The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1910-08-23
Alarming Situation ConfrOntS
Government
LIVES ARE ENDANGERED
A Conference Held at the War De-
partment--An Effort Is Made to
Provide Measures for Pro-
lection.

Washington, Aug. 23.-Positive eyl-
dence that many Of the forest fires in
Oregon are Of ineendiary origin has been
discovered by government agents.
This is the statement in a telegram
received AZ the offices Of the forestry bu-
resu from Assistant District Forester
Cecil Of Portland.
Mr. Cecil says in his dispatch that
there is no doubt that the fires in the
Crater national forest and at Medford
resulted from ineendiarism and that new
fires are being set constantly.
He reports that he has started %
men on scout duty in an effort 70 catch
the culprits.
Fires in the Crater national forest IN
southern Oregon and at Medford, Ore,
are proving more serious every hour
Assistant District Forester Buck has
gone from Portland to take personal
charge Of the situation.
He says that the troops there viii
be used to protect life and property and
It will be hard to cxtinguish the fires
without the aid Of rain. He confirms
the report that every effort win be
made to keep the fires on the eastern
slope.
War department officials began con-
ference yesterday forenoon in an eff
fort to find means Of sending additional
fire fighters to the stricken Northwest.
Appeals for help from the federal
government, not TO protect the forests,
but to save human lives, poured into
Washington yesterday.
The precarious situation was laid be-
fore President Taft by telegraph with
a view TO executive action, and the last
five companies available for fire fighting
duty and army surgeons were ordered
to the relief of the sufferers.
Government surveyors have tele-
graphed that forest fires are raging p
miles south Of Republic, Wash, on the
Colville Indian reservation.
Those at the conference were Asso-
ciate Forester PHter, chief Of staff, Gen.
5 eral Lsomrd Wood and Adjutant Gen
eral Ainsmith.
Mr.. Potter laid before the army Off
cials his latest information from the
fire regions. His adviees were that high
winds on Sunday resulted in many dan
gerous fires. At Wallace Idaho, one
quarter Of the area Of the town had
been burned; Newport, Wash, was said
to be threatened, and Libby and Troy,
Mont, were in grave danger and each
town asking for $50 troops
Twenty-Five fire fighters had been
killed, according to the forestry reports,
and Mr.. Potter did not believe these
had all been in the employ Of the for
est service. His reports mentioned only
the loss of two women at Wallace, Ida
no Fires were said to be raging towards
Mullan and Burke, Idaho. not far from
Wallace, and the whole west end of
Lolo, another Idaho town, was said to
be blazing All of the inhabitants in
the st. Regis valley were reported TO
have been taken out on special trains.
Two hundred men Of the forest rangers
aew were reported to be in grave dan
ger on the Idaho side Of the east fork
Of the st. Joe river in the Bitter Root
mountains. Fires in or near the Bitter
Root, Missoula and Cabinet forests were
beyond control.
The war department already has or.
dered 80 companies into the field. If
other federal troops are to be ordered