﻿1 
  8 
  Sixteenth 
  Annual 
  Report 
  of 
  the 
  

  

  fires 
  occurred, 
  but 
  in 
  the 
  Adirondacks 
  and 
  Catskills 
  there 
  were 
  

   only 
  five 
  fires 
  of 
  consequence 
  and 
  two 
  of 
  these 
  destroyed 
  but 
  little 
  

   forest. 
  A 
  fire 
  in 
  the 
  town 
  of 
  Piercefield, 
  starting 
  May 
  17th, 
  

   burned 
  over 
  1,070 
  acres 
  and 
  originated 
  from 
  the 
  New 
  York 
  Cen- 
  

   tral 
  railroad. 
  This 
  fire 
  occurred 
  before 
  all 
  of 
  the 
  locomotives 
  on 
  

   this 
  line 
  had 
  been 
  equipped 
  with 
  oil 
  burning 
  fire 
  boxes 
  and 
  was 
  

   one 
  of 
  the 
  largest 
  fires 
  of 
  the 
  season. 
  The 
  situation 
  became 
  rather 
  

   grave 
  early 
  in 
  July, 
  a 
  dense 
  cloud 
  of 
  smoke 
  hung 
  over 
  the 
  entire 
  

   Adirondacks 
  and 
  the 
  woods 
  were 
  very 
  dry, 
  but 
  at 
  this 
  time 
  only 
  

   two 
  of 
  the 
  many 
  fires 
  which 
  occurred 
  were 
  not 
  promptly 
  put 
  out 
  

   by 
  the 
  patrolmen. 
  One 
  fire 
  was 
  on 
  Moose 
  creek, 
  a 
  branch 
  of 
  Cold 
  

   river 
  in 
  Hamilton 
  county, 
  and 
  the 
  only 
  reason 
  why 
  this 
  fire 
  was 
  

   not 
  more 
  quickly 
  subdued, 
  was 
  because 
  of 
  its 
  remote 
  location. 
  

   The 
  fire 
  originated 
  from 
  a 
  camp 
  fire 
  left 
  by 
  fishermen 
  and 
  a 
  deter- 
  

   mined 
  effort 
  is 
  being 
  made 
  to 
  apprehend 
  the 
  careless 
  party. 
  This 
  

   fire 
  was 
  most 
  threatening, 
  burning 
  in 
  an 
  old 
  fire 
  slash 
  at 
  a 
  very 
  

   dry 
  time 
  and 
  when 
  a 
  heavy 
  wind 
  was 
  blowing. 
  It 
  was 
  subdued 
  

   with 
  but 
  little 
  damage. 
  

  

  At 
  nearly 
  the 
  same 
  time 
  as 
  the 
  Cold 
  river 
  fire, 
  another 
  one 
  

   started 
  near 
  the 
  Independence 
  river 
  in 
  Lewis 
  county 
  and 
  burned 
  

   over 
  about 
  1,300 
  acres 
  of 
  brush 
  and 
  burned 
  land. 
  This 
  fire 
  is 
  

   believed 
  to 
  have 
  originated 
  from 
  a 
  camp 
  fire 
  where 
  someone 
  had 
  

   made 
  coffee. 
  There 
  were 
  many 
  other 
  small 
  fires 
  at 
  this 
  time, 
  but 
  

   they 
  were 
  promptly 
  extinguished. 
  

  

  Another 
  Adirondack 
  fire 
  burned 
  on 
  Boot 
  Bay 
  Mountain 
  near 
  

   Lower 
  Saranac 
  Lake. 
  It 
  was 
  doubtless 
  caused 
  by 
  lightning 
  and 
  

   burned 
  on 
  the 
  higher 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  mountain 
  among 
  the 
  rocks 
  and 
  

   on 
  steep 
  ledges. 
  It 
  was 
  impossible 
  to 
  control 
  at 
  once 
  on 
  account 
  

   of 
  its 
  distance 
  from 
  points 
  where 
  labor 
  could 
  be 
  secured, 
  the 
  

   difficulty 
  experienced 
  by 
  the 
  men 
  in 
  climbing 
  the 
  ledges 
  to 
  the 
  fire, 
  

   the 
  entire 
  absence 
  of 
  water 
  and 
  its 
  exposure 
  to 
  the 
  unusually 
  

   strong 
  south 
  wind. 
  It 
  was 
  also 
  impossible 
  to 
  extinguish 
  and 
  

   burned 
  in 
  the 
  deep 
  "duff" 
  for 
  several 
  weeks. 
  The 
  presence 
  of 
  

   the 
  smoke 
  on 
  the 
  mountain 
  caused 
  many 
  people 
  to 
  believe 
  that 
  

   the 
  fire 
  was 
  still 
  spreading, 
  but 
  such 
  was 
  not 
  the 
  case. 
  Fires 
  of 
  

   this 
  nature 
  are 
  impossible 
  to 
  extinguish 
  without 
  a 
  very 
  large 
  sup- 
  

  

  