The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1919-08-16
FIRES IN TIMBER
ARE GROWING WORSE
SMOKE PAIL HANGS OVER THE
Y-CLEARWATER
SITUATION is BAD

The forest fire situation in north
ern Idaho is causing much alarm. The
fires have reached a stage where
nothing short of a heavy rain will
stop them. In many places they have
reached the SUBMITS of hills and
mountains and leap from tree top to
tree top, so that it is impossible to
fight them in the ordinary way of
digging bitches or clearing out the
under brush. Millions of feet of
valuable timber is being destroyed
every "a hours. The fires are raging
in many places, but in the Clearwater
forests are reported to be worse than
any other place.
Across the mountain from Moscow
a fire is said to be burning on Flani-
gan creek. 1t has been burning for
several days and was believed to be
about subdued but strong wind from
the east last night and today brought
clouds of smoke over the mountain
and into the valleys on the west side,
so dense that one can see but a short
distance. Moscow mountain is en-
tirely hidden from town by the dense
smoke clouds and the town cannot
be seen from the mountain, nor from
half mile distant. The fires in this
section are not thought to be danger
GUS as it is reported they are burning
on burned over land, but in other
parts of the Panhandle immense
damage is being done and heavy
losses sustained.
SPOKANE.=For in northern
Idaho are as dry or drier than they
were before the rains of fortnight
ago, forest service officials declared
Thursday. The situation is not az
critical as it was only because the
number and extent of the fires were
materially reduced by the downpour.
The Jordan creek fire in the Occur
d'Alene forest near Heron, Mont, was
an exception in that it was not ex-
tinguished by the rains and it now
covers $4,000 acres or more. 1t has
been spreading rapidly to the north
and west, although 5000 acres are
under control and partly out. A crew
of 11O men is now on the fire line.
Serious Condition.
eve are still confronted with what |
we call an emergency condition." said
Wolff of the Coeur
d'Alene forest. 1.-THE forest is dry
PAe>~N1,
tend to spread rapidly"
tsThe condition is very serious in
the St. Joe forest" declared Super
visor Haines at st. Maries. "The ef-
fects of the rain have all disappeared,
and the woods are drier than ever.
We have had five small fires in the
last two days, but got all of them
put. The rain only gave US a chance
to get the jump on the fires"
The fire which started on the shore
If Occur d'Alene lake, near Harrison,
night, was put under con-
,rol last night, and the crew was dis
charged. The blaze on Steamboat
,reek, in the Coeur d'Alene forest, is
also under control.
The Spokane office had no addi-
ional reports from the forests in the
northern section of central Idaho,
where the situation has been critical
or weeks.
Bad Conditions in Selway.
LEWISTON, Idaho.-As the result
# the winds last night crown fires
ave developed in the SeIway national
crest, and for a distance of 40 miles
N each side Of Locksaw creek flames
re sweeping through the timber.
There are $50 men in that zone, but
With crown fires they can only seek
afety, and so the hope now is for
ain. The first of these fires is To- /
ated about 35 miles from Kooskia,
he headquarters of the forest fight
RS, while the last is at point about
O miles from the Montana line.
The fire is in the fresh timber
1assed as the best white pine and
edar in the reserve, and one of the
Tres swept over 5000 acres this after
oon. Fears are now entertained that /,
he fire will reach the magnitude of
he great conflagration of 1910. When :
rown fires develop the flames leap
rom tree top to tree top, and ground
renching is of no avail.
Burns Over 1000 Acres. Z
A new fire has started on the Mid /
lie fork about 10 miles from Kooskia, I
nd has burned over 1000 acres. This e
re is in timber owned by the gov {
rnment through water power with L
rawl, but is not on the reserve. All a
le fires on the Selwai creek have I
zen subdued, and the devastation is t
ow being confined in the Locksaw. t
crest Supervisor Charles Howell re-
orted at Kooskia tonight that the c
tuation was the most serious since Y
30. e
Supervisor Fullaway of the Nez d
cree reserve reports tonight from f
s headquarters at Grangeville that
le situation during the day has
rown more menacing. The Gospel
eek fire in the Adams camp section n
still spreading, and has covered P
,out 1000 acres. The Mallard creek 81
re in the Dixie section is also uncon- E
oiled. The Tightening creek fire, 18 ol
lies from Grangeville, is in better W
but new fire is reported W
tween Grangeville and Adams a.
Says Conditions Not Bad. fl
Ben Bush, state timber cruiser, says W
nditions in northern Idaho are not
d and the fact that the smoke is C
nging low is good sign. "You can G
,ht fire when smoke hugs the dl
ound," said he. "It is when smoke n,
es straight up that you cannot fight w