The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1910-08-22

SPOKANE. WASH, Aug. 22.
With twe-thirds of the city of Wall
lace, Idaho. q mass Of smoking ruins
Taft, ST Regis and Avery destroyed
and upwards of seventy persons dead
the forest fire situation throughout
Idaho, Montana and Washington to-
day assumed a graver aspect than
ever.
Thousands OF refugees from the
stricken States. some of them burned
and blackened. crowd all the hotels
and rooming houses of Spokane and
Missoula and hundreds more are ara
irving hourly.
The hospitals or the two cities are
crowded and private homes are be-
ing thrown open to care for the sick
and injured.
The horror of the fire which swept
through Wallace like a whiriwind
Saturday night and Sunday was i'm
creased when telephone communfeA-
ton with that city was re-estab lishcds
to-day. The fire fighters there say AZ
least fifty persons persisted in tho
fires in and around Wallace, that
seven blackened corpses have already
been recovered. A number of per-
sons are missing.
Other sections of the fire zone res
port a total OF thirty bodies recov-
cred, while scores of persons are
said TO be in imminent danger a.
death. Near Wallace eighteen per-
sons are said to be missing, but their
fate Is unknown. and in the chaoas
which has followed the destruction ~
the city 1t will probably be many days
before 1t can be ascertained whether
-thay-afe- living <,F-tea<-
The forest rangers who were ems
circIed by flames near st. Joe. Idahos:
have not yet been heard FROM
A rescuing party of several HUNDREDS
men have been battling with tho
flames for nearly eighteen hours. ems
deavoring to reach the tmperiled men.
but thus far have failed.
Millions Lost.
The total property loss. 1t Is beIiev-s
ed. will mount high into the miliionas
Property has been forgotten In thu
general anxiety to save the imper3i6n.A
succor the injured and remove tbs
homeless from the zone OF the hre.
Three thousand refugees from Ids
no and Montana arrived here this
| morning on special trains, which rAns
so slowly that 1t required the anttr4l
night to travel short distances. Raff-~s
| road operation Ia exceedingly periIonS.
owing to the immense number o.
bridges and trestfes that have bean
burned away and because Of the fnceB
tnAI III many RiaSGS ZIG LHtClLo0
of the fires has destroyed the trackass
twisting the rails into all imaginab14'
shapes.
With the arrival of the refugees to-
day the same special trains kept th0ir
steam up and several score OF d0ctormi
| and nurses started back at once to th0s
scene OF the worst fires.
| Hundreds of fire victims are reporte
ed i'll in the refugee camps In Idah0E
and Montana. and the medical men
hope to arrive in time save many
| lives. Nj
Appeals are constantly reRchinnS
Spokane for more fire fighters. ana
special appeals are being sent 10 thM
| government to hurry several reeS@5
ments to the scene, even IL they have
to be transported from as far AwGy|
as California or Wyoming II n ~
/ lieved that only heavy rainfall o. II
vast increase in the fire lighting forr0@|
can save many small settlements frou
1 destruction. ss I'D
Large Death Roll
1t Is too early to count the cost A44
eurately. as the burned area in N tx
tensive that il has been impossihza m
| get definite reports from most az fn%
stricken districts. All agree 4hoMHx1Ss
| that estimates of forty dead are con
| sentative. and that the death list. wh4l|
/ all sections have been heard from. u11I
exceed seventy five. s'
The property loss Ii millions--hoy
many millions none can tell at tn(X
| time In Wallace. Idaho alons
property loss will be upwards ~ &
| 600, o00. and least twenty four pext~
| are known to be dead there. In AA& 81
! ton to these dead. four have been III
| ed at Newport, Washington. ana ~
norfa from the St Toe country Soy fEX