40 FOREST COMMISSIONEK'S REPORT. 



Fiske of Mattawamkeag I am iu receipt of a sketch map of the 

 region south of Mount Katahdin. On this, from personal knowledge 

 of the count! y as well as the notes of the first surveys made there, 

 he is able to trace the limits of an area of second growth lying on 

 both sides the West Branch Penobscot and embracing an area of 

 about 200 square miles. This district Mr. Fiske believes, judging 

 from the surveys just mentioned as well as from examination of the 

 trees themselves, was burnt about the year 1795. From it much 

 good-sized pine has been taken of late years, but so far as I have 

 learned no other kind of lumber. The fire of 1825 apparently, 

 crossing the West Branch below the Twin lakes, either ran to the 

 southern edge of this earlier fire or over a portion of its territory. 



The third great fire that has been mapped is one that occurred 

 iu the year 1837. Starting on the meadows of the Scboois river it 

 spread northerly, burning the northwest portion of Patten and 

 more than half of the two towns north, sweeping westerly to the 

 East Branch Penobscot and north through township eight in the 

 sixth range ai d so out into Aroostook county. 



The origin of this fire is interesting. In those times the State 

 was the owner of much of the timber lands within her limits, on 

 whose property of course all good citizens were in duty bound to 

 poach. In 1837 the State land agent for the time being sent up to 

 this region a man by the name of Chase to look after the public 

 interests. Finding on the Seboois meadows a lot of meadow hay 

 ready cut for a winter's operation in the woods, this zealous officer, 

 thinking he would put a stop to one piece of pilfering, set fire to 

 the stacks. It was a dry time, the fire spread, and Chase himself 

 as the account goes, barely got away with his life. The conflagra- 

 tion which he started spread through township after township, con- 

 suming as above outlined some 200 square miles of the State's best 

 timberland. This burn though less than sixty years old has fur- 

 nished for some years considerable quantities of pine lumber. 

 Considerable study has been made of the growth that has come up 

 on the territory covered by the fire of 1825. For this there are twa 

 reasons. In the first place a body of timberland a thousand square 

 miles in extent is an appreciable quantity in the forest resources of 

 the State, and any general impressions as to is present condition 

 and value, still more as to its future production and management 

 are of direct utility. The other object of such study is to ascertain 

 for the sake of general application, the character and value of the 



