The Huttig news., 1916-03-18


 changed in these few hours beyond recognition, its close-packed, green fastnesses being now but backene spikes reaching high, it's splendid straight trunks fallen ike iackstraws across one another.
 Fire was everywhere in the earth and in the heavens 1t heated the sweet winds to unbearable. scorch.ng blasts, It illumined the dun dusk with lull, crimson light. It deserted the utting and swept forward toward the lcrth, leaving ashes md ruin. sullen brands and smoldering logs that hamed forth vindlctively from time to time
 But as it went it leaped and ex uited, for it rushed to the embrace Of heavier timber The wind still he'd " north by northeast, veering slightly this way and that, threatening now the reservation Of the Siletz, in whose basin there lay the finest body of standing timber in all the common wealth of the states. now the magnti- cent East Belt that seemed to grip the heart of Walter Sandry like liV ing thing in danger.
 So dawn found them on that hot grim day in August
 The lean. young ranger was every wnsfe, and SaEdry, in amazed appre ciation saw trench shut off a ground fire, and the felling of a single pine change the trend If a flood Of flame that was gong cut of bounds.
 But by twelve o'clock the wind turned ard headed south. With ap palling might the food spread up the ridges. crept down into tie dia and joined the slow-burning menace there.
 A; that the ranger fred three shots into the air which brought one of his aids running out ef the smoke pant ing and disheveled from fehtin2 hand-to-hand with growth Of young spruce
 "Go telegraph for the Vancouver soldiers, he directed tersely. this is going to beat all records.
 If we only had trails" he rasped to Daily. trails and telephones and men and horses! Damn a stingy gov ernment And what fine timber it is Gong up in smeke unless we get hefp at once. We can't cut trails fast enough to get in and work tc advan tage. A straight fall through heyona this hollow would head eff that branch. he waved an arra vehenent ly, shut it'll beat the trail cutters!
 Trey called all the men they could spare from the north and set them at work III the rolling smoke ahead of the fire taat was beginning to ca southward.
 h darkness. in a great heat that seemed to tear the lining from lungs that breathed it, without rest CT fooa they raced with the monster that laughed at their puny efforts raced to. gether, Dillingworth and Siwash and Yellow Pines, side by siae. ard there was neither eclor Tor enTaity Tor Der sonality hetweer them. Sanary pulled saw with the huge reG-shirt he Lad once tried t. drag cut Of the fight at the cabin in the East Belt, and Ccllias worked savagely with Brady Of the Yellow Fines wtom he had thrcwn into the slough after the iHci3tnt of the sawed reIlwey.
 So they tcilec, hanging on gri2cly while the world teok fire about theE and it seemed as though TO Hyi-.g thing could escape it's wrath. Birds. flying ae ss the canopy, fell futter ing to the earth, and once as 2atlored buck and two doss shat past the hne unhindered. AS tie fire grew in vol ume and area many of the woods crea- lures began to come dcwn into the valleys, hea9e5 for the sea.
 Once SaLGry stopped to SC down to the cutting fer a cup of coffee, realiz. ing Mas warning that he must hus band hls strength.
 Siletz ran te meet hln with it and as he took ti7e cup a yguLg bobcat loped swiftly by, not hu..4re>. yards