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Show SETTLERS LEAVE BLAZING FARMS FOR SAFETY IN CITY BUTTE, Mont., Aug. 21. A special from Thompson Falls, Mont., says: .Practically .Prac-tically fifty miles of the Clarke's Fork valley from Thompson Falls west Is ablaze with a strong wind blowing, carrying car-rying the fires up ihc small, numerous tributaries and sweeping evury thing In its path. Settlers whose places have been destroyed by the fire have been flocking Into Thompson Falls on every available train today, citizens here taking tak-ing care of these refugees as fast as they come In and making preparations for hundreds mora whose places seem doomed. Owing to a landslide and tho burning of a trestle two irille:i west of Tuscor, all westbound trains arc tied up here and all cauibound trains aro tied up at Noxon and Heron. One train ran to Tuscor today, to-day, returning to Paradise tonight and bringing in several families of settlers whoso homes were burned in the vicinity of Tuscor. Passengers on this train report re-port that the section house and the station sta-tion wero on fire us tho train loft that place At 'Ciiscor the fire Jumped Clarke's- Fork river and is now sweeping the north side at the. mouth of Swamp creek. There are numerous settlers in territory terri-tory which Is being swept by this fire. It fs rumored that Senator Donlan'.s lumber lum-ber ynrd at Cedar Spur hus also boon destroyed de-stroyed and that the town of Heron is In great danger, but as all telegraph and telephone lines are down wust of White Pine, this rumor could not be confirmed. The forest servlco has approximately COO men in the Hold, but In view of the wind, which has been blowing a gale for the last two duys. it has been impossible to check tho flames. In several caut-s the fire fighters have lost their bedding, camp equipment and tools, barely escaping escap-ing with their lives. It Is believed that several crews of from thirty to sixty men each, who lia not been heard from for two daya. will be able to save themselves by getting Into the burnt-over areas. Roads and trallB are being cut off by the fires and It ib Impossible to got provisions to the flro fighters In tho mountains, and the local forestry office roports that it is only a matter of a day or two until the fire-fighting crewa In the mountains will be compcllod to leave tho fires and come to the valleys for supplies. Thin Is the worst fire ever experienced in Sanders county. Thompson Falls is directly in the path of the fire and unions un-ions It rains or the wind subsides within the next day of two, tho town will be in serious danger. The volunteer fire department de-partment has had Its hose playing on every building within reach of the hydrants hy-drants all day and ovory resident who has water connections has boon wotting his roof. Many of the residents have their clothing and valuables packed ready to leave should the situation become more serious. For two days the ashes, pieces of burned bark, and moss have been drooping droo-ping into the streets, on the sidewalks and tho roofs of the buildings. |