Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1914-07-24
WEEK SEES MANY
FIRES IN COUNTY
FOREST BLAZES IN ALL SEC.
TIONS CAUSE EXCITE
MENT AND DAMAGE

Thurston county during the pas;
week caused considerable more dam
age and aroused more excitement
than for several years, but the latest
reports are that all of the blazes
some gaining such headway tina.
great effort was needed to control
them, had been handled in a satisrac-
tory manner and were under control
The first blaze to cause alarm
broke out near the Union Mills plant
last Saturday and before it was plac-
ed under control it had burned over
40 acres of small timber and stump
land east of the mills, destroying TIM
ber and lumber valued at about $500
and for time threatening the de-
struction of the mills and the ada
cent hotel and homes.
Unon receipt in Olympia Of wore
that the blaze had started, the Nor
thern Pacific hurriedly mace up a
special train of an engine and ca
boose and took about so section crew
men working in the local yards anc
tunnel to the blaze, picking up the
section men at Lacey en- route and
also bringing in crew of men from
Sherlock, on the other side of Union
Mills. The fire at one time came
within 800 feet of the great piles of
lumber stacked in the mills and 1t is
highly probable the entire plant
would have been destroyed II the
men there had not been assisted by
those from this city, Lacey and Sher-
lock.
Big Blaze Near Poor Farm.
Sunday afternoon saw the next
blaze near this city of consequence,
this occurring near the poor farm
southeast of town, and it was three
or four days before the fire had been
sufficiently controlled to ward off the
danger to various homes in that dis
trict. The fire, starting in the brush
and dry grass in this district, gained
considerable headway under Sundays
wind and for a time it was thought
considerable property loss would re-
suit. The homes Of Sam Eldridge,
Harry Morris. Sam Russell, Fred
Schlosser and sever others, were
saved only by "back-firing" the blaze
and a slight shift of the wind might
have swept the fire over them.
Monday a serious fire, starting In
the Black Hills and sweeping down
on Gate, threatened that whole town
and the united efforts of all of the
men of the village, working desper-
ately to "back-fire" the blaze, is be-
lieved to have been all that saved the
town from entire destruction. AS 1t
was, hundreds of acres OF timber,
brush and logged-off land were burn
ed over, though the actual loss is
said to have been comparatively
small.
Smaller Blazes Through County.
The Wilson logging camp near IN
dependence also reported consid-
erable blaze the fore part Of the
week, while there were several brush
and grass fires in the neighborhood or
Yelm and Rainier. as we'll as other
parts of the county, one occurring
about four miles down the bay on
the west side Monday afternoon,
when considerable brush and stump
land was burned over.
The state fire warden's Office In
this city is daily receiving reports OF
fires in all parts of the state and has
more than 200 commissioned fores-
ters at work in the different timbered
portions of the state, directing the
work of fighting the blazes. 1t has
also issued special warnings urging
particular care by campers, loggers
and mill men this summer, owing to
the unusually dry season experienced
this year.
Thursday the state fire warden's
office reported the situation in the
county in excellent shape, the only
report being one received Wednesday
morning from the Hill Lumber COM
pany, concerning a small blaze in
some slashings northeast of Olympia
The Office, however, received word
from the warden in the eastern part
OF Clallam county that there was
bad fire in the woods about four miles
south of Port Angeles which 1t was
feared might spread into the national
forest reserve, and the local forestry
oface was notified.