The Lamar Register

FORESTS DESTROYED
BIG TRACTS OF TIMBER ON FIRE.
Flames Seen at Night From Denver
Large Fires in Many Parts of Colorado and Wyoming—Mirage Startles the People of Leadville.

Denver, Aug. 2.—A fire which threatens to destroy the forests in the vicinity of Estes Park has been burning for the past forty-eight hours, and the smoke from the blazing timber can be plainly seen from Denver.

The officials of the State Land Board have been appealed to for assistance in combating the fire, and will exert themselves to the utmost to check its progress.

Other fires are reported from various parts of the state and Wyoming. The prolonged dry period has made the undergrowth like tinder, and even the hardest trees are easily ignited. Under the conditions only a few careless campers are needed to start conflagration which will do incalculable damage and still further denude Colorado's rapidly decreasing watersheds.

The main fire in Estes Park started in a grand forest of about 10,000 acres. It is assisted by a strong wind, and is sweeping everything before it. It is known that several camping parties were in the forest, but it is believed that all have been accounted for. A heavy rain will be required to extinguish the conflagration.

A fire has broken out on Crozier mountain, about twelve miles northeast of Estes Park, and another is ravaging the tall timber of Horseshoe park. People in the vicinity are exerting themselves to stay the progress of the flames, and they hope to extinguish the Horseshoe Park blaze.

George Phelfer, mayor of Allen's Park, a little town near Estes Park, has written the land board telling of the damage wrought by the fires. Acting Register Redman has ordered Appraiser Jennings from Leadville to the park, with instructions to do everything possible to stop the flames. Appraiser Wells has been sent to Coal Creek, where another fire is raging.

Yesterday the watchers in the capitol could plainly see the flames creeping up three sides of one of the front peaks.

Advices from Golden state that the forests along the foothills are extremely dry. On Thursday night fire broke out in the stretch of timber between Coal and Ralston creeks, and attempts to check it have proven futile. Without rain a vast area of well-timbered land will be denuded.

Up in Wyoming, on the headwaters of the Popo Agie, a big fire is burning, and the Lander valley is covered by smoke so dense that it obscures the sun, giving the appearance of an eclipse. A large amount of timber has been destroyed, but no attempt has been made to check the flames.

A Leadville dispatch of last night says:

A mirage of fire was the magnificent and startling spectacle that citizens of Leadville were presented to-night. Extending far above the mountain and fully a quarter of a mile wide, east of the city and directly north of the Mosquito range, was a solid sheet of flame that attracted the citizens from their homes and sent the entire fire department of the city to stand guard over the eastern portion of the town. The spectacle lasted for fully twenty minutes and for that time it was thought by people on the west side that the entire eastern part of the city was in flames. Hundreds of people started up the east side streets, but the faster they ran toward the fire the farther away it got.

Investigation proved that the illumination was caused by the reflection against the sky of the flames from the forest fire that was raging twelve miles from Leadville. The fire is the other side of Prospect mountain and has been burning for several days. The light wind of to-night made it flame high into the heavens. It is not thought that there are any people in the track of the flames.