Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-09-24
THE FURY OF FOREST FIRES
Appalling Losses Of Life and Prop
erty From That Source

erty From That Source
In connection with the forest fires
which recently ragged in the northwest
crn stutes, Henry s. Graves recalls
some notable confagrations Of the past.
A bulletin from the National Geographic
Society contains Mr.. Graves's sketch,
which follows
"Thcro hive been many great fires
which attained historic Importance. One
of these occurred in New Brunswick. in
the fall Of 1925, on tho Mirnmichi river,
during a season of great drought. With
in nine hours that fire had burned over
strip of forest eighty miles long and
twenty five miles wide. destroying every
living thing in its path. One hundred
and sixty persons perished and nearly
1000 head of stock. Five hundred and
ninety buildings were burned and sew
eral towns were destroyed. including
Newcastle. Chatham and Douglastown.
It is related that even great quantities
of fish in the river were killed by the
heat of the fire
"AnOthcr historic fire was that which
occurred in Wisconsin in the fall of
1871. A single fire swept over an area
of more than 2000 square miles 1t
destroyed tho town of Pcshtigo. and
between 1900 and 1900 persons persisted.
That same year the damage by fire
elsewhere in the country was cnor-
nous.
The Hinckley. Mimi, Fire
Still another fire which is rcmrm-
hcrcd by many persons was that which
destroyed the town of Hincklcy. MINI.
in the fail of 1894. As in other cases
of great fires. it was season of cxccp
tiOnal drought. Fires were constantly
starting that fall, but there was no Of
fective effort to cxtinguish them. For
est fires were so common that there was
no special fear of possible danger until
1t was too late TO meet the situation.
'As often happens when there arc
fires burning under these conditions
and high wind springs up. thc differ
ent small fires were suddenly merged.
aud great fire resulted. which swent
over the town of Hinck'cy and six other
towns. entirely destroying them. killing
900 persons and making 200O more des
''N''' luz 'SttndlPu loss IT DrCnNrtN
by this fire was more than S25 900 900
The most recent great disaster from
Forest fires occurred in the Pacific
Northwest in 1910. That year was the
driest ever known in the West. partiru-
larly in northern Idaho and north.
western Montana.
July % a severe electric storm. vir-
tuaily without rain. passed over the
northern Rocky Mountains. setting
many fires. The Occur de 'Alene Noun
ta1ns in particular suffered from these
hres. In three days the forest rangers
put out nine fires set by lightning in
the Coeur 'Alenc National Forest
from one cause or another many other
hreS were set. Heroic measures were
taken to extinguish them.
Fire Spread by Hurricane
AT one time eighteen hundred mon
besides two companies of soldiers. were
hghtlng fires in the Coeur d'Alcne for.
est alone. and large crews were fighting
hres in other parts of the northwestern
forests. The men fought stubbornlv,
working day and night building trenches
around the fires and gradually confininy
them to small area. All fires seemed
to be under control when, August 20. a
tcrrIhc hurricane spraug up, sweeping
all the. separate fires together and max
ing gigantic wall of fame many miles
long. Many of the fire fighters we're di.
rectly in the path of the fire. Seventy
hve fire fighters were killed, and if if
had not been for. the skill and norvo
OF the forest rangers in charge of tho
crews very much larger number would
hav" persisted. As it was, about haIf
OF the number killed lost their Iivos
because of their failure to obey the or.
dcrS ct the forest rangers in charge of
the parties.' VI