Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1910-08-22
GIVE UP FIGHT
IN DESPAIR
Rain Only Can Save Large
Timber Districts From
Destruction
OVERWHELMED BY FLAMES
Hundreds of Weary Men Have
Battled in Vain to Stay
Forest Fires.

Missoula, Mont, Aug. 22.-From ev-
| cry corner of western Montana and
Idaho, this morning, there were pray
I ers that the weather bureau had hit
! the right forecast for showers today
| Nothing but rain can save the situa-
tion. Hundreds of weary men, who
| for days have battled with the flames
! in the forests, are staggering to safe
ty with bloodshOt eyes and aching
limbs, immersing themselves in
streams or burying their faces in
mud from the maddening heat The
| only improvement in the situation is
at Wallace where the remnant of the
/ town that is left seems safe from
fires, and at Mullen, where the town
threatened all day yesterday, is be-
lieved to be safe. The towns of Taft,
De Gorgia, Henderson and the old part
of st. Regis are in ashes. The old
placer town of Murrey, Idaho, is in
danger. The flames have the upper
hand of the situation in scores OF
places Rain is the only salvation for
hundreds of miles of timber and many
camps and small towns. The men
fought the flames to the limit of hui
man endurance, and are withdrawing
from the contest in many places.
Death List is Long.
Spokane, Wash, Aug. 22.-Twenty
persons are known to be dead as the
roc,,1+ of foroc+ froe r,i+biD ~ rod;,,c
Of $50 miles, of Wallace. The death
list for the entire fire-swept district
of northern Idaho is certain to reach
one hundred and probably many more.
1t is impossible at the present time
to make an accurate check on the
missing. From Wallace comes the re-
port that the town of Burke is in
flames and certain Of destruction. The
fire rangers of that section are SO ex-
hausted that no effective battle
against the flames can be made. Three
hundred residents of the town are in
flight toward Wallace. The negro sol
diers of the 25th infantry who have
done heroic work and saved many
lives and much property in the vicin-
ity of Wallace, are now resting having
been engaged in continuous battle
against the flames from four o'clock
Saturday afternoon until early today.
The forest rangers report to Super
visor Weigle that six of his men are
dead; five having been smothered in
a tunnel where the entire crew took
refuge. Ranger Bell reports twelve
dead, three permanently blinded and
thirteen with broken legs.
Beyond Control.
Washington, Aug. 22.-Associate
Forester Potter was present at the
conference. He laid before the army
officers the latest information from
the fire regions. His advices were
that high wind prevailed ON Sunday
at Wallace, Idaho, that one quarter of
the town had been burned. Import
he said will be threatened and Libby
and Troy, Montana, are in grave dan
ger, each town asking for $50 troops.
Twenty-Five fire fighters have been
killed, according to the forestry re-
port. The fires are reported racing
towards Mullen and Burke, Idaho, and
the west end of Lolo, another Idaho
town, is said to be blazing All in
habitants of the st. Regis valley are
reported to have been taken out on
special trains. Two hundred forest
rangers are reported in grave danger
on the Idaho side of the east fork of
| the st. Joe river in the Bitter Root
mountains. The fires on or near the
Bitter Root, Missoula and Cabinet
forests are beyond control. The war
department already has thirty compa-
MES in the field If other federal
| troops are to be ordered to the threat
ened regions they must come from dis
| tant forts and emergency funds must
be provided for their transportation.
Chief Forester to the Front.
Washington, Aug. 22.-Incendiarism
inadequate means of protecting the
forests and unusually dangerous con-
ditions are blamed by Associate For
ester Potter in statement issued to-
| day, for the fires raging in the north
west. The situation proved so seri-
Gus that Forester Henry S. Graves on
his way to Washington, telegraphed
from Rochester, N Y, that he has
turned back and is now on his way
| to the front to take charge.
lncendarism Blamed.
Washington, D. c., Aug. 22.-Posi-
tive evidence that many forest fires
are of incendiarly origin, has been dis
covered by government agents, ac-
cording to telegram received at the
forest department today from Asso-
ciate District Forester Cecil of Port
land. Cecil says in his dispatch that
there is no doubt that the fires in the
Crater national forest and at the Med
ford resulted from incendarism and
vNs- 4