334 REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONERS OF 



Mr. W. H. Lawton, town of Hope, Hamilton county, N. Y. : 



August 21, 1899. Number of acres, two; damage to timber, nothing. Ordered out 

 three men. This fire when first discovered had apparently been burning some time. It 

 was in a small field of some two or three acres, with an old log shanty standing in the 

 center, which was burned down. The fire had spread nearly all over the field, burning in 

 the mucky ground in such a way that it was about impossible to extinguish it. Owing to 

 the continued dry weather I found it necessary on September 19th to look after it again. 

 On the 20th and 21st we had the heaviest fall of rain of the season, after which it did not 

 need further attention. 



Mr. Robert B. Nichols, town of Indian Lake, Hamilton county, N. Y. : 

 August 6, 1899. Number of acres, 500; value of standing timber destroyed, $1,500. 

 Location, Township 17; number of men ordered out, 43. Perhaps you would like to 

 know why the fire burned so many acres when there were so many men fighting it. It 

 burned nearly all this territory before I went to work at it, as I had no authority until Col. 

 William F. Fox, Superintendent of Forests, came here and appointed me firewarden. Then 

 I ordered out men and surrounded the fire as soon as possible. But it had burned over so 

 much ground I had to keep quite a crew at work all the time to prevent it from spreading, 

 until the fall rain set in. There were several other fires in this town, which I will report 

 as soon as possible. But as all the small and large brooks in the town were dried up, it 

 was impossible to extinguish the fires entirely; so, in each instance, I left from two to 

 eight men on watch, who kept throwing on fresh dirt and opening up ditches; otherwise 

 they would have broken out again. 



Some of these fires were started by lightning, and two of them by campers. There 

 were so many different fires going at the same time it was hard for me to attend to them 

 all; but I got some good, trusty men, one of whom I appointed as a foreman over each 

 crew. Then I went around from one gang to another and assisted personally where the 

 fire was the worst. It will be difficult for me to estimate the damages until I have an 

 opportunity to go carefully over the ground in each case. 



September 10, 1899. Acres burned, one. Mr. J. E. Brown saw smoke arising from this 

 fire, and went there with two men. 



Mr. B. F. Merwin, town of Long Lake, Hamilton county, N. Y. : 

 August 21, 1899. Number of acres. 150; damage to timber, $25. Location, Township 

 19, Totten & Crossfield's Purchase. This tract had all been cut over last winter, and there 

 was little timber standing of any value. I ordered out sixteen men; total number of days 

 worked, 168; I was in attendance myself eighteen days. This fire, which was on the shore 

 of Mud pond, was undoubtedly started by some night hunters who were jacking for deer. 

 It had been smoldering two days before I discovered it. I immediately hired a team and 

 took the men there, and in two days had it under control, after which I left seven men on 

 duty to watch it. 



August 27, 1899. This fire was on Township 34. It was probably started, as it was close 

 to Loon lake and at the foot of a large pine tree. Mr. T. M. Merwin reported smoke as 

 having been seen in that direction, whereupon I sent a man there at once. He did not 

 find any fire until the next day, and then only by accident, as it was burning in the ground 



