The Paducah evening sun., 1910-08-22

ments today in the st. Croix district,
near the state line, where 200 rang
ers are said to be surrounded with
little hope OF escape.
1t is reported that 1873 fire fight
ers have been burned to death at
Avery, Idaho. today. Two thousand
.refuges are quartered at Missoula.
Scores are permanently blind by
heat and smoke, almost nude. and
some terribly burned. The troops
are exhausted but more are being
sent from Spokane.
Spokane, Aug. "a There Is
scarcely any sign of abatement in
the forest fires which Saturday and
Sunday wiped out Walla, Idaho, and
several other towns. Upwards of 40
persons have perished and millions
of dollars in property have been de-
stroyed. 1t is yet impossible to es-
innate the loss. The death list will
not be less than 40 and may exceed
10. Reports from the St. 10 country
say that IT'S forest rangers, fighting
the fire, have not been accounted for.
Mercilessly and relentlessly forest
fires in western Montana and Idaho
are sweeping over a vast area, driv-
ing hundreds of fugitives before
them. destroying small settlements
and wiping out of existence millions
of dollars worth of property.
The situation is more serious
Wallace. Idaho. where 1t is believed
that nearly half of the city will be
saved. Communication with Wallace
to the west has been possible at in
tervals. but eastward 1t is entirely
cut off, II is known that the entire
east half of the town above Seventh
street has been burned.
West of that a hard fight is being
made and with an improvement In
the water supply there is more
chance that the flames may be driven
back. For a few minutes the Daily
Missoulan's reporter at Wallace had
a wire. He summarized the situa-
ton as follows:
Thirteen lives lost; property loss
of 81 900. 900; fire still threatening.
Elsewhere in the fire zone the sit
uation has gone from bad to worse.
The most serious incidents is report
ed from the st. Coe country, where
$50 men engaged In the forestry
service are missing. and it is feared
they have been burned to death.
When the fire approached the
camp where there were 200 men,
two of the fighters took a horse
and riding the animal to death, rode
from the camp and ordered a rescue
party which penetrated the fire to
Bird Creek.
Eighteen of the men were found
in the water. where they had gone
for safety and they we're unharmed.
Relief Train Out.
From the remaining $50 men no
word has been received. A relief
train, well equipped with pack ami
mails. has been ordered. carrying
provisions and hospital supplies, and
will endeavor to get through the
fire. About thousand refugees
have been brought into Missouia.
There Is much distress among them,
but their wants are being supplied
by Missoula people and they have
been given temporary homes. The
first of the trains came in over the
Northern Pacifc's Couer d'Alene
branch and brought the patients
who had been in the Sisters hos
pital at Wallace and as many refu-
gees as could find places on the
small train.
There we're $50 on this train and
a second train brought as many
more. These people came from the
small towns along the line between
here and Wallace. Many OF them
had been reused from their sleep by
the people on the train, whose sum
mons had been the first intimation
that the fire was near as there had
beeu no sign of 1t when the people
went to bed Saturday night.
III UlOHl lHoldhNNo fC'ffN
escaped only scantly clad. A woman
who had fed from her home at mid
night gave birth to child In box
car just after the arrival of the irst
train at Missoula. Hospitals are
caring for the sick. Missoula homes
have been opened freely and the
homeless are comfortable for the
present.
Town of Taft Burns.
Another train with 500 people on
board is expected over the Chicago,
Milwaukee & Puget Sound railway.
A dense pail of smoke hangs all
over eastern Montana. In Missoula
IL was as dark as midnight at 3
o'clock. the dense smoke giving a
lurld hue which had all tht\>sem-
biance of the glow of fire, which
was probably due to the sun.
The town OF Taft. near the Idaho