The Mena weekly star., 1910-08-25
FIRES ARE ABATING
BELIEVED TO BE OF lNcENDIARY oRloiN-coNsERvATloNERs
 WILL DISCUSS THEM.
PRESIDENT TAFT SENDS TROOPS
More Than 300 Lives Lost and Prop erty Destroyed Is More Than S2o, o0o, ,00c--Railroads Blocked and Travel Dangerous.

Helena, Mont, Aug. 24.-Five thou sand square miles of timber land in western Montana and eastern Idaho are ablaze, and as much more terri. tory has been laid waste by the worst forest fires in the history of the United States. The property loss is already s20.000,00o. according to care ful estimates, and the desperate efforts of an army of 5000 men to check the flames have proved futile.
 It Is believed that the death list will be over 300 when the final ao- counting is made Fully 200 persons have boeh reported missing. and the known dead number more than 50.
 Three More Reported.
 Three more fires are reported in Gallatin county one of which threat ems to destroy valuable crops in the famous Gallatin valley Two hundred men have left Boxeman ana Logan to light the flames.
 Train service west from Helena and Butte on all three tines Is more or legs demorallxed and hazardous as the Northern Pacific Great Northern and St Paul all report barred bridges ln- soivins detours and transfers. Spokane. Wash. Ang 24.-Twenty persons are known tc be dead as a re suit of the forest fires within radius of 150 miles of Wallace. The death list for the entire iire-swept district 0. Northern idaho is certain to reach l0t and probably more. It is impossible at the present time to make an eccu rate check on the missing.
 Washington, Aug. 24 Positive eyi. denca that many of tLe forest tres {, Oregon are oi incendlary origin aal been discovered by government agents. according to & telegram re celved at the offices of the forest service here from Mir Cecil. an asso ciate district foorester
 No hint is given by the official tbai he suspects the purpose behind tAe efforts Of the incendiariea. It Is cer l tain, however, that the fires will bs much discussed In the coming conser vation congress in St Paul.
 More Fire Fighters. War department officials held [ | conference fin an effort to find means l of sending additional fire fighters t1 1 the stricken Northwest Al the con | clusion of the conference long dis 1! patch was sent to Beverly It is un
 derstood here that 1t Is planned tc I rush troops from distance to the
 burning sections. but officials declined to disclose their plans a this time One result of the conference was decision on the part Of war depart
 ment to rush pack trains with mediea
 supplies and army surgeons Into tho 1 devasted regions.
 Helena. Mont, Aug. 24.-A Northern
 Pacific train reached Helena todal from the west, the first in three days
 Passengers relate thrilling experi
 ences. All day Monday they were II fear lest they could not get through They report the burning of St Pau
 train in northern Idaho, the passen
 gers having been taken aboard of tn
 train reaching here Passengers re
 port the destruction complete alonl
 the Clark's Fork valley.
 The fire situation In this vicinity |
 not improved. Two new fires are re
 ported. one at the head of Buffal' creek. ten miles south of the city, ant
 the other in Sanborne Gulch. 60 mile
 north. There is also fire near Gould
 but the famous Jay Gould mine is no 1 regarded as in danger