Show B G BLAZE N THE HillS Five Square Miles BUIned Over Near Fort SUBDUED BY THE SOLDIERS I With Water Wagons and Burlaps They Attack the Foe and After Several Hours Work Conquer It Civilian Arrested on Suspicion of Having Started Blaze but Released Fears Entertained at One Time that Fire Would Go Over Mountains Moun-tains and into City Creek Canyon The most dangerous brush and grassfire grass-fire that has occurred In the hills surrounding sur-rounding Salt Lake began yesterday at about 10 oclock at a point about five hundred yards north and west of I the buildings at Fort Douglas It burned fiercely for several hours and those who went to the top oC buildings In the city to view the spectacle were of the opinion that It would spread as I far as the head of City Creek and those who best know the geography of that section were fearful of the worst The wind was blowing from the southwest and this forced the blaze which began low down In the foothills foot-hills up the various ravines and gullies gul-lies at a rapid rate Soon the mountains moun-tains were obscured by heavy clouds of smoke which rolled upward and spread for miles Between big puffs of smoke even when the sun was shining shin-ing brightly could he plainly seen the tongues of flame Three hours passed and the blaze seemed to be on the increase in-crease The grass nearer the fort than the point where the blaze originated origi-nated took lire In several places and burned fiercely To observers it looked almost as though the fires were started purposely FEARS FOR CITY CREEK CANYON Later from high up the various ravines ra-vines big volumes of smoke rolled which showed that a great deal of large brush was being consumed Then the danger that the blaze would leap over the high mountains east of Twin Peaks and descend into City Creek canyon seemed to be Increased About sundown the smoke lessened considerably and when darkness came on it was evident that the fire I was practically out and the danger to City Creek was over Investigation showed that It had spread to Red Butte canyon on tho east and within a short distance of Dry canyon on the west besides reaching reach-Ing nearly halfway up the eastern sides of rugged Black mountain and coming through half a dozen ravines GOOD WORK OF SOLDIERS That the blaze was So soon subdued and with so lltile damage was due to the hard work of the soldiers of tho II Twcntythlril Infantry They were just about half through their noonday noon-day meal when the seriousness of tho situation was realized by them and In 1 A few seconds there was a general rush to the scene water wagons and burlaps bur-laps being taken along One section wont east and the other wesL Burlaps were vetted and then the beating out of tho fire among the brush began The day was warm and the work exhausting ex-hausting in Us nature but they gradually grad-ually gained on the five and when the sun went down had earned the title of conquerors When burlaps were not handy someof the men used their coats CIVILIAN SUSPECTED Soon after the t blaze began a civilian who happened to be In the neighborhood neighbor-hood of Its origin was taken into custody Cus-tody by the soldIers on suspicion of having purposely started the blaze He was held for awhile and then released re-leased he saying he was Innocent and there being no proof that he was guilty It was estimated at the fort last evening that the burned district was a least live miles square but it was said no damage had been done save to scrub oak and a few large shrubs further up the various ravines TRIBUTE TO THE INFANTRY J W Skinner who Is interested In Popperton which lakes In a portion of Dry canyon became alarmed at the spread of the flames and went out to the scene The soldier boys he said last evening deserve great credit for their hard work While It began on the reservation the blaze soon left and got fairly Into the foothills I never saw men work harder In my life When one became exhausted he would rest for a few seconds while another an-other took his place Large burlaps soaked with water are not very easily handled on a side hlll with the natural nat-ural temperature heightened by acres of blazing brush and grass and the atmosphere at-mosphere charged with blinding I smoke |