The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-08-21
By Associated Press,

By Associated Press.
WALLACE. Ida. Aug. 2O-Driven by
heavy gale the forest fires that have
surrounded Wallace for weeks swept over
the tops OF the hills tonight and crept
down the slopes Into the east end OF the
town.
Twenty or thirty small dwellings on
the hillsideS burst into flames about
O'Clock and the blaze caught few nin-
utes later in wooden warehouses and ho.
tells OF Seventh street. Every available
| man In town, working under orders from
Mayor Walter Hanson under the glare
of flames on the surrounding hills and
the pail OF smoke overhead at IL o'clock
were seeking to hold the damage cast Of
Seventh street.
LOSS Will Be Heavy.
Rough estimates of the loss at that
hour were placed from 100000 to
| $500, 900 The largest loss was In the
warehouse of the Occur dAlene Hard
ware company, which supplies mining
materials TO a large tributary territory,
placed at $4,000, The plant OF the
$4,000, was also burning The Oregon
Railway Navigation depot recently
completed ut a cost Of $1,000, was burned
as was also the old wooden depot.
At II o'clock the only building east OF
Seventh street still standing was the
| Shoshone county courthouse. A district
approximately five blocks long and five
/
Its spreading had abated,
| The Pacific hotel, the Couer d'Alene
lodging house, both lwo-story frame build
| ings, were among the first to go
Danger Foreshadowed.
Early in the afternoon. when it was
nent, the nearest blaZes were those up
! Placer creek, which were considered tn
have been brought under control by the
two companies OF negro troops from Fort
|
| across the Occur dAlcne river toward
] Wallace, The blaze up Placer creek
| leaped the trenches and back-hred spaces
| and began burning down the west side
of Placer creek canyon, where the nuine
carrying the city water supply runs.
The pail of smoke overhanging the town
| was so dense that the electric lights were
turned on at 3 o'clock in the afternoon.
AS soon as dusk fell the flames on every
side turned the smoky sky dull red
At 6 o'clock Mayor Walter Hanson or
dered every available man out to back
fire up the hisdcs around the town.
| threatening imprisonment for all VINO re-
fused As the flames drew near the teie-
phone office, the girl operators fed with
n hasty cry to the Spokane office that
| the town was on fire,
Special Trains Used
Al o'clock in the afternoon the de-
mand of the people for trains TO leave
the town became SO great that both the
Oregon Railway &c Navigation company
and Northern Pacific made up special
trains which left at sundown, bearing
hundreds OF wom1l and children with
their valuables.
The o. K. g. N train pulled down the
Occur d' Alene valley 10 Osborne out ut
all possible danger. while the Northern
Pacific train proceeded toward MISSOURI
Others who did not walt for the trains.
or who desired TO carry more OF their
household goods than they could take by
that means. secured every available ye-
hlcle and started on foot toward Os-
borne.
Latest Reports.
At 1l:30 p. IA. every hill around me
town is mass OF ffames ana the wnole
place looks like death trap, Men.
women and children are fNsterical In the
streets and are endeavoring TO leave
town by every possible conveyance
Trains are being made UP OF box cars
The entire south side OF town is IN
IInmes Including the new WorStell build
ing the Times building. Mlchigan hotel
both old and new Oregon Railroad ~
Navigation depots. Pacific and Couer
d'Alene hotels. and many other build
ings. Dynamite Is being used IN an at-
tempt to check the progress OF tho
wild one. but no deaths have been re-
ported thus far The confusion is such.
however that no accurate information Is
obtainable, -
All electric lights are out and tele-
phone wires are down. Sunset brewery
and many peiShboring houses and places
OF business have been consumed. ST
music store are In flames. The Shoshonc
county courthouse and Samuel's hotel are
thought TO be doomed. FLAMES are now
fbreateninC Wallace fire St2s:c-.