The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1910-08-23
WASHINGTON IS
ASKED FOR HELP
Federal Aid Requested by
|. Fire Sufferers.
OFFICIALS IN CONFERENCE

All Available Troops Ordered to Pro-
.ceed to Scene of Devastation, but
This Includes Only Five Companies.
Many Employees Of the Forest serv.
ice Among Those Who Perished In
the Flames.
Washington, Aug. 23.-With forests,
ranches and towns on fire in the
Northwest appeals for help from the
federal government, not to protect the
forests, but to save human life, are
pouring into Washington. AS result
every means at the disposal of the Off
Gals was bent toward rendering aid
and the precarious situation was laid
before President Taft. by telegraph,
with a view to necessary executive
action.
The situation was taken up at
conference at the war department be.
tween Associate Forester Potter Of the
forestry department, Major General
Leonard Wood, chief of staff of the
army, who returned from an inspec-
ton at West Point to superintend the
relief from the army standpoint, and
Adjutant General Ainsworth. The i'm
mediate result of the conference was
the ordering into service of the last
five companies available In the
stricken regions for fire fighting duty
and of carrying pack trains carrying
medical supplies and army surgeons
to the immediate relief of the suffer
ers.
Mr.. Potter laid before the army off,
Gals his latest information from the
fire regions. His advices were that
high winds prevailed, which resulted
in many dangerous fires. At Wallace,
Ida, one-quarter of the area of the
town had been burned; Newport,
Wash, was said to be threatened and
Libby and Troy, Mont, in. grave dan
ger and each town asking for ESQ
troops.
"any TITe Fighters NItleos
twenty-five fire fighters had been
killed, according to the forestry re-
port, and Mr. Potter was inclined to
believe that these had all been in the
employ of the forest service.
His reports mentioned only the loss
of two men at Wallace. Fires were
reported to be racing toward Mullan
and Burke, Ida, not far from Wallace,
and the whole, west end of LOlo, an
other Idaho town, was said to be blaz-
ing. 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 ran
gers crew were reported to be. in
grave danger in the Idaho side of the
east fork of the St. Joe river, in the
Bitter Root mountains. Fires on or
near the Bitter Root, Missoula and
Cabinet forests we're beyond control
The war department already has or
dered thirty-five companies into the
fields. If other federal troops are to
be ordered to the threatened regions
they must come from distant forts and
emergency funds must be provided for
their transportation.
Government surveyors have tele-
graphed that forest fires are raging
twenty-one miles south of Republic,
Wash, on the Colville Indian reserva-
ton. A telegram was received at the
Indian office from Superintendent
Webster at Spokane, saying that for
est guards are engaged in combating
| fires elsewhere, but that Forest Super
| visor Reid had reported that soldiers
| now at Republic are available for
| work there.
Of Incendiary Origin.
Positive evidence that many of the
forest fires in Oregon are of incen-
| diary origin has been discovered by
government agents, according to a
telegram received at the office, which
says there is no doubt that the fires
In the Crater national forest and at
MedfOrd resulted from incendiarism
and that new fires are being set. An
effort is being made to catch the cul-
prits.
Fires in the Crater national forest
in Southern Oregon and at Medford,
Ore, are proving more serious every
hour. There are 800 men there now
under the forest service. The war de-
| partment already has 100 soldiers de-
tailed in this district and has ordered
$50 more from American Lake. AS
sistant District Forester Buck has
gone from Portland to take personal
charge of the situation. He says the
troops will be used to protect life and
| property and it will be hard to extin.
guish the fires without the aid of rain.
He confirms the report that every
effort will be made to keep the fires
on the eastern slope.
Fright Causes Woman's Death.