124 NINTH REPORT OF THE 



received from them, which were sent in order to get instructions or advice as 

 to doubtful questions that came up in the course of their work; also some from 

 letters sent by citizens in relation to the fires in their towns or on their property: 



Mr. George W. Meader, Dannemora, Clinton County. — We had a drought 

 lasting sixty days. The land had been cut over and left with brush and some 

 standing timber in small spots. I worked two days in putting out fire at the edge 

 of a 6oo-acre tract of State land near Dannemora Prison, and stopped it before it 

 did any damage. I have arrested five persons for building fallow fires without 

 permission, and so have stopped any more setting of such fires. 



Mr. William Hopkins, Ausable Forks, Clinton County. — I do not think the 

 fires this season were of incendiary origin. Never in my experience have 

 conditions been so favorable for fire. For seven weeks not one drop of rain fell, 

 and the drought began so early that vegetation did not get a chance to start. 

 If it had, it would have retarded the fire materially. ■ 



Mr. B. R. Brewster, Newman, Essex County. — This fire was the worst of all. 

 A terrible wind arose on the third of June about twelve o'clock. The wind carried 

 the sparks through the woods at a rapid rate. In the territory around the South 

 Meadows and Adirondack Lodge about 6,000 acres had been lumbered. The Spruce 

 and Balsam brush made good fuel, and the fire swept over an area of 10,000 acres 

 in one afternoon. The timber burned was of little value, as it was all hardwood 

 and too far from market. 



Mr. Robert H. Wilson, Olmstedville, Essex County. — -This tract was lumbered 

 last season, and all the large timber was cut off. There was quite a lot of small 

 Spruce and Balsam left, which in time would have been valuable; but now every- 

 thing is killed. There was so much brush to feed the flames that the fire burned 

 very fast. 



Mr. Washington Chase, Newcomb, Essex County. — This fire would have been 

 very disastrous had it not been for the prompt action of a large force of men who 

 stopped it and held it under control until rain came. 



Mr. William H. Broughton, Moriah, Essex County. — We could not put the 

 fires out, but we kept them from running by leaving men to watch the ground after 

 they were once under control. 



Mr. Charles Giddings, Ausable Chasm, Essex County. — This fire was on Pine 

 land that had been lumbered. The tops and brush left in the woods made a very 

 hot fire; the young timber was mostly killed. This fire (May fourth) was on Trem- 

 bleau Mountain. It did very little damage, for we kept it out of the valuable timber 

 and held it at the top of the mountain where there was very little to burn. We 

 fought it for three days against a strong south wind, then the wind shifted to the 

 west and the fire was soon extinguished. 



