The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1917-08-18

Blazes Around Avery Threat
en- Wide Destruction
Danger Elsewhere.
/. w. w. STRIKE NOT
TO AFFECT SERVICE
Smith, Secretary Here, Says
Fire-Nghters Will Stick
With Jobs.

Forests fire conditions. reported
Thursday to be thc' worst of tho 1871,
season, We're growing steadily worse
last night according to officials of
District No. l Of the United States
forest service who have charge of en-
dangered woods in Montana and Idaho,
Fires near Avery, Idaho a small town
which is important as a Milwaukee
railroad division point. are causing
great trouble. and fire. fighters were
rushed to the scene yesterday.
A shortage of labor Is one of the
greatest difficulties they now face, the
service officials say. Anxiety on this
score was greatly relieved yesterday,
however, when Arthur w. smith. I.
w. w. secretary here, said that the
proposed general strike of his ytrg.lni.
zation would not affect the hundreds
OF Industrial workers serving the
government rs fire fighters.
We are fighting private capital, not
tho government" said Smith. The
!. w. w. men in forest service employ
will not walk out"
St. Joe Fire Spreads.
That the st. Joe fire, near Falcon.
s' es"o"tA'S SPIeduiHS, even WlVH 3NV
men fighting II, Is the report that AS
sistant District Forester Robert II.
Rntledge brought to Mssoula last
night when he returned from the
scene OF action. Practically all the
| men from the Savanac nursery have
been taken from there to work on the
ST. Joe fire Deputy Forest Supervis-
or G. l.. Billings and Ranger Bratleeu
have been sent to the st. Joe head
quarters Mt kooskia, In change OF n
crew of firefighters. and J. j. Deakin
has gone there as temporary commits
| sary clerk.
The outcome of this fire is very
doubtful" said Mr.. Rutleslkc last
| evening.
Very Bad Near Avery.
The fire Is particularly bad near
Avery on the loop of the Milwaukee.
where It is burning among dead tim
ber that was burned In the fire of
1910 and Is almost impossible to handle
on account Of the intense heat. The
| imminent danger according TO Mr..
Ru'ledge. Is of its crossing the Bitter
| Root divide into the Lolo district
where there is an extremely valuable
forest OF white pine on Big creek.
Supervisor Flers Koch Of the Loln
district Is taking every possible pre-
| caution to prevent this condition and
he may possibly call his main force
| back to the divide to put up n defense
| against the fires crossing,
seIway Worse Than Ever.
The selway fire Is worse than ever
before, according to the report from
Assistant District Forester j. F. Pres
ton and Is burning over nearly 10000
acres of timber land.
| Trainmen, lnmbermen and crews
from the forest service are all co-op
Grating In the defense against the
! Deer creek fire near Bonner. At
present II men have been sent out
from the local office and a crew Of
e5 more Is being sent to the scene
this morning. One man from the \.
G. M. company. 90 from the Milwau
kee and five from the Western Lumber
company are united with the forestry
men battling with the flames. The
fire has already covered mo acres.
burning on the west side through u.
dense growth OF timber and under
brush.
Ranger Blake phoned in from Rivu-
let that the situation In that immedt
ate vicinity Is we'll In hand.
Many On Great Northern.
Along the Great Northern railway n
large number OF fires have been start
ed but as the patrol has been partic-
nlarly active. very few OF the fires
have got away.
A new fire Is reported in the Lnio
district on Rrody creek.
The Flathead fires are reported un-
der control with the exception OF
those OH the south fork, two miles
from the mouth of the river where a
or so men are stationed.