FORESTS BURN
Great Damage Throughout
Montana by Fire.
IDAHO TIMBER SUFFERS ALSO
Homes of Settlers Destroyed and
and Many People Have Narrow
Escapes With Their Lives.
Bntte, Mont., Aug. 8. A Kalispell
special to the Miner save: Forest fires
ai e still raging with unabated fury in
the timber lands of this county and
from all reports received thus fai, the
'damage will run into the thousands of
dollars. Small holders of timber lands
-are the chief sufferers. They are not
only losing their timber but their cab
ins and home buildings as well as their
:stock of provisions, hay and grain are
being rapidly consumed. Their condi
tion in many instances will be deplora
ble. The fires are not only confined to
the forests surrounding this city, but
the finest lumber sections in .Northern
Montana are suffering. . The thickly
wooded sections about Sterling, Atlanta
snd Fisher river are burning, as well
8 the timber west of Libby and be
tween Troy and Bonners Ferry, Idaho.
About half a dozen frame buildings
on the outskirts- of White Fish have
been burned. Several buildings be
longing to a rancher named Hoffman
ear by also have been destroyed. The
sawmill of Baker Bros., was burned.
The people living in the timbered sec
' tions are all fighting the fire, but are
almost powerless to check its advances
Much hay between White Fish and
-Columbia Palls has been burned, as
-well as all meadow land in the section
-where the fires are raging.
Fires raging in North Fork of Flat
head river country are doing much
-damage to the timber in the Flathead
forest reservation, and people returning
from that section report that the dis
tance around the fires at that point at
present exceeds 15 miles.
A White Fish report says the timber
is on fire on both sides of the county
wagon road and it was with difficulty a
-couriei was able to urge his horses
through, having a narrow escape from
the fire. The roads are now said to be
utterly impassaole.
The fire at Belton was extinguished
- this week after it had done great dam
age to the timber, but at Coiam and in
that vicinity it is still eating its way
through the heavy foieats.
A forest fire in the Crazy mountains,
20 miles north of Big Timber, has done
considerable damage in the last few
lay8. The fire started Sunday and has
gradually increased until it has burned
over a large stretch of heavily wooded
country. Among the timber burned
is some of the most valuable in that
district.
MONTANA NEEDS MOISTURE.
Unless Rain Soon Comes, Loss of
Stock Will Be Great.
Butte, Mont., Aug. 8. Advices re
ceived from throughout the state the
past week depict a sericus 6tate of
Affairs on the big ranges in Eastern and
Northern Montana, and unless heavy
rain is soon forthcoming considerable
lose of stock will ensue. The Northern
Montana ranges in many localities re
semble a desert, former watering holes
and springs being dry and parched.
Many of the ranges have had to be
abandoned and the stock .driven long
distances for water. So bad have the
conditions become that the state hu
mane oflicers have interfered and com
pelled stockmen to drive herds into lo
calities far removed, where some grass
nd water still remain, though even
then the supply is scanty.
Stock shipments have been almost
entirely suspended as a result of the
strike of the packing house employes,
and the thousands of head of cattle
roaming the plains which could other
wise have been shipped East make the
problem of caring for the animals one
of extreme seriousness. While the
Eastern Montana ranges still bear con
siderable grass, those in the Northern
section of the state are in many in
stances almost devoid of feed.
Montana's Mineral Production.
Butte, Mont., Aug. 8. The repoit
of Assayer B. H. Tatem, at Helena,
shows that the receipts, of the United
States assay office in Montana for the
month of July, 1904, were $184,453.24
from Montana, as compared with
1 180.546.32 for July, last year. The
grand total of receipts from all sources
iss $221,463.66, against $216,152.08
for a year ago. The biggest increase in
receipts was reported from Fergus
county, the receipts from that quarter
being $92,564, showing an increase of
423.883.
Hope Incident Is Ended.
St. Petersburg, Aug. S. The an
nouncement in the dispatches of the
Associated Press from Vladivostok that
the steamei Arabia will be released,
and that only a portion of her" cargo
consigned to Japanese ports will be
held, will, it is believed, end the
Arabia incident, so far as the United
States is concerned, as the United
States asked nothing more than prompt
Action for the immediate release of the
ship.
forest Tires in Montana.
Butte, Mont., Aug. 8. The Miner
Advices from Missoula state that infor
mation has been receved there that two
big forest fires are raging in the vicini
ty of Heron and Vermillion, on Cherry
creek, one of the most thickly wooded
etwtions in Missoula county.
HAWAII NOT A DRAG.
United States Treasury Enriched at
Minor Outlay.
Sacramento, Ca)., Aug. 6. In an in
terview today, Governor G. C. Carter,
of the Hawaiian islands, said to a rep
resentative of the Bee:
"The annexation of the islands to
the United States has not been a com
mercial success, so far as the islands
are concerned. Since we have been
United States territory we have not
made great progress. One reason for
this is because the laws by which we
are governed are not suited to the
country. For instance, we have to
obey the United States law and cannot
rent government land for a period of
more than five years at a time. As it
takes from two to four years to raise a
crop in our climate, we cannot find
anybody that will rent land for such a
shoit period as five years. Thus we
are deprived of a big income from gov
ernment land.
"Since we have been annexed con
gress has never dredged our harbor
It is filling up and thus prevents the
landme of the argest vessels. As a
result of thie our traffic is falling off.
We have dredged the harbor at our ex
pense since we have been annexed, but
unless it is dredged again we will lose
much of our trade.
"Annexation has cut off all of our
internal revenue. - On the other hand.
from Uncle Sam's point cf view, an
nexation has been a decided success.
Over $4,250,000 has been paid into the
United States treasury from the is
lands. The whole cost of annexation
waa only $4,000,000."
PILL ALL ORDERS.
Chicago Packers Say Plants
are
Doing Well.
Chicago, Aug. 6. In a statement
given out tonight by the packets, the
report that negotiations are in progress
to bring about another conference be
tween the packers and the labor lead
ers is declared to be unfounded. The
packers assert that there is not the
elightest possibility of further confer
ences with the strikers.
According to this statement, the pro
gress making at the plants is satisfac
tory to all the packers; more men are
employed daily; all contracts and cur
rent orders are filled and there is a
normal supply of beef, mutton and
provisions at all plants in the United
States, while gales are made at lower
prices than before the strike began.
In a table accompanying the state
ment it is shown that the total number
of men at work tonight at all points is
more than 29,000. With this number
of men at work the packers say they
shipped 831 carloads of fresh meats
from all points yesterday.
Beyond trying to enforce the order
forbiddng the deliverv of ice to retail
ers who have been hauling meat from
the stockyards themselves since the
teamsters' strike, the strikers did little
today. Up to date tha ice supply of
100 retail markets has been cut off.
FOODSTUFFS NOT CONTRABAND.
United States Will Not Recede From
Position Once Taken.
Washington, Aug. 6. The state de
partment is in telegraphic communica
tion with its agencies abroad lespecting
the Russian seizures and destruction of
American goods, but it ia not yet ready
to define precisely its position as to the
whole subject of seizures. These ex
changes are not confined to St. Peters
burg and Washington, but are in
tended to develop the purposes of the
governments of other nations, and par
ticularly of Great Britain and Ger
many, whose shipping has suffered
moie than that of any other. It is
said here that the precedents already
established in the Spanish and Boer
wars, as well as in the operations in
China during the black flag uprising,
have worked so satisfactorily and have
received such universal approval that
under no circumstances will America
now recede from the doctrine that food
stuffs not directly intended for the use
of a bell igf 'rant army or navy cannot
be regarded as contraband.
No Second Trial of Ohio.
San Francisco. Aue. 6. The bat
tleship Ohio will not be given another
trial. Engineer Robert Forsythe, who
had charge of the machinery of the
Ohio, states that the machinerv work
ed without a hitch, and that the fail
ure to make the required speed was due
solely to the tidal conditions. The
horsepower developed was over 2,000,
more than the contract called foi. The
stakeboats Fortune, Preble, Paul Jones
and Undilla returned today from the
south, but the Annapolis will not ar
rive here until tomorrow.
Lend Money in New York.
New York. Aue. 6. The rennhlio nt
Panama has made another biV inn n rm
real estate in this city. Aloan of $900,
000 at 4e per cent waa made by the
lepresentatives ot the republic on a
large Brodaway building. The sum is
part of the $10,000,000 which the p.n.
ama republic received from the United
States for the Isthmian canal conces
sion, and its representaties have al
ready loared out on mortgage nearly
l,ouu,uuu on reai estate in this city.
Payment on Cuban Loan.
Havana. Aue. 6. Manuel Dmim
fiscal agent for the Cuban government,
in a ca oie dispatch irom New York to
day Bays that Speyer & Co. have paid
him $10,000,000 of the $35,000,000
Cuban loan.
GIRL IS HANGED
Charged With Treason Against
Russian Government.
ONLY EIGHTEEN YEARS OF AGE
Said to Have Placed Seditious
Pamphlets in Supplies Sent to
Soldiers at the Front.
London, Ang. 5. According to the
St. Petersburg correspondent of the
Daily Telegraph the youngest daughtei
of Professor Mersheyeffesky, the well
knewn Russian educator, has just been
banged in the fortress at Schlnsselburg
for high treason. Every effort has
been made by the Russian authorities to
keep the matter from the public . De-
cause of the outburst of indignation
which followed the hanging of another
young student for an alleged attempt
on the life of the czar some months
ago. .
' The correspondent states, however
that it has been learned that the girl,
wnue assisting tne empress some
weeks ago to pack a quantity of sup
plies for the troops at the front, chiefly
reading matter and delicacies, smug
gled into the packages a number of
seditious pamphlets which were not
discovered until some of them had got
into the hands of the soldiers. When
accused the young woman is said to
have admitted her guilt and to have
declared that she gloried in the deed.
She was court martialed, found
guilty of treason and promptly hanged
No announcement of - the punishment
has not been made in the Official Jour
nal, and now none is expected to be.
The young woman was but 18 years
old, and the government is condeuned
for its action, as it. is believed that she
was but the tool of older conspirators
ICE CUT OFF.
Fresh Meat Will Be Scarce in Chi.
cago as a Result.
Chicago, Aug. 5. The threatened
spread of the stockards strike to out
side industries came tonight, when an
order was issued by the Teamsters' un
ion foriddmg drivers of ice wagons to
make any deliveries to retail butchers,
who, since the packing house teamsters
went on strike, have been handling
meat from the packing houses in their
own wagons.
As the refrigerators in most markets
do not hold enough ice to last longei
than 48 hours, the order to cut off the
eupply of ice, if it can be forced, means
that many persons in Chicago will be
compelled to forego fresh meat. Offi
cers of the teamsters' union have ap
pointed pickets to watch retail markets
all over Chicago with instructions to
see that the boycott; is carried out.
Outside of the decision of the strik
ing unions to extend the strike to the
ice men there was little change from
yesterday in the situation at the stock
yards. With their new employes and
those that have deserted the unions the
packers managed to dispose of fully 50
per cent as much work as is carried on
under normal conditions.
SURROUNDED ON THREE SIDES.
Kuropatkin Must Move West or
Surrender.
Niu Chwang, Aug. 5. The report
that Haicheng has fallen is premature.
The "Russian tioops have only been
driven back to their inner mtrench
ments, which they now occupy with
over 75,000 men. A detachment of
-2,000 Japanese, with large supply
trains, is leaving here for Haicheng,
where the greatest battle of the war is
expected to open tomorrow.
General Kuroki, with 100,000 men,
is now behind the Russian forces ; Gen
eral Oku, with an army of 50,000 men,
is on their front, while flanking them
on the left is General Nodzu, with his
division of 50,000 men.
If General Kuropatkin is defeated in
this battle, he must either move west
ward or surrender.
The foreign military attaches are with
the second army on the way for the
front to witness the battle.
The Russian troops at Port Arthur
have been driven back to the last line
of their defenses. Tne Japanese at
tacking force has 350 guns in action.
Alaska Boundary Survey.
Vancouver, Aug. 5. For the purpose
of inspecting the work of the survey
parties, engaged in establishing the
boundary line between Canada and
Alaska, the two boundary commission
ers representing Canada and the United
States are here en route to the north.
O. H. Tittamann, superintendent of
the United States coast and . geodetic
survey, is the American eommissioner;
Canada's interests are in the hands of
Professor W. F. King, chief astronomer
of Canada. These two commissioners
will remain in the North two months.
Gunboat Is Blown Up.
London, Aug. 5. The Daily Mail
this morning has the following from
Niu Chwang, under date of August 3:
The Russian gunboat Sivouch (which
has been in the Liao river since the be
ginning of the war (has been deserted
and biown up near Sancha, and the
crew, with the vessel's guns, have
started for Liao Yang. The Japanese
gunboats went on Monday to leconnoit
er the position of the Sivouch and were
fired on.
Driven Back by Warships. ,
Tokio, Aug. 5. Twelve torpedo des
troyed, four torpedo boat destroyers
and some gunboats emerged from the
harbor at Port Arthur on the night of
August 1, but were driven back again
by the Japanese warships on guard outside.
- FORTS HOLD OUT..
Charging Japanese Driven Back at
Port Arthur.
Chefoo, Aug. 4. A desperate three
days' assault on the inner defenses, on
the northern and eastern sides of Port
Arthur, has failed, according to advices
brought by two junks which arrived
here today.
A Russian who escaped from Port
Arthur via Pigeon Bay, the night of
July 29, states that the earth trembled
under the terrific cannonading which
began at 4 a. m., July 26. and ended
during the night of July 28,' when the.
tne battle ceased.
A Chinese who has arrived heie on
a separate junk confirms the Russian's
statement that the Russian killed and
wounded during the assault numbered
between 5,000 and 6.000.
The Japanese in their repeated as
saults against the eastern forts on the
hills, through barbed wire entangle
ments and over mines, displayed fanati
cal bravery. They were mowed down
by the hail of shells and bullets and
the explosion of mines under their feet
Their losses are estimated at 20,000.
The Russian declares that the Rus
sians held all the eastern forts leading
to liolden Hill and that the Japanese,
shattered and exhausted, retired to the
eastward.
As related by the passengers of the
two junka, the Japanese advance, which
began from Kwokau before daybreak,
July 2b, was directed against Kikwan,
Kmkiun, Kinkishan and Pchoushan.
forts, lying near shore. The Russian
outposts were driven back. Jn the
meantime Admiral Togo shelled the
forts at long range, but the return fire
of the forts kept his ships at a safe dis
tance, rendering the co-operation of the
fleet ineffective.
On the morning of July 27, the Rue-
sian fleet steamed, uts keeping under
the protection of the Golden Hill guns
The Russian vessels did not fire on the
Japanese and soon returned to their
anchorage.
The assault on the northern side of
the city occurred July 27. The Japan
ese left at Hsikau advanced on the
Russians at Shinshi Ying, but were
repulsed.
The junks were within hearing dis
tance for three days after leaving, but
no more firing wasiheard.
The Russian hospitals at Port Arthur
are said to be swamped. Thousands
of wounded are lying in houses and
shops of the Chinese, the owners having
been evicted, with the exception of
one who acts as caretaker of each place
Medical attention is inadequate.
TALE ONLY HALF TOLD.
No Account Yet of the Battle That
Took Place August 2.
St. Peteisburg, Aug. 4. Allowing
for the inevitable conflict in names, the
Japanese and Russian reports seem to
agree on the main points of the mill
tary developments up to August 1, but
both stop ebort at their interesting
point, namely, regarding what happen
ed on August 2, when it is possible
that a decisive struggle was going on
east and south of Liao Yang.
The usual crowds were assembled
around the bulletin boards outside the
office of the general staff until long
after midnight awaiting further official
details, but nothing was given out be
yond General Kuropatkin's two official
dispatches. It is evident from these
dispatches and the Japanese reports
that the Russians abandoned Yangse
Pass, falling back on Liandinsin, a
strong defensive position in the hills
24 miles southeast of Liao Yang.
General Kuropatkin admits that
there were heavy losses along the
Saimtsza-Liao Yang road July 31.
The official account is somewhat incon
clusive, but indicates that although
the Russians withdrew from their ad
vanced posts Kuropatkin hoped to be
able to hold his main posistions even
in the face of the superior Japanese
force and that he evidently expected
heavy fighting along this line, probably
about Anping. This battle possibly
was proceeding August 2, although
the dispatches report that all was
quiet up to noon of August 1.
In the meantime a serious envelop
ing movement of the Japanese divis-
ons was maturing around the Russian
left at Haicheng where there was also
heavy fighting July 31.
No news" has been received from Port
Atrhur.
Rumored Successor of -Von Plehue.
St. Petersburg, Aug. 4. The emperor
todav received in audience Geneial
Count Koutaissoff , military governor of
Itkutsk, Siberia, which lends support
to the rumors that Count Koutaissoff
will succeed the late Von Plehve as
minister of the interor. General Kout-
asaoff is of a -gocd family from the
Trans-Cancassus district of Russia,
about 45 years of age, and has served
for several yeara in the military depart
ment of Siberia! He is a man of arbi
trary methods.
Situation Serious at Tangier.
Washington, Aug. 4. Acting Secre
tary of State Loomis has received a
mail report from Mr. Gummere, the
American consul-general at Tangiers,
dated July 15, showing a state of great
unrest and uneasiness in Morocco fol
lowing the Perdicaris incident. Mr.
Gummere tells of the attempt to kid
nap Mr. Harris, the representative of
the London Times, which has been
described in cable dispatches, and says
the situation grows more serious daily.
Transports for Baltic Squadron.
Copenhagen, Aug. 4. A Russian
agent has arrived here with the object
of purchasing large transports to ac
company the Baltic squadron to tne
Far East.
ML
Portable Houses for Hosts.
A stockman who has tried them,
says of movable hoghouses: "I have
used portable hoghouses one year, and
like them first-rate, because they are
easily cleaned when you wish to
clean them just move your pen; also,
they are cheap. They are healthy, be
cause you can keep them free from dis
ease by frequent movlngs. They are a
great saver of bedding only a' small
quantity being required, providing, of
course, that your pen is upon dry
ground, that is, ground where water
will not stand excepting in a very wet
time. '
As to mode of construction, mine are
built as follows: They are 7 feet long,
6 feet wide, 40 inches high in front, 30
inches high in rear. Weatherboarded
with hard pine boards, 10 inches wide;
ought to be tongued and grooved, al
though mine are not. The roof isgof
10-inch hard pine boards, 7 feet long.
Each pen has a door 30 inches high by
2 feet wide, with hinges and hasp
latch; these hinges and hasp latch are
5 inches; use wrought nails to put them
on. The roof of my pen, where there
are cracks, is battened with half-round
poplar pieces, or it can have the cracks
covered with shingles. I can fasten
door open or shut, as I desire.
The frame is made of beech 2x4's.
First, make three posts for the front 38
inches high, then three for rear, 28
inches high, then 2 for sides, 33 inches
high; then four pieces 7 feet long
three of these to support the roof and
one to put along the front of the pen
at the bottom to strengthen the frame.
Now, take boards previously sawed the
right length and construct two sides
which are opposite to each other, then
construct remaining sides, then put on
roof; use 8-penny nails for weather
boards, and small spikes to put frame
together.
These v pens cannot be beaten for
clanliness, healthfulness, saving of bed
ding, and cheapness. They cost about
$3 each.
Strawberry Culture.
The method of strawberry cultqre
shown in the illustration has been suc
cessful and profitable. Tight iron
bound barrels are
used with all but
four of the hoops
removed. Holes are
bored through the
staves at proper
distances as
shown, plants are
set 'in these holes
and the barrels
filled with soil to
STBAWBEBBY -' BED
the top. The aver
age yield of berries is over one-half
bushel per barrel. The greatest advant
ages claimed for this method are that
no -mulch or cultivation is necessary.
that the berries are always clean and
free from sand, and are far more read
ily picked than when grown in the
usual way. A tile is placed in tne
center of the barrel as it is filled with
soil. This permits an even distribution
of water from top to bottom, an abun
dance of which should be supplied at
all times.
Cows Are Poor Walkers.
The cow is naturally a poor walker.
Generally she walks only when she
must. She never walks or runs for ex
ercise. Sometimes she frolics, but only
for a few moments. The dairy cow s
business is eating, dozing and chewing
her cud. Any cow that is compelled
travel over the parched and short-
cropped pasture day and night In
search of the straggling, crisp and
browned blades of grass cannot be ex
pected to return even a small profit
few armfuls of succulent, luscious
green corn will help amazingly to keep
the milk flow. It makes June con
ditions In September. Ex.
What the Oow's Eye Means.
The eye of the cow, as of the human
being, Is Indicative of much. It shows
the character and force of the nervous
energy back of It. If the nervous
force Is strong, the eye will show
marked intelligence. It will be wide
open, and the sight will appear to be
penetrating. It Is said that a cow with
a placid eye always has a good dis
fit .- . vtf is
i s
MOVABLE BOO HOUSE.
position, and this Is doubtless true of
the human animaL The cow with a
placid eye will get along' easily at allv
times, and will generally be contented
with her lot, whatever it may be. She
is the kind of an animal that would
luxuriate in English meadows or con
tentedly chew herring on the bleak
coast of -Iceland. But there is such a
thing as having an eye too open, and
this Indicates too great nervousness,
and that the animal is easily fright
ened. The same Is true of the quick,
flashing eye. The eye of the cow can
be studied with profit.
Science and Corn Silk.
Corn silk has received considerable
attention from our corn scientists. It
is a somewhat unusual manifestation
of nature, the cavity to be fertilized by
the pollen sending out this long, silky
messenger to guide the pollen grain to
its goal. The growth and develop
ment of the silk bears an important re
lationship to the crop of corn that Is
to be harvested. The silk at the butt
of the ear appears first and is the long
est, as It must grow the whole length
of the cob to get to the light at all.
Yet it does this and is waving in the
air catching the pollen before the tip
silks have appeared. The butt cavities
or ovaries are therefore the first to be
fertilized. It is generally believed that
the shorter the ear the more likely it
is to be covered with kernels, as the
longer the ear the later will the tip
silks be in getting out to the light
where they can be of service. For this
reason the tips of long ears are fre
quently found with no kernels on
them. The silks did not get out till
after the stalks had ceased shedding
pollen. If an ear of corn that Is send
ing out silk be covered with a long
paper funnel, the silk will dontinue to
grow in length till it has attained a
length of 20 inches or more. At the
Iowa station an ear of corn treated in
this way seemed to despair of getting
pollen and sent out two new ears near
its base; and these two new ears de
veloped a good mass of silk. The fall
ing of the pollen on the silk is followed
by the grains being conveyed to the
ovaries, after the completion of which
work the silk dies.
An Anti-Choker,
The accompanying diagram explains
itself and shows a simple method of
relieving the plow of any kind of a
choke. It can be constructed out of
wood or iron and adjusted to any kind 1
of a plow. If a reversible or hillside
plow is used you must have one on
each side of the beam. One bolt to go
through beam is really all that is re
quired, as the rest can be found in any
barnyard, or it can be made of poles
'ANTI-CHOKEB DEVICE.
cut in the woods. In plowing under
strawy manure or any other kind of
humus food, this is the most success
ful arrangements we have ever seen.
Exchange.
Two Broods of -Pigs a Tear.
A good many of our swine raisers
produce only one brood of pigs a year.
They say that the spring- litter is
easily taken care of and after wean
ing goes onto green, succulent pas
ture. That is true, but it should not
be forgotten that there is something
to be said on the other side. The man
that is well equipped for swine-raising
has considerable money Invested
in hoghouses, pens and the like. If two
broods are raised a year the "plant,"
so called, is kept in use the year
around, and can thus be made to earn
a good interest on the investment. Af
ter all, the question of two broods is
largely one of winter feed of a suc
culent nature, and most of our farm
ers are Intelligent enough to solve that
problem in one way and another. But
the man that attempts to do this
should expect to give his litters more
attention in the fall than in the spring.
The "let-alone' policy will not prove
to be a paying one In that case.
No False Honeycomb.
There's no such thing as false honey
comb. That is the emphatic and un
qualified statement of a committee of
the Chicago Beekeepers' Association,
made In a report following thorough
Investigation and a prize offer of $1.-
000. Two members of the association
have posted $1,000 and offer to pay it
over to any man who will show where
honey or substitute for honey is sold
In a manufactured comb. The commit
tee states that there is no comb in ex
istence other than that made by the
bees, and the sweets that fill the comb
is that gathered by the little workers
from the flowers and blossoms. The
money posted by the beekeepers has
been up for months, and has been so
published, but up to this time no one
has appeared to claim it
Concerning adulterated honey, the
committee says In Its report that it Is
well known that strained honey has
been adulterated with glucose, but
that the producers of pure honey, aid
ed by the work of the Illinois pure
food officers, have well-nigh broken up
the practice.