The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-08-22

cidents that they are liable to be over
come by the tres.
In Wallace. however. the death list
may grow. The fires swept that town
with such terrible swiftness that 1t Is
feared there will be more bones found
in the ruins as the search progresses
The fiercest forest fires in this dis
trict this morning are those in SAN
ders county between Thompson ana
the Idaho line. These fires extend
along an unbroken line for more than
fifty miles and are in dense timber.
There are several towns in this district
built in the very midst of the timber.
There is no telegraphic communi-
cation with the west and nothing has
been heard from Thompson since mid
night.
j. G. Boyd, former Northern Pacific
agent at Wallace. met death in vain
endeavor to save a parrot His son,
Fire Captain Boyd. had forced the
members of the family to flee from
their home on the hillside when the
flames drew near. The father went
back to get the parrot. and was not
missed for fifteen minutes.
When a search was made he was
found lying face downward in the
road, 100 yards from the house
He had been overcome by the heat
and smoke, but was not burned. The
parrot was dead in its cage beside
him.
In the ruins of one house. two skulls
presumably of men, were found. Six
men are known to have died in an at
tempt to reach Wallace from Big
Creek, St. Joe county. Some assert
that six more are lost
The names of only three of the
lost are known. They are William
Leermoth, Joseph -ern and Harry
Hanson, the latter of Racine, Wis
The other two were hired in Spokane.
-, Il-rI eli
and forty-one men were forced to
leave Big Creek and attempted to
cover the ten miles to Wallace. Three
miles from town they were forced by
wall of fire to crawl into mine tun-
nels and remain ten hours. Two men
| broke through the fire and staggered
into Wallace. They reached here at
o'clock yesterday morning and gave
the alarm and a party of rescuers with
| a physician fastened to the War
Eagle mine, where the man were. One
of the forty-one was found burned to
a crisp on the trail. Five of those in
the tunnel were suffocated and dead
and dozen others were resuscitated
only after an hours work.
Three men are known to be dead
on Pine creek. Ranger Boil had
twenty-five men under him there. All
were caught Three were killed, three
| others were blinded for life and five
| had their legs broken by falling trees.
| Three more men met death yesterday
| afternoon. They and 20 others were
| trapped in fire on Boulder creek near
| Mullen. Four of the 20 managed to
walk to the train to come here. Another
| man was killed on Placer creek a mile
| from Wallace. He and companion
penned in by flames took refuge in the
creek ard kept each other wet by throw
ing water with their hands.
| While thus engaged a falling tree
| struck one of the men on the head
end killed him instantly. His compan-
| ion was able to escape to Wallace, but
| his clothing was burned off him. He
was stopped at the city limits by po-
licenan who obtained clothing for the
| man before he would permit him to
enter the city for treatment.
Harry Chamberlain was engaged in
burying two trunks in the yard of his
home in East Wallace when the flames
swept around the corner of the house
and burned him from head to foot.
The devastated area in Wallace lies
east of the court house, north of Hotel
| street. north of High street and south
/ of the Northern Pacific depot.
The fire situation is still bad, all hills
| around the town being filled with
burning timbers. The wind is blowing
| strongly at times. Fully third of the
population has left town.
OF mcendiary Origin.
| Washington, Aug. 22.-Positive evil
Idence that many of the forest fires in
Oregon are of incendiary origin has
been discovered by government agents,
according to a telegram received at
the offices of the forest service here
to-day from Associate District Forester
Cecil of Portland.
| Mr. Cecil says in his dispatch that
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 constantly. He
lreports that he has started twenty-five
men on scout duty in an effort to catch
the culprits. Fires in the Crater Ma
tional forest in southern Oregon and
| at Medford, Ore, are proving more
serious every hour. There are 800
men there now under the forest serv-
/ ice, the war department already hav-
ing 100 soldiers detailed in this dis
trict and has ordered 250 more from
America lake.
Assistant 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.
Efforts will be made to protect the
best timber.
War department officials began a
conference this morning in an effort
| to find means of sending additional
fire fighters to the stricken northwest.
1t is expected the matter will be laid
before President Taft with a request
i for his approval of extraordinary
1 measures.
At the conclusion of the conference
a long dispatch was sent to Beverly
| 1t is understood here that it is planned
to rush troops from distance to the
| burning sections but officials declined
to disclose their plans at this time. One
| result of the conference was deci-
| sion on the part of the war department
to rush pack trains with medical sup
plies and army surgeons into the de-
| vastated regions.
TWENTY KNOWN DEAD.
It Is Believed That the List Will Reach
One Hundred.