Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1910-08-31
BODIES OF TWENTY
FOUND IN FIRES
Forest Service Men Perish While
Fighting Flames.
FOUR SOLDIERS ARE MISSING
Rain Turning to Snow In High Noun
tains Brings Relief to Stricken
Idaho, Montana and Wash
lngton.

Ington.
Avery, Idaho. - The bodies of
20 forest service men who died fight
ing the fires near here have been
recovered and brought to this city.
Government agents declare there
Is little hope for any of the missing.
Four negro soldiers of Company G,
Twenty-ffth United States infantry,
are among the missing and are be-
lieved to have persisted.
Two Japanese employed in railroad
work, who had been fighting the fires,
emerged from the woods. They were
severely burned and report that ten
of their fellow laborers had fallen be-
fore the flames and were dead.
Spokane, Wash. Rain, turning
to snow in the high mountains,
brought relief to large part
of Idaho, Montana and Washington
districts that have been devastated
by forest fires. The storm, according
to reports from Missoula, has extend
ed over an area of 100 square miles,
taking in the Occur d'Alene district.
1t is now officially declared that 81
persons, and no more, have been
killed. There is said to be no war
rant for the reports of loss of hun
dreds of lives. All men on the list of
government foresters employed in
Idaho have reported to the supervisor
or are known to be safe.
Helena, Mont. The forest fire
situation is greatly clarified for
which nature is chiefly responsible In
that light rain and snow falls have
dampened the timber and thus per-
mttted the fighters to back-flre sue
cessfully. The wind has also moderated
in marked degree and 1t is now appar-
emily certain that the fires will be
confined to the areas already burned
over.
Governor Norris ordered that the
Helena and Butte companies of the
National Guard be held in readiness
to fight the fires. In only one dis
trict does the situation appear really
threatening, and that is at Thompson
Falls and points west along the Clark's
Fork valley. This is due to the close
proximity of the towns to the great
forests of western Montana Unless
severe winds should fan the embers 1t
is thought they will escape further
damage.
Snow fell two inches deep in the
Gallatin forest and quenched the fires
then rapidly moving toward the yell
lowstone park, while a steady down
pour has saved the situation in the
Flathead country.
The fire started all over the Occur
d'Alenes at the same hour and as re-
ports pour In of dead victims being
found in various unexpected places in
the district the fear grows that many
may have met death or fatal injuries
who have not been missed as yet.
At Wardner and Kellogg, Idaho,
fires are approaching the towns from
two directions and are now only a
mile away. At Burke, Idaho, the fire
Is three miles away, but coming down
the canyon toward the mining camp
All the stores and mines near Burke
have been closed and the men are out
fighting the fires. At Mullan, Idaho,
the town was saved by armed citizens,
who forced every man to work at
back firing. This back firing has
cleared the mountain sides of dry tim
Der and is expected to prevent dam
age in Mullan
Near st. Mary's, Idaho, it is believed
so homesteaders and their families
persisted. On Big creek survivors of
the fire who arrived here say that
seven men were crow ded into a pros
pect hole five feet long. All were
killed. Three men were killed near
the hole by falling trees.
From Thompson Falls to the Idaho
line, along the Clarke fork of the Co
lumbia. nothing but flames greet the
eye on either side of the stream.
Couriers have been sent out to warn
all settlers and similar policy is be-
ing pursued in the Bitter Root valley,
where number of new fires have
broken out. The worst fires in the his
tory of the Kootenai national forest
are reported from Libby. The town of
Troy is seriously threatened.
All along the Great Northern and
Northern Pacific tracks between Spo-
kane and Helena numberless fires are
known to be raging fiercely, but def
mite reports cannot be secured, as the
telegraph and telephone wires are all
down
Before communication with Libby,
Mont, ended it was reported that
every male resident of the town was
working, with 200 paid fire fighters, to
divert Flower creek to the south side
of the village as a protection against
the flames driving up from that direc-
ton