146 REPORT OF THE 



rocks. This fire is the only one I have to report. It was an old burned ground where 

 the timber had all been cut years ago, and burned over time after time. 



Mr. Henry B. Linstruth, firewarden for the town of Croghan, Lewis county, 

 N. Y., writes : 



August 2d, 1900. Burned over about five acres on Lot 5, Chassanis Tract. Land 

 owned by Mr. Theodore B. Basselin. No damage done as it was all waste land. This 

 fire started near a trail that woodsmen travel on, and was probably set by some one who 

 was smoking, the season being so dry here. 



Mr. Carroll C. Day, firewarden for the town of Harrisburg, Lewis county, N. Y., 

 reports : 



August 25th, 1900. Number of acres burned over twelve ; value of timber destroyed, 

 $10. About 100 rods of fence were burned. It was very dry and we had to draw water 

 about a mile, and as it was very windy we had all we could do. On September 3d we 

 had a bee. There were twenty-two men and six teams, and they put out all the fire they 

 could find. About the 9th it started up in spots, and so I drew water with two teams and 

 three men for half a day when we finally extinguished it. We had hard work to keep it 

 out of the good timber. Some one started this fire to burn the brush over, but I failed 

 to find out who it was. It may leak out yet. 



August 26th, 1900. Number of acres burned over, twelve ; value of timber destroyed, 

 not over $10. I appointed Henry M. Hunt to attend this fire. I would have appointed 

 some one in the other part of the town, but the town clerk said that he would take 

 care of that locality. So I appointed only one man. 



Mr. Anson J. Larkin, firewarden for the town of Ballston, Saratoga county, 

 N. v., reports : 



April 3d, 1900. Fire burned over about one acre on Ballston Lake picnic grounds. 

 It was started by the ten-forty-five passenger train on the Delaware and Hudson Rail- 

 road. I observed the smoke rolling up among the trees, took my own help, stopped for 

 one more man, and repaired to the fire as quickly as possible. I found two fires. The 

 first one was a small one, and so I left one man there ; the rest of us went to the other 

 one which was about one-eighth of a mile farther on. There was plenty of water nearby. 

 The wind was blowing hard from the south, but with brooms and water we soon had it 

 under control. I would suggest that you ask the Delaware and Hudson Railroad Com- 

 pany to place a new spark arrester on their passenger engine which runs between Sara- 

 toga and Schenectady. 



May 7th, 1900. About twenty acres burned over to-day ; value of timber destroyed, 

 estimated at $75. About $25 worth of cordwood and 100 lengths of good rail fence, 

 worth $30, were burned. This fire started from a pile of brush which was being burned. 

 A whirlwind picked up the fire and scattered it in the woods. There were three other 



