cutting into lumber, the loss to the
community on this one tract alone is
s145o,000.
The loss of another 1oo,O0o,o0o feet
on Big creek, just sold and then de-
stroyed, is s1,40o. 900. Some saving of
dead timber can be made, but compare
lively little.
After the rains crews will be sent to
estimate the losses by townships, and
the forestry bureau will tabulate the
losses and extent of the burned dis
tricts"
Stories told by survivors indicate that
if the employees had been under disci
pline and had obeyed orders the loss of
life would shave been much less One
ranger kept his men from stampeding
by threatening them with a rife.
Near Avery 20 men. warned to fee
for their lives, started down the noun
tain until they found a clearing, went
into camp and perished On Setser
creek the "a men who died had been
warned to leave, but they were COM
Portable in camp and declined to move.
On Setser creek, also. one man who
disobeyed orders was obliged to shoot
himself to escape cremation, while his
SO obedient comrades were only singed.
A home seeker at st. Joe today de-
scribed the death of II men, mostly
foreigners, on Big creek. These were
probably not forestry employees.
On the north side of the st. Joe river
the area burned over is 15 miles in
width and so miles long. On the south
side of the st. Joe river the fires are
very serious and extensive.