Seward daily gateway., 1925-07-18
FIFTY MEN ARE
 BATTLING FIRE
 IN HOPE REGION
TWENTY MEN LEFT SEWARD FOR MILE 2o, WHERE AUTOS
 ARE IN WAITING.
FIRE TRAVELS z MILES
Forest Officials Coming On Special Boat from Cordova To lnves-
 tigate Damages.

Over 50 fire fighters are battling the flaming forests which has rav- aged the national forest in the Hope district, for a distance of seven miles, according to John c. Brady, district forest ranger in charge of this region of the Chugach National Forest, who was a brief visitor ill Seward this morning for the purpose of picking up 20 men to assist in subduing the gigantic blaze which is sweeping everything in it's path. Wild fowl, birds and game of all kinds by the hundreds, have been destroyed by the devastating fire which has cut a huge swath thru that portion of the forest, leaving in it's wake, black and smouldering ruin.
 MT. Brady said the fire was seen from the Alaska Railroad track last Saturday evening between 7 and 8 o'clock The blaze was practically subdued and under control two or three days ago when gale spring ing up, blowing down Turnagain Arm. fThe fire was across Resurrection creek from Hope, and with the shift in wind, began racing rapidly down towards Gull Rock, on the Arm. A Seward arrival yesterday from the district, stated that in the space of about 12 hours time the fire had swept thru two miles of virgin for | est.
 1 As near as can be determined MT. Brady stated this morning, the for est fire was started thru careless ness of someone who had been smok- ing. It is evident the man had been abusing the forest privileges by catch ing fur bearing animals, as is evi- denced by traps left-behind. Little rain has fallen in the district for a number of weeks past with the re suit the undergrowth is as dry as finder. A light rain fell yesterday but not enough to have any appar ent effect on the fire.
 Lack of transportation has handi- capped the fire fighters, also the lack of phones in the region which would have been of great assistance at the beginning of the fire, in calling for fire fighters. AS little water is avail able for fighting a fire of this size about all that can be done is trench ing and back firing
 Martin Kilian, forest ranger, who makes Seward his headquarters, has been on the job since last Sunday, taking charge of the fire which was then under way and practically had it out prior to the shift in wind. Russel Annabel, ranger employed at the Anchorage office, has taken over one shift of the fire fighting brig ade.
 A special Alaska Railroad big gas car, No. 104, was run over to Sew ard early this morning to pick up the 20 men who left here at o'clock this morning, in charge of MT. Bra dy, for Mile 29, where Foreman Keil of the Bureau of Public Roads will meet them with auto trucks, to con- vey the men from the railroad to the scene of the fire about 50 miles away Among the men who depart ed from Seward this morning in the crew were A. Peters, Joe Powers, Hal Roach, J. Henry, J. Wiley, W. Head, B. Remand, R. Kerns, Dick Wells, Chester Simondson, Floyd Hyde, Frank Hill, Jack Keefe, c. J. Smith, Carl Spath, I. Brousard, Karl Wagner and Bernie Kilvestad
 w. J. Mcdonald, forest supervisor of the Chugach National Forest.