Evening journal., 1910-08-24
500 MAY HAVE
DIED BY FIRE
Forest Horror End Not in
Sight, Although COndi-
tons Improve
BLAZE YET SKIRTS
THE YELLOWSTONE PARK

By United Press Leased Special Wire.
SPOKANE, Wash, Aug 24-The
end of the northwestern forest fire
horror is not in sight. despite the i'm
proved conditions, according 90 10
days report TO the United States For
estry office from all parts of the are
zone.
apprehension expressed by Super
visor Wiegel at Ellenburg, yesterday,
over the fate Of three hundred rang
ers of his fire fighting force. was IN
creased today when a report came
from ThOmpsOn's Falls, Mont. that
six hundred forest rangers figh ag
the flames i'm that vicinity have not
been accounted for.
The alarm was increased when II.
F. KOttkey. ranger I'm charge OF
three hundred men reported missing
by Wiegel yesterday, staggered into
MissOula last night with a few of his
men, and reported that he did not
know what had become of the rest.
When last he saw any Of them. said
KOttkey, they were out in the burn
ing district near Avery, seeking a
means of escape Several large par
ties Of rescuers have gone out from
Missoula and Spokane to search for
the missing men.
Despite the apprehension of the
forestry officials at ThOmpson's Falls
over the fate of the six hundred miss
ing rangers. the officials refuse to be-
lieve that the men could have per-
ished
Dispatches from Thompson's Falls
today expressed hope that they had
al Iou hnf nd
reappear i'm some of the safer towns
in the fire zone
Searchers started out from Thomp-
sons Falls today.
News of the disappearance of the
men was brought here by Forester
| Barney, who reported that the six
I hundred men four days ago were
sent to the Cabinet reserve to fight
: the flames.
Barney says that Forest Supervisor
Bushnell, at Thompsons Falls has
had no word from the six hundred
men since they left Thompsons
Falls. He expressed the belief that
it would have been almost impossi-
Bile for them to obtain food in the
Cabinet reserve and said he feared
I they had been cut off from relief.
Aside from the many reported dis
asters to forest rangers, the forestry
officials both here and at Missoula
declared that a conservative estimate
is that seventy-fve men, women and
children have perished and the loss
to timber lands is more than $lO,.
100000.
They said they could not estimate
the damage to other property.
The calling out of the entire STATE
militia OF Idaho and part of the mill
tia of Oregon and Montana is be
lieved to mean a long step in th'
right direction. President Taft hal
telegraphed the executives of thes'
three States commencing their actor
and has promised 10 rush all avail
able United States troops to the fir
section on the sole condition that the.
must not be called upon to do polic'
, duty.
The fire near Thompson's Falls
now the most serious in Montana.
, Forester Barney reported at Mis-
, soula that when he left Thompson
yesterday morning. a wall of flames
, several hundred feet high, was sweep
: ing towards Thompson's from tn
, west. The ZOO inhabitants of the vii
, lage we're packed and ready to fie'
+ but Barney feared that not onl
! Thompsons but several nearby town
' including Plains and Paradise, woul
/ be consumed.
In the Bear Tooth forest, the cor
Z ditions are most serious and the Ga
5 latin county fires along the edge {
4 Yellowstone park are as bad as eve
= Reports from several other Montan
/. points early today are that light rair
/ have begun TO fall, and that it is b'
: lieved the worst is over in those se'
tiOns.