The Idaho Press   September 1, 1910

        FEAR DEATH OF MINER.
                    ___________

Tommy Roberts Only Member of Pattison Party Missing.

Struggling up the mountain side with the flames at their heels all the time, forced to fall to the ground and cover themselves with blankets at frequent intervals to catch a little air, a party of seven men and one woman fought all night to save themselves from becoming prey to the forest fire near the Amador mine.

Seven of them are known to have been successful, but one, Tommy Roberts, a prospector, is missing and it is feared he was overcome by the heat and smoke or else struck by a falling tree. He left the main party soon after the rush from the cabins was made.

In the group were Mr. And Mrs. E. H. Pattison of Wallace, their guest Wm. Korts of Boise, Tommy Roberts, Peter Sherlock and Oscar Norlander who were working at the Sherlock placers, George Gordon and Claude Easley who were working for Frank Rose.

Mr. and Mrs. Pattison arrived in Wallace last night, Mr. Korts being with them. They had come in from Spokane and Missoula. The clothes they wore showed the marks of their fearful experience, being burned and torn. The personal belongings they took with them when they went to the placers a week or so ago were all destroyed.

“The fire reached us Sunday evening,” said Mrs. Pattison, “and we left camp between 6 and 7 o'clock. At that time a tornado struck the mountain on both sides. Mr. Sherlock and Mr. Roberts believed there was no danger and had taken to their bunks. We had to rouse them and hurry from the camp.

'We struggled up the mountain side and fought the flames, going about a mile I believe. Then we turned and rushed back through the fire where it was possible to get through until we reached a burned space.

“We stayed there the rest of the night until 4 o'clock Sunday morning when we worked our way back down to the Sherlock camp for water. We found the fire had cleaned up everything there. Nothing was left. We walked all day with hardly anything to eat, going to the Kansas City commercial. We remained there all night and went to Iron Mountain Tuesday morning.

“The wind storm was something terrible Sunday night. The big trees didn't wait for the fire but the wind carried them over and it was crash, crash all the time. The wind was so strong I could hardly stand and wouldn't have been able to if a couple of the men had helped me along.

“When we were hurrying from the fire we had to fall to the ground on our faces every ten minutes to get a little air into our lungs, the smoke was so bad. We had some blankets with us and we would draw them over our heads and lie still a moment. Then we would feel the fire scorching our clothes and we would have to get up and hurry on again.

“We didn't have any place as a goal. We simply had to keep running to stay ahead of the fire.”

Roberts was with the party when they left camp but soon afterwards yelled that he knew where there was a flat that would be a safe place to stay. He turned off at an angle and soon was out of sight. The others cried for him to come back but received no answer.

The men of the party were in bad shape next day with their eyes, hardly being able to see. All have recovered greatly, however, and it is believed none of them have suffered permanent injuries.

The first hint the people had of the storm arising was Sunday morning about 10 o'clock when it became so dark that candles had to be lit in the cabins. The trees began to fall and the crash and roar of the falling giants added to the fearfulness of the scene.

It was not till night that the flames were seen rushing toward the camp. At the time the wind was so strong that it was seen that it would be but a few moments until the flames were onto the cabins. The fire was literally at the heels of the fleeing men and woman for several hours that night. When a safe place was finally reached the air was so freezing cold that sleep was hardly possible.

It was on Bean creek, a St. Joe tributary, where the fire started July 4 and where it had been burning since, covering a vast area. In two days, Saturday and Sunday, it is estimated the fire destroyed timber on 100,000 acres along Bean creek.

Roscoe Haines, deputy supervisor, met the Pattison party at Iron Mountain and accompanied them to Missoula.