54 



urday night, and happening to stand in the rear vestibule of the last 

 car of the train saw what I consider a good demonstration of how 

 most of the fires that have been devastating the Adirondack forests 

 recently are started. At very frequent intervals the tracks in the 

 rear of the train were strewn with live coals dumped from the loco- 

 motive, and in many instances these coals, dropping on the wooden 

 ties, burned into bright flames, which only required a slight breeze to 

 spread to the side of the tracks and to the forest. After seeing the 

 miles upon miles of blackened ruin, caused by the recent fires, this 

 struck me as a piece of wanton carelessness on the part of the rail- 

 road company that calls for investigation by the authorities, and 

 should be stopped at once if we care to save what remains of our 

 fast-disappearing Adirondack forests. 



Plattsburg Sentinel, May 29, 1903. On Wednesday, while a man 

 named Sancombe was driving along the road between Hunter's 

 Home and Goldsmith's, his horse was struck by a falling tree, which 

 had burned off near the bottom, and was instantly killed. 



Ticonderoga Sentinel, May 7, 1903. A farmer's boy near Ever- 

 ton went to the pasture after a horse, and both boy and horse were 

 burned to death. 



Evening Journal, Glens Falls, June 9, 1903. Yesterday, at Indian 

 Lake, some cattle were turned out in a swamp which had been burned 

 over, but which was apparently free from fire by reason of the recent 

 rains. However, the cattle sunk into the soft earth and fire burst 

 forth in several places, seriously burning the animals. 



Troy Record, June 4, 1903. A dispatch from Plattsburg says that 

 at Cadyville the woods were all afire near the village. The Catholic 

 cemetery was burned over, and a large force of men finally succeeded 

 in saving the Catholic church. At Twin Pond, on the Chateaugay 

 Railroad, a wooden trestle took fire from the forest fires, and a freight 

 engine broke through, carrying Engineer Kelly down with it. He 

 escaped, however, with slight bruises. 



Essex County Republican, May 29, 1903. George McDonald's 

 camps near Tupper Lake were destroyed. Mrs. Joseph Prevost had 

 given birth to a child only a few hours before. She was carried on 

 a mattress to the railway, where she was placed on a handcar and 

 removed from danger. Members of her rescuing party were severely 

 burned. A woman was left in one of the camps through some mis- 

 take, and when this was discovered George McDonald and Chester 

 Carr ran through the flames and rescued her. They found her on 

 her knees praying and, strange to say, this camp did not burn, al- 

 though another a short distance away and seemingly in much less 

 danger was destroyed. 



