Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1910-08-26
Careful Estimates Place Number
OF Those Who Perished in
Forest Fires at That.
STORIES OF GRIM TRAGEDIES
Reports From Fire Districts In Mon
tana aud Idaho say General
situation Improving.

Slokhnef NdSHst aug. -D.-Al care
ful estimates OF the loss of life in the
forest fires place the number OF dead
and probable dead at more than zoo
The Italians and Austrians in the st.
Joe valley. OF whom many persisted.
were employees OF logging companies.
The list Of government rangers dead
now 100, will almost certainly be length
oned
George Biberston. owner Of mine
ON Placer creek. southeast of Wallace,
declared today. after his return from
the creek, that the number killed in the
forest fires would never be known
"ln going through the bare woods, "
he said. one comes upon few charred
bones lying on the black ground That
is all there Is left Of settler or fire
fighter Reports which are sent out
from Idaho are not exaggerated in the
least
"Crazed by heat and smoke, many OF
the men VINO are fighting fires, are
hardly responsible for what they do. A
large number who have lost their lives
have been caught i'm the path of fires
because they did not realize their perll.
Harvey Bertram. deputy ranger
who has done invaluable service in
fighting fires. had much difficulty in
holding part Of his half-crazed men.
Believing that they were being trapped
one or two OF his party threatened
TO commit suicide rather than be burned
to death. At times Bertram was able
to control them only at the point OF a
rite He lined up his men and said
that he would shoot the first one that
deserted the ranks, II was only nv
ms means that he was able TO save
thom'
FIRE FIGHTERS PERILs
special TO the spokesman-Roy,o,,
RON Tekoa. Wash. says:
James u. Hine OF Missoula. who yos
one 2f a party of so fre fighters WORT
ing near Avery. Ida, of whom 20 nsr-
lshed last Sunday. arrived here Ias,
nlsht and told the story Of his perIls
Inc Grow was on q hill four miles fron,
me COOK camp and two miles iron,
avery ON SUNDAY afternoon thew
were warned TO fec for their lives b,,
man who rushed past them calling
mat they had no time to lose The 10
- StaTteu doWn mountainside
three miles long and very stcep AhosS
Of them the gale blew furiousIv tea
ING down trees and throwing them
"VTuss the trail Arriving at the Cook
camp. tho mon found II deserted ana n
warning tackled Up They ran 10 a
n'ln' Where the fire had burned Off tho
uuner' Al but % men then started
toI tho railroad. The next morning he
iiore daylight three OF the men ubo
nta heen LETT behind arrived al Avery
me others fingered too long, and were
swallowed by the moving furnace. or
,Re dead, Mr.. Hlne knew the name Of
out one man, Murphy. The fire trav-
s,, ~ miles an hour and those who
lou behind In the race for life were
snapped m by tho flames.
TRAGEDIES IN THE MOUNTAINS.
The grim tragedies that took place
w tne mountains OF the ST Joe conn
sty OF Idaho last Saturday and sun
WY We're revealed in part yesterday
Nhen forect rangers arrived at Avery
ana began To count the dead bodies ~
we rangers reported 10 their superior
whcers that the bodies OF IS forest
employees had been discovered. II il
ssuIposed that among this number are
'Iuaed the unidentified corpses that
nave been discovered and buried nv
negro soldiers OF the Twenty-fifth I'm.
mhtry during the past few davs A
uSlatch from Avery Wednesday stat
20 mat four bodies found had been
identified as those Of settlers near
avery The same dispatch stated that
s n'en We're missing. These figures
sstee wen with those furnished nv
nre-hghters who have arrived In Spo-
htne from the 81. Joe country and who
sN mat lis men were killed i'm four
q, snow nov fell Wednesday night on some
he higher mountains of the Clear
MHter country and the welther con-
,inues calm. Some of the small fires
nANe ocen extinguished. Three PARTIES
p"'alning % men are surrounded in
voc Clearwater mountains, but no an
mehension for their safety is felt, as
se leaders arc experienced mountain
REFUSED TO RUN
Patrick Grogan of Butte. Mont. one
W the "a forest men killed in the fire
w Setser creek, refused 10 run when
ne saw death reaching for him. and
se9 beside his tent, faithful dog re-
naming TO share his fate. The old
nan and his dog We're buried In one
grave Grugan, who was wen known
20 suite and elsewhere in the north
vest was the Oldest of 60 men stationed
on Setser creek
When the fires appeared threaten
lng early Sunday night the men wer.
eiNen orders 10 leave. Forty started
uo~n the canyon toward Avery, six
miles away. Five were out on patrol
uu'N and could not be reached The
oher "a elected To stay in the Sctser
,Ieek camp. Worn out ny three day,
" ce7seless work. they declared they
were in no more danger there than In
The 80 men had left camp less than
M hour when the fire swept up tn.
,anNon from the direction in which they
hld zone
TWO DAYS later when searching
flF went up tho canyon, they found
nharred bodies lyinR together
nNe hom the camp The bodies Of
,lur others who evidently had fallen
" ihe mad race up the canyon. were
the camD.
~ the camp alone. on the spot where
ne ~ The tents had stood was found
We body II Grogan Beside him was
,ne carcass Of a mongrel dog, which
,H1 atmched itself 10 the camp ana
refused TO leave the old man.
ne dead were buried where they
~ "a IN one grave at the head or
We canyon end the others near where
'nsy were found
fHtrick Grogan's homes were laid in
, senarate grave among the rocks and
~. dogs homes ware placed with them.
Forest Ranger Debit read simple