150 REPORT OF THE 



wood and logs worth $100. This fire was caused by some tramps who were sleeping in 

 the woods. The best pine on this tract had been cut, leaving some suitable for spiles ; 

 also, some hemlocks. On seven acres the wood had been cut off two years ago. The 

 young sprouts were mostly killed ; but in the larger growth only a part of the trees were 

 injured, as the fire only had leaves for fuel. On the whole, the damage is light. We 

 saved some buildings, and over 150 acres of adjoining timber land which were in 

 danger. 



August 9th, 1900. Number of acres burned over, 400, of which 200 acres were waste 

 or brush land. None of it belonged to the State. About 100 acres on top of Ball Hill 

 had been burned over before, and was covered with huckleberry bushes. I estimate that 

 the damage to standing timber will not exceed $100, not including the injury to the 

 second growth. This fire was started by some city boarders who go this way nearly every 

 day to climb Blackhead Mountain. Warned out forty-four men, who worked in all 156 

 days. This fire started about the same time as the one on Round Top, and so it was 

 impossible for me to go there. I requested James L. Webster, the district firewarden, to 

 call out all the men he could get in that neighborhood, as there was danger of the fire 

 crossing Blackhead Creek, in which case it would burn off the whole front of the 

 mountain. 



On the loth I went to Thomas Lennon, the man I had selected for district firewarden, 

 and arranged with him to take full charge of this fire. Lennon and Webster fought it on 

 the mountain side until Saturday afternoon, when AVebster called me up on the phone, 

 saying that the men were used up and needed more help. I directed him to order out 

 more men. I sent another load of men (ten) from the village, and was going myself but I 

 had a new call on the northwest side of Red Top. Lennon put all his men on the creek 

 and back-fired the Ball Hill and Hog Back. He did this because he found it impossible 

 to control the fire on the mountain side, where there were so many dead trees, tops and 

 old logs that the fire became very hot. Worse than that, it would smoulder in the turf 

 and moss and break out at uncertain times afterwards. Old mountain men say they never 

 saw the ground in such dry condition. This was not a huckleberry fire. 



September 12th, 1900. Fire on the mountain land owned by George Badou, adjoining 

 State Lots 40 and 41 ; 150 acres burned over, destroying standing timber worth $200. 

 Cause of fire, some coon hunters left a fire smouldering in a tree. Total number of days' 

 labor, seventy and eight-tenths. District Warden John Shedd says that little damage was 

 done, as the timber was mostly hemlock, small and inaccessible. A party living on the 

 turnpike saw smoke near the top of the mountain at an elevation of about 3,000 feet. 

 He knew nothing about firewardens and did not report it. This smoke continued for 

 some time, when the fire spread rapidly down the mountain, driven by a high wind. The 

 district warden then discovered it and promptly ordered out fourteen men. I went to his 

 assistance, and as there was danger of the fire spreading southward I went over to the 

 third district and directed Warden Thomas Lennon to be prepared to meet it at Acra 

 Point. On the 13th we had the fire confined to about 100 acres. The mountain was so 

 steep that the burning sticks rolled down over our trench. We had the fire under control 



