Evening star., 1924-07-15
FOREST FIRE DEATH
TOLL IS PUT AT g;
FLAMES ADVANCING
Pacific Coast AbIaze From
Southern California to
British Columbia.
THOUSANDS ARE FIGHTING
TO CURB CONFEDERATION
Property Loss High - Wind
Threatens to Bring Further
Destruction.
BY the Associated Press

By the Associated Press
SAN FRANCISCO, July 15.-Fifty-
two persons are unaccounted for and
believed to have perished within the
past twenty-four hours in the forest
fires sweeping all sections of the
Pacific coast
They are: w. o. Dillon and family
of six, with six loggers. caught by
Ere on Trapper Creek, Idaho.
A party Of thirty-ive persons, in
cluding. some children, trapped by
County, Wash.
Four Doukhobors, caught by a fire
in the Salmon Valley, British Columbia.
bia-
Worst Fire in History.
The fires raging along the entire
Pacific coast, from southern Cali
fornia to British Columbia, were be-
ing fought today by forces recruited
from federal, state and private tim
Der interests, in the effort to save
thousands of acres of timber and
grazing land from being added to
that already burned over in what is
characterized as the most serious
on the western coast
Blazes in the timber Of eastern
Washington, northern Idaho and Brit
ish Columbia were reported to have
burned over courses which had cut
or hoIhesteads of settlers of whose
fate word was eagerly awaited.
Today, however, from Spokane,
Wash, it was reported that mine work
ers. homesteaders and others reported
| trapped in eastern Washington and
| northern Idaho have escaped the flames.
Thirty of si1ty-five men, women
and children believed to have been
| trapped at the Constitution Mine, at
Kellogg, Idaho. last night, were
brought in here early this morning
over a rough mountain trail. their
| only open passage, and word came
| with them that the remainder of the
beleaguered mine workers and their
families we're safe and would be out
shortly.
Six men on the other side of the fire
at the Nabob mill have not been heard
| from
People Are Evacuatinx.
The Sidney Mine and the Highland
Surprise. are directly in the path of
the flames, which are bearing down
upon them and on the town Of Wal
lace, borne or a forty-mile wind from
the west The government gulch fire.
which Is in its fourth day, was within
| a mi nf Ro11
fast toward Wardner. The people
OF that town and of Silver King were
| moving out.
Greatest monetary loss has been in
the forests of the Pacific northwest.
on both sides of the international
boundary. In Idaho mine buildings
have burned, and in Washington and
Oregon logging camp equipment of
the lumber companies has been de-
stroyed.
Blazes in the coast region of
Washington and Oregon were REPORT
ed virtually all brought under con-
troll last night with the aid of rain
fall yesterday, but in the national
forests of California four major fires
still were raging today, threatening
ranches and live stock and battled by
thousands of men. So great has been
the call for fire fighters that auto
mobile tourists have been forced into
the work in some instances and calls
have been sent to the larger cities of
the state for men.
May Conscript Men.
Flames for a week have swept the
Santa Barbara national forest north
Of Los Angeles, which, at latest
reports, were increasing, and federal
officers said it may be necessary to
conscript men from the streets of Los
Angeles for fire fighters.
| In the klamath national forest.
Siskiyou County, Calf, the fire
menace had been intensified today by
the growth of number of minor
fires into a conhagration which was
burning in heavily timbered regions
in the vicinity of large saw mills
In the Tahoe national forest the
latest reports were that the flames
were leaping along the north and
middle forks of the American River.
despite the efforts of 400 men, and in
some places had left the national
forest and burned on to the private
lands, threatening farms and live
stock.
In the Sierra national forest the
fires were reported to have burst
through control lines north Of Oak
hurst and to be threatening big
stand of timber.
FTREn RY IIGHTNING-