49 



than have to lose a day and travel thirty miles to get their bills sworn 

 to. They are the best lot of men I ever saw to climb mountains and 

 fight fires. But some of them say they will answer no more calls to 

 fight fire. They are all poor men and cannot afford to lose their 

 time and have so much trouble to get their pay. The deputy wardens 

 claim they cannot get help for the price, which is $i per day, as 

 fixed by tho. town board. 



Mr. Robert Steves, Whitehall, Washington county. At the com- 

 mencement of the fire we had hard work to get men to fight it, as 

 the town hoard had voted to pay only $i per day. Later, when the 

 supervisors instructed me to pay a fair price for the work, the fire 

 had gained such headway that the district warden had difficulty to 

 manage it even with a large gang of men. When the fire reached 

 the village limits the hose company were called upon by those endan- 

 gered, and I would like to have you instruct me who will settle 

 the claim. 



Mr. John D. Graham, Putnam Station, Washington county. I 

 wish you would call the attention of the officials of the Delaware 

 and Hudson Railroad Company to the danger of fires which are 

 being set by their locomotives nearly every day in this town, and 

 to the fact of the insufficient work being done by their trackmen in 

 putting fires out when they do occur. 



Mr. C. W. Rowe, Chesterfield, Essex county. These fires were 

 set by engines on the Delaware and Hudson Railroad. Fires are 

 started every day, and I have to keep men watching all the time. 

 Engines Nos. 55, 113, 388, 139 and 71 have been known to set fires, 

 and we are willing to swear to it. 



CATSKILL COUNTIES. 



Mr. George A. Eller, Callicoon, Delaware county. We worked 

 until midnight, and could stand it no longer on the mountain with- 

 out food and water, so we retired for the night and started again 

 at daybreak, when we succeeded in putting the fire out. 



Mr. Thomas S. Miller, Andes, Delaware county. The fire is sup- 

 posed to have been started by William Van Kuren. He told differ- 

 ent stories about it; one was that he was smoking out a hedgehog; 

 another, that he lit a cigarette and dropped a match. 



Mr. Thomas Ford, Shavertown, Delaware county. A backfire was 

 set, though forbidden by the district firewarden. In my opinion 

 the fire from this cause burned over 100 acres more than it would 

 have done otherwise. 



