The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-08-26

 stories of men who returned today from the St. Joe country of Idaho are to be believed the loss of life along Big creek, a tributary of the St. Joe river, was ap- palling and the dead in Idaho alone will number more than 200. even if Ranger Joseph B. Hahn and his s4 men turn up of which the forest office in Wallace Is not hopeful.
 All estimates of the financial loss place 1t at over s2O,o0O00O, mostly in timber
 Supervisor Weigle has given up hope for the safety of Ranger Hahn and S4 men on the headwaters of the St. Joe river last Saturday. Ranger F. A. Ferns, at the head of still larger party on the St. Joe, is safe.
 The loss of life occurred mostly last Saturday and Sunday. when gale famed smouldering embers into great fires and drove flames through the noun tains with the speed of an express train, giving fire fighters no chance to flee for their lives.
 None of the towns in Idaho and Mon- tana Is now in danger and the critical period of the fire is passed.
 Charles Miller and Warren Weston, tim
 
 Ter men, who arrived today from St. Maries county of Idaho, told a heart rending story of the death of 90 Italian fire fighters
 Miller and Weston were working on d tributary of Big creek. One hundred yards above them were the 30 Italians, fighting a blaze which was coming down the canyon. The creek bed was dry where the Italians were working, but there was d little water below, where Miller and Weston were stationed.
 Suddenly we saw flames below us" says Weston today. ''We dashed for the creek bottom, threw ourselves into the shallow water, wet our blankets and drew them over our heads.
 "Tbe Italians had seeD the flames com ing. too. Some of them were running around wildly, trying to climb the banks of the canyon. They could not go up because of the fire there. We yelled to them to join us, but the blast of the fire and the draught silenced us.
 we remained covered for 15 minutes while the flames were passing above us When we looked at the place where the Italians had been we saw nothing but a heap of charred fesh'' With S6 em- ployes of the forest service known to be dead and grave fears felt for number of others who are missing, headquarters of the Couer d'Alene forest service at Wallace, Idaho, is anxiously awaiting news from the relief expedition sent ro rescue Ranger Joseph B. Hahn and S4 men who have not been heard from since Saturday, when they were on the head waters of the St. Joe.
 With the opening of the Chicago. Mil waukee and Puget Sound railroad into the St. Joe valley, discouraging news is beginning to come out. It appears that 600 men were at work on Big creek. a tributary to the St. Joe, last Saturday when the wind blew the flames through the canyon.
 Apparently truthful accounts of the loss of 47 of the men were received today These deaths should not be confused with the losses reported from Avery.
 Near Avery AT bodies have been found and 10 Japanese four negro soldiers and an unknown number of settlers are miss ing Sixty-five men, natives of the Med- itcrranean country, arrived in Spokane today from Big Creek. and said that 15 Austrians and two American choppers were dead.
 From the story of the survivors, 1t appears that these victims were work ing at a point farther up the creek than the 30 Italians already reported dead
 The Austrians were undertaking to back fire, but their work was so unsuccessful that they were killed by the fire they themselves had just lighted, which ran back on them and drove them against a wall of flame advancing from the oppo- site direction.
 The towns along the line of the Colum- bia and Puget Sound. short coal road are in greater danger than those along the Milwaukee line. The Columbia's s agent at Taylor reported today that the fire was within 700 yards of the town. He added:
 burned last night. Wind blowing hard. When fires get into heavy timber above here nothing can save the town. Worst is yet to come'
 The Columbia and Puget Sound sent a passenger train to Taylor last night and Is holding it there ready to bring out the people in case he1town burns. Taylor is town of 600 people.
 Warden Simons received the following telegram today from Ranger c. A. Stone