344 REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONERS OF 



Mr. Edward J. Wilson, town of Hadley, Saratoga county, N. Y. : 

 J u 'y J 5' 1898. Burned area, about seventy-five acres; damage to timber, estimated at 

 $250; loss in cordwood and fences, $24. Cause of fire : supposed to have been started by a 

 bad neighbor, but this could not be proved. Dug trenches around it and confined it to the 

 summit of the mountain. On July 19, heavy rainstorms extinguished it. 



Mr. William Merrill, town of Johnsburg, Warren county, N. Y. : 



April 7, 1898. Fire was set to burn grass off from a little back meadow by on Lot 



No. 52, Township 12. It ran in the woods a little way, but did no damage. Mr. is a 



young man just starting in life, and when I told him the penalty for his carelessness he was 

 scared, and said he did not know about the law. He went with me and helped put out the fire, 

 and said if I would not make him any trouble this time, he would abide by the law hereafter. 



April, 9, 1898. Ten acres burned over; all State land; cause unknown, but supposed to 

 have been started by parties who were picking spruce gum. 



July 8, 1898. Fire on Lot 88, Township 11; supposed to have been set by a boy eleven 

 years old. A barn worth $200 was destroyed. No timber injured. 



July 16, 1898. I gave M. D. Pasco an order to burn his fallow on June 22. He set it on 

 or about July 16. The fire spread, but we kept it on his own land. There was no damage 

 except what was done on his own property. He wanted me to pay the men he employed 

 to fight this fire, but I told him it was impossible for me to pay men for fighting his own fire. 



Mr. Wilson J. Hall, town of Luzerne, Warren county, N. Y. : 



November 8, 1898. Number of acres burned, about 150; damage to timber, estimated at 

 $25. This fire was started without doubt by squirrel hunters. 



Mr. William F. Woodward, town of Warrensburgh, Warren county, N. Y. : 

 April 7, 1898. Burned area estimated at five hundred acres; not on State land. Damage 

 to timber, $500. About thirty tons of hay worth $180 were destroyed. This fire was first seen 

 in the mountain on the southeast quarter of Lot 75. It may have been set to burn the moun- 

 tain over in order to make better sheep pasture. On April 1 2 it was either set again or it had 

 stayed in some old logs, where it was fanned into flames by the wind. It spread very fast, run- 

 ning across Lot 75 before noon. It burned a barn and about thirty tons of hay. The house 

 caught fire also, but the owner got there in time to save it. I was notified April 13, in the fore- 

 noon, and I warned out some men immediately. I got a horse and wagon and went there. I 

 took care of it until the rain came on the 1 5th. 



July 17, 1898. About one acre burned over on Lot 62, Hyde Township; damage to stand- 

 ing timber, estimated at $10. Cause of fire unknown; but I think some one dropped fire in 

 lighting a pipe while going through the woods. This lot is covered with pine and hardwood 

 timber mostly. The poplar has been peeled. There were ten pine trees killed by this fire. 



Mr. Patrick Crockwell, town of Dresden, Washington county, N. Y. : 

 April 14, 1898. There has not been a fire in my town since I was appointed firewarden. I 

 have taken pains to notify parties that they will be held responsible for all brush fires set by them 

 without notifying me; also hunting parties that camped in the woods. Our town has suffered 

 a great deal from fire before I was appointed firewarden, but as long as I hold the office there 

 will be less fires. 



