Newark evening star and Newark advertiser., 1910-08-22
GOVERNMENT CONFEREES
LEARN FIRES WERE SET.

WASHINGTON, Aug. 22.-War de-
partment officials began conference
at 1915 a. m. today in an effort to find
means of sending additional fire-fight-
ers to the stricken Northwest. 1t is
expected the entire situation will be
laid before President Taft, with re-
quest for his approval of extraordinary
measures.
Positive evidence that many of the
forest fires in Oregon are of ineendiary
origin has been discovered by govern
ment agents, according to telegram
received at the offices of the forest
service from Associate District Forester
Cecil. of Portland.
The situation was taken up in 4
conference In the war department be-
tween Associate Forester Potter, OF
the forest service; Major-General
Leonard Wood, chief of staff of the
army, who returned from an inspection
in West Point to superintend the re-
lief from the army standpoint, and
Adjutant- General Ainsworth. The in-
mediate result of the conference was
the ordering into service of the last
five companies available in the striek-
en- regions for fire-ighting duty, and
of pack trains. carrying medical sup
plies and army surgeons TO the I'M
mediate relief of the sufferers
At the conclusion of the conference
q long dispatch was sent to Beverly.
It is understood here that it is planned
to rush troops from a distance to the
burning sections, but officials declined
to disclose their plans at this time.
One result of the conference was de-
cision on the part of the war depart
ment to rush pack trains with medical
supplies and army surgeons into the
devastated regions.
Government surveyors have tele-
graphed that forest fires are raging
twenty-one miles south of Republic,
Wash, on the Colville Indian reser-
vation 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.
Mr. Potter laid before the army Of
ficials his latest information from the
fire region. His advices were that high
winds prevailed Sunday, which re-
suited in many dangerous fires. AL
Wallace, idaho, one quarter of the
area .of the town had been burned;
Newport. Wash, was said to be threat
ened and Libby and Troy, Mont, In
grave danger and each town asking
for $50 troops
Twenty-Five fire-fighters had been
killed, according to the forestry re-
ports, and Mr.. Potter was inclined to
believe that these had all been in the
employ of; the forest service. His re-
ports mentioned only the loss of two
men at Wallace, Idaho. Fires were re-
ported to be racing toward Mullan and
Burke, Idaho, not far from Wallace,
and the whole west end Of Lolo, an
other Idaho town, was said to be
blazing 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
rangers crew were reported to be in
grave danger on the Idaho side of the
east fork of the St. Joe river in the
Bitter Root mountains. Fires on OF
near the Bitter Root. Missoula ana
Cabinet forests were beyond control.
The war department already has or
dered thirty companies into the fields.
If other Federal troops are to be or
dered to the threatened regions they
must come from distant forts. and
emergency funds must be provided for
their transportation.