76 



Canadian Forestry Journal 



trol during a high wind, resulting in some 

 damage and fires raging around Lavant 

 station, seventy miles north of Kingston, 

 on the K. and P. Ry., resulted in the in- 

 habitants sending to Kingston for assist- 

 ance from the fire department, which was 

 promptly sent. 



In the vicinity of Carleton Place, in the 

 latter half of the second week of the 

 month, a number of farmers lost buildings, 

 etc., to the value of ten thousand dollars 

 A hamlet called Lake St. Peter, neai 

 Maynooth, in the northern part of Hast- 

 ings county, was destroyed by fire on May 

 13, during a fierce gale. Thirty people 

 were rendered homeless, only the school- 

 house, a boarding house and one residence 

 being left. The Rathbun company lost all 

 their plant. Minor fires are reported from 

 other parts of the province. 



Eastern Canada. 



During the first week of the month some 

 ten thousand dollars damage was done by 

 forest fires near Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia. 

 Near Parrsborough, on Mines Bay, a large 

 tract of timber was burned over, and some 

 damage done at the village of Hubbards, 

 Halifax county. During the last two or 

 three days of the month considerable dam- 

 age was done near Shelburne, N.S. Two 

 fires raged in the vicinity and thousands 

 of dollars worth of property was destroy- 

 ed, including several residences in a couple 

 of villages. 



In New Brunswick for a time the situ- 

 ation seemed serious. 



About the middle of the month a tract 

 of timberland eight miles long, with a 

 breadth varying from half a mile to four 

 miles, was burned over in King's county, 

 and in York county the fire rangers of the 

 provincial government were kept busy. 

 Within a mile of Moncton a forest fire 

 burned over five hundred acres and kept 

 a couple of hundred men busy for a time. 

 In Carleton county fire was reported to 

 have overrun a tract ten miles long in 

 one direction and ^\ii miles in another, 

 with a width of a mile. The fii-es through- 

 out the province were mostly confined to 

 old burned land, very little green timber 

 having been destroyed. 



Near Buckingham, Que., on May 33th, 

 a bush fire consumed all the buildings 

 connected with a graphite mine, and burn- 

 ed over 1,100 acres of timberland belong- 

 ing to the same concern, thereby causing 

 a total loss of over $50,000. Near Me- 

 gantic. Que., a day or two before, a tract 

 of timber land said to be four or five 

 miles square was burned over. Serious 

 fires are also reported from the more 

 heavily timbered parts of the province. 



Manitoba. 



About May 5th severe fires started in 

 the country north of Dauphin, along the 

 Canadian Northern Railway. Between 



Bowsman and Barrow's Junction six 

 bridges were burned, and traffic on the 

 railway interrupted for several days. Ow- 

 ing to the burning of many poles tele- 

 graphic communication was interfered 

 with for some time. The worst fires were 

 in the neighborhood of Mafeking. 



In the Biding Mountain district, also, 

 fires started up, and a number of settlers 

 in the district, chiefly Galicians, were 

 burned out. The flames, however, were 

 checked before getting into really valua- 

 ble timber, though a large quantity of 

 young growth was consumed. The fire is 

 said to have covered a range of country 

 fully two hundred miles in extent. Quan- 

 tities of timber, cut by portable mills 

 during the winter for settlers' use, as well 

 as some belonging to commercial firms, 

 were destroyed. Near Kelwood one saw- 

 mill was burned. Five gangs of men, 

 under Chief Fire Ranger McLeod, were 

 fighting the fires, and, aided by heavy 

 rain on the afternoon of May 9th, finally 

 got the flames under control. 



In the Duck Mountains, also, a large 

 fire raged near Birch river, but it was, 

 after hard fighting, brought under con- 

 trol. Near Swan river, also, heavy fires 

 were reported. 



Saskatchewan. 



Prince Albert advices of May 6th re- 

 ported forest fires threatening Big River 

 village and the mills there. The fire had 

 been burning for two days and had reach- 

 ed within three-quarters of a mile of the 

 place. A special train was sent . out to 

 bring the people in, and the city of Prince 

 Albert sent a fire engine and several men. 

 The fire fighters, under the direction of 

 A. L. Robertson, Dominion Forest Fire 

 Ranger, got the fire under control, aided 

 by a change of wind. 



On the afternoon of May 7th a forest 

 fire approached- to about six miles from 

 the city of Prince Albert, but a fortunate 

 change of wind saved the place from any 

 danger. 



Alberta. 



No serious fires have been reported from 

 Alberta this season. 



British Columbia, 



Nelson despatches of May 3rd report a 

 fierce bush fire burning near Kaslo, sup- 

 posed to have started from settlers 

 clearing land. Arrowhead was also 

 threatened by a fire, and some of the in- 

 habitants packed up their belongings pre- 

 paratory to moving. Considerable damage 

 was done to heavy timber by the fire. 

 Some small fires occurred in the Railway 

 Belt, but no damage of importance re- 

 sulted. 



United States. 



The first forest fire of the year in the 

 Lake States was reported on March 18, 



