The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1910-08-26
FOREST FIRES RACE
AND MANY PERISH
special Trains Are Being Used
to Garry Refugees.

Many refugees who pour into Mis-
soula, Mont, from the fire swept dis.
tr1cts in the west, bring heart rend-
ing tales of suffering and distress. The
Northern Pacific has operated four re-
lief specials during the day and has
brought nearly 1000 people here The
Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul has
special made up of every available
sort of equipment, in which 500 per-
sons were huddled. One woman.
picked up along the line at midnight.
gave birth to a child in box car.
The Bitter 'Rot valley fires has also
secured renewed yigor. ]. NJ Kennedy
of the Bureau of Protection, received
information that the town or Libby
was surrounded by fires and Mat the
situation was critical.
Eureka is also reported surrounded
while the fires ct Ann have broken out
afresh. In Helena, both the Southern
skies as we'll as those to the north and
east are aglow, indicating that the
flames are creeping up the Rocky
mountains from the west A few
blocks is the limit one may see, so
dense is the smoke in Helena. All
wires between Helena and Spokane on
both the Great Northern ard Northern
Pacific railroad are down. An un-
verified report has reached here that
Z n,,i1 17o
Great Northern has been ditched be-
tween two fires, while is it also re-
ported that fresh fire has broken out
in Ten Mile valley, about fifteen miles
south Of Helena.
Smoke which settled over the city
was so dense that it was dark with a
crimson glow showing through the
smoke in the west Fire, ashes and
wood cinders are falling all over the
city. From the Blackfoot region
comes a rumor of disaster by fires. A
prosperous ranch is said to be in i'm
minent danger and number of
ranches have been burned by fires,
which communicated from the blazing
trees.
The telephone officials have rumors
of $50 fire fighters being burned to
death in Clearwater. The Milwaukee
officials report five bridges burned on
the east side of the Bitter Root river.
Bates and Rogers construction camp,
near the summit of the divide, has
been destroyed by fire with loss of
life, but the number of fatalities can
not be learned at this hour.
Further down the mountains the
charred remains of men we're found
near the tracks. The Milwaukee rail-
road depots at Anderson ind Deborgia
were burned and during last evening
the station at Huagan was also de-
stroyed.
The fire is reported sweeping along
the northern Mullan GulCh, towards
the old town of st. Regis and officials
on the 500 declare that the town will
be destroyed. Another fire is reported
on the lower Blackfoot, about six
miles north of Bonner, which is six
miles west of Missoula.
Half of the town of Wallace lies in
smoke hang about the country through
which the light of the fires shows cop
per red. Two lives were lost during
the destruction of the town of 5000
population, one of the wealthiest for it's
size in the country. Trains run by the
Milwaukee and the Northern Pacific
removed hundreds of homeless from
the town. 1t is difficult to get IN COM
munication with the stricken city The
property loss Is placed at a million dol
lars. The town of Taft, on the Idaho
line, and st. Regis, in Missoula county,
were also burned So far as known,
there was no loss of life in either Of
these places or Syvanite. The towns
were completely wiped out.