Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1920-01-08
FAMOUS FOREST FIRES
Great wisconsin Disaster In 1s'l-
Worst Recent Catastrophe In 1910

worst Recent Catastrophe I'm 1910
"There have been number OF great
res which have attained historic impor-
.ance," writes Henry s. Graves IN Ma
tlonal Geographic Society Bulletin one
of these occurred in New BRUNSWICK IN
tho fall of 1925, on the Miramichi river
during @ season Of great drought
"Within nine hours that fire had burned
over n strip of forest 80 miles long and
% miles wide, destroying every living
thing in it's path. One hundred and sixty
persons persisted and nearly 1000 head OF
stock. Five hundred and ninety oulid-
ings were burned and a number OF towns
were destroyed. including NEWCASTLE
Chatham and Douglastown. 1t Is re-
lated that even great quantities OF nsn
| in the river were killed by the neat OF
| the fire.
another historic fire was that which
occurred in Wisconsin in the fall OF 1871.
! A single fire swept over an area of more
than 1000 square miles. 1t destroyed the
town of Peshtigo, and between lido ana
| 1.5oO persons persisted. That same year
the damage by fire elsewhere In the
| country was enormous.
"Still another fire, which Is remembered
by many persons. was that which de-
stroyed the town Of Hinckley. Mimi. IN
the fall of 1894. AS in other cases OF
great fires, there was a season or eXcep-
tional drought. Many fires were con-
stantIy starting during that fall, but
there was no effective effort to extinguish
them. Forest fires were so common that
there was no special fear Of possible
danger until it was too late to meet the
situation.
"As often happens when there are many
fires burning under these conditions ano
a high wind springs up. the different
small fires were suddenly merged, and
great crown Are resulted which swept
over the town of Hinckley and six other
towns, entirely destroying them, killing
500 persons, and making over 1000 more
entirely destitute. The estimated LOST
in property by this fire was more thar
$25, 900, 900.
1.-THE most recent great disaster from
forest fires occurred in the Pacint
Northwest in 1910. That year was thu
driest ever known in the West. particu'
larly in northern Idaho and northwestern
Montana.
ION July q severe electric storm. prac
tically without rain. passed over th'
northern Rocky Mountains, setting large
number Of fires. The Occur dAlent
Mountains in particular suffered from
these fires. In three days the fores
rangers put out nine fires set by light
ming in the Occur d'Alene national forest
From one cause or another, many othel
fires were set. Heroic measures were
taken to extinguish them.
AT one time 1900 men, besides TIVE
companies Of soldiers. were fighting ire'
in the Occur d'Alene forest alone. ant
} large crews were fighting Ares in othel
} parts Of the northwestern forests. Thu
men fought stubbornly. working day ant
night building trenches around the fire.
. and gradually combining them to a small
area.
"All fires seemed to be under control
when on August 20 a terrific lubricant
sprung up. sweeping all the separate hre
together and making a gigantic wall o
.. flame many miles long. Many OF the mr.
fighters were directly in the path Of tn
fire. Seventy-nine fire fighters wer'
killed, and II 1t had not been for tn
skill and the nerve of the forest ranger
in charge of the crews a very mucl
larger number would have persisted. A
it was, about half of the number kille'
lost their lives because Of their failur
to obey the orders Of the forest ranger
in charge of the parties"