FISHERIES, GAME AND FORESTS. 



333 



Mr. Grant Bruce, town of Harrietstown, Franklin county, N. Y. : 

 September 7, 1899. This fire was started by some campers from a neighboring hotel. 

 Ordered out thirteen men ; total number of days worked, fifty, not including myself. We 

 also had a team, which was in use six days. This fire was reported on September 7th, 

 at which time I was informed that it was being efficiently fought by a party of men sent up 

 from the Rustic Lodge and from some camps near by. As they failed to extinguish it 

 completely, I sent over a party of five men from Axton ; but the heavy layer of duff, the 

 open condition of the woods, and the severe drought, made the fight very difficult. Before 

 the progress of the fire could be stopped a large part of the south slope of Panther moun- 

 tain was burned over and considerable of the timber along the edge of the open brush 

 woods was destroyed. 



Mr. W. A. Walton, supervisor of the town of Harrietstown, Franklin county, 

 N. Y. : 



August 21, 1899. Number of acres, two ; damage to timber, nothing. As all the fire- 

 wardens on that day were in other sections of the town fighting fire, the situation was a 

 critical one. My attention having been called to it, as supervisor, I warned out fifty-nine 

 men to put this fire under control. Hose was borrowed from the village of Saranac Lake, 

 and water was conducted as near as possible. By digging trenches, shoveling on dirt, and 

 using water, the fire was extinguished. 



Mr. F. W. Abrams, town of Arietta, Hamilton county, N. Y. : 



August 29, 1899. Number of acres, eleven ; value of timber destroyed, fifty dollars ; 

 also about two hundred cords of hardwood. Location, Township 3, Moose River Tract : 

 no State land injured. I received notice on August 29th that fire was raging at Pillsbury 

 lake ; summoned a crew of men and started immediately ; but, on reaching Pillsbury, we 

 found no traces of fire. We then went to Whitney lake, where I met a man who had just come 

 from Sampson lake, and who reported no fires in that section. He said there was a fire 

 on the " cobbles " below Grassy brook ; went there immediately ; found a fierce fire rag- 

 ing in the spruce timber and a man watching it. He was making no effort to stop it ; did 

 not learn who he was. We went to work at once and felled a belt of timber ; cleared out 

 all down trees and rubbish anywhere nearby. We succeeded in holding the fire right 

 where we found it and preventing it from spreading. Notified Superintendent Fox imme- 

 diately. In company with my men I had to travel twenty-seven miles to reach this fire ; 

 impossible for men to board themselves ; hence, I ordered supplies brought in, for which 

 I will send a bill. 



September 18, 1899. Numbes of acres, 150; damage to standing timber, $400. About 

 200 cords of spruce pulpwood were destroyed. While fighting this fire I discovered another 

 one about one-quarter of a mile distant on a spruce knoll, a report of which is inclosed here- 

 with, marked No. 2. There was no wind blowing, nor any other means of communication 

 between this fire and the one just reported. Both wae evidently started by an 

 incendiary. 



September 21, 1899. This fire was discovered by a couple of hunters, who made an 

 effort to extinguish it, but failed. We arrived in time to prevent it from doing any dam- 

 age, although it had just got started in some large spruce timber. 



