Dry Weather Causes Fires^ 



Severe Outbreaks in all Parts of the Country. 



The extended drought which was felt 

 throughout the length and breadth of the 

 country this year was particularly severe 

 in the eastern part of Canada, and worst 

 of all in Ontario. The Metereological 

 Bureau at Toronto has kindly supplied 

 figures for the precipitation in the last 

 few months. 



Thirteen of the fourteen meteorological 

 stations throughout Canada report a great 

 decrease in precipitation in May, June, 

 July and August, 1913, as compared with 

 the amount recorded in the same months in 

 1912. By stations the figures are as fol- 

 lows: — 



De- 

 1912 1913 crease 

 Station Inches Inches 1913 



Vancouver, B.C 12.03 10.90 1.13 



Calgary, Alta 13.68 11.49 2.19 



Prince' Albert, Sask... 12.62 8.42 4.20 



Winnipeg, Man 12.25 10.60 1.65 



Port Arthur, Out. . . . 9.29 14.97 5.68* 

 Parry Sound, Out. . . . 11.78 9.34 2.44 



Cochrane, Out. 11.16 7.35 3.81 



Stonecliffe, Nipissing 



Dist., Ont 12.10 8.67 3.43 



Toronto, Ont 13.59 7.33 6.26 



Ottawa, Ont 15.90 9.24 6.66 



Montreal, Que 13.85 10.33 3.52 



Quebec, Que 21.53 14.14 7.39 



St. John, N.B 19.89 10.51 9.38 



Halifax, N. S. ...... 17.30 12.52 4.78 



•Increase. 



This is the worst drought in many years, 

 not since 1885 has there been felt such tre- 

 mendous need for moisture. Wells in all 

 parts of the country were wholly dried 

 up, springs ceased to flow, and practically 

 everywhere the crops were retarded and 

 the pasture of stock gravely injured. Dur- 

 ing the latter part of the month of June, 

 all July and the great part of August, 

 there was practically no rain to support 

 the herds which supplied milk to the great 

 urban centres. 



Needless to say, this condition of dry- 

 ness made the woods like tinder, and 

 everywhere upon very slight cause fires 

 sprang out which spread rapidly through 

 the undergrowth and consumed vast quant- 

 ities of young trees, mature timber and 

 houses, lumber yards and mills. The worst 

 fires of the month in Nova Scotia took place 

 about the 21 st of August. Fires fairly 

 honeycombed the district round about Bed- 

 ford and Sambro, Purcell's Cove and Bear 

 Cove. Cinders rained down everywhere 



and vast areas of timberland were destroy- 

 ed, houses were abandoned by the score, 

 and a company of militia was called out 

 near Halifax to aid the settlers in their 

 efforts against the fire demon. Between 

 Hammond's Plains and Upper Sackville 

 the forests of excellent timber were com- 

 pletely destroyed, at a loss to the limit 

 holders of at least $50,000. In Halifax 

 County where there had been not the 

 slightest drop of moisture, the fire was 

 under way for two weeks, and communi- 

 cation was cut off between Liunenburg and 

 Halifax through the burning down of the 

 telephone and telegraph lines. Many small 

 settlements were completely surrounded by 

 fire, and there was no chance to secure any 

 intercourse between them and the more 

 thickly populated centres. Beachville, 

 Clearland and East Dover were all grave- 

 ly threatened at one time, but luckily es- 

 caped any serious loss. Chief Fire Ranger 

 Penny, of the Government service estim- 

 ated that 3,000 acres of land were burnt 

 over at a loss of from $70,000 to $100,000. 

 In central Ontario hardly a district was 

 without some loss through bush fires. 

 Worst of all were those which swept 

 through the central part of the country be- 

 tween Sudbury and Kingston. In Hali- 

 burton County the flames held sway well 

 over a week. In Apsley Township the set- 

 tlers were in a desperate way and were 

 removing their effects and fleeing before 

 the flames. Peterborough, Lindsay, Fene- 

 lon Falls and Bobcaygeon were all centres 

 of great havoc. In Minden the Digby fire 

 had not only reached the settlement at 

 Moore's Falls, but was burning along the 

 west side of the road near the summer cot- 

 tages at Moore's Lake, creeping on its 

 way to Norland. Another branch of this 

 same fire, which was one of the most de- 

 structive in all the series of conflagrations, 

 came out toward the neighborhood north 

 of Deep Bay and Gull Lake. To head this 

 off a settler set a back fire, but the result 

 was more disastrous than the original 

 flames would have been, as it got away 

 and burned over a great area. Another 

 fire running through the district near 

 Longford not only destroyed great areas 

 of forest land, but got into the farmers' 

 hay and destroyed vast quantities. In 

 Hnowdon Township the fire swept the en- 

 tire lumbering district from Lochlin and 

 Gelert to Irondale and Gooderham. It 

 burned its way to Furnace Falls, destroy- 



133 



