The Conservative. (M'connelsville, Ohio) 1866-1871, 1870-05-27
A FIERY sCODRGE.
Aeres OF woods wrapped in Flames.

..--- g. FIERY SCODRGE. -s
Acres OF Woods wrapped in Flames.
From the New York Times. 11th. -.
During the past week immense losses
have been caused by the extensive fires
which have ragged in the mountains of Della
ware, Sullivan and Orange Counties, New
York, and Pike and Sussex Counties In
Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Thousands
of dollars worth of property have been
destroyed by the devouring element, and
in many parts hundreds of acres of young
! timber-land have been burned over, and
the timber partially destroyed or its growth
retarded for years to come.
The scene during the past week at Port
Jervis, which village is hemmed in by
mountains which tower high on every side,
was grand. Point Peter and Mount Will
liam, which form the background of the
place, ware lit up, and as the fire.ran up
the mosntain side and eircled round the
brow, the scene at night was irrepressibly
grand. In some places where the houses
were ranged along the foot of and noun
tain it was with difficulty that they were
saved.
The Shawaneunk Mountains 70 the east
of the village Wers on FIRE at tho same time
4
many places corld be seen walls Of fire
running from the Erie Railway track at the
| foot of the mountains to their very sum-
nit Hundreds of cords of wood were
licked up by the destructive element, and
fences shared the same fate. Messrs
Dodge & Beyea, of Ottsville, lose over
| four hundred cords of wood. while other
parties are sufferers to less amounts.
In Sullivan county the damage was even
greater than in Orange. This county is
one vast tract of timber land, and here
and there numerous saw-mills are in opera
ton preparing the felled trees for the mar
ket. The immense forests have been great
sufferers by the fire, and large quantities of
bark for the Sullivan county tanneries have
been destroyed. - af V-'-'
At Fowlerville, Sullivan county, the saw
mill and two dwellings belonging to the
Messrs. Ferguson, were totally destroyed
by fire on Sunday of last week. 1t Itappears
that while the families were at church, the
wind prevailing at the time blew the fire in
the direction of the saw-mill, which was
speedily enveIoped in flames, and in few
moments it extended to the two dwellings,
in close proximity. When the families re-
turned their homes and property lay
smoking ruin. The value of the mill and
dwellings was between sac, ,000and $50, 900.
The fires in Delaware county, on the line
of the Erie Railway, west of Port Jervis,
were no less disastrous than in Sullivan
county. In several instances dwelling
houses took fire, the flames being commu-
nicated by the leaves which were thickly
spread around, and which were dry and
burned like tinder.
Near Deposit, N. Y, the fires ragged with
great violence. At night, the heavens were
lighted up with the glare of the confagra-
tiOn;- and at times, as the flames assembled
to the hill-tops and. jutting headlands, the
view was grand as well as terrible. Such
was the spectacle as witnessed from De-
posit on Sunday night of last week. All
day fire had been running through the
woods on what is known as Red Hill, o
round mountain peak three miles distant.
At dusk the fire had made circuit, and,
as darkness settled down, a complete
girdle of flame surrounded the mountain.
The Erie Railway Company have met
with large losses in the burning Of cord
wood. On Sunday wood-pile at Kirk
wood, belonging to them, containing up
ward of ], 200 cords, was burned. Trains
were detained FIVE or six hours.
On Monday 500 cords Of wood, owned by
burg, and were completely destroyed The
fast train west and the mail train were de-
tanned two hours. az-7 - 15ssG-+i % =
On Monday fallow was burned on the
hill toward the summit, on the Erie Rail-
way and the express train from the west,
as it descended the grade, was compelled
to run gauntlet of FIRE and smoke. "
On Tuesday morning of last week the
house of Axtel, on Cold Spring Brook,
Delaware county, was consumed by fire
caused by sparks from the woods light
ing on the root. The loss was over SO, 900.
A brotRer-in1aw of Mr.. Axtel1 In helping
to save the furniture had one ofhis fingers
broken. a young man named Axtel who
was pfowing IN field, lost all his clothing
except the pantaloons, boots and shirt he
had on. ---....r
On Sunday morning the house of Rod
man Driven, in Sanford, Delaware county,
caught fire, but was saved before the flames
had made much headway.
The same day fire broke out in the
woods In Sand Pond, Delaware county,
which burned house belonging to Gala
her & Daley, and field of oats containing
about twelve acres. This was owing to
the rotten wood which was left on the new
ground, upon which the oats were sown.
John Smith, living on SShsfer Hill, lost q
large quantity of wood and railroad ties.
On Thursday afternoon a fire was dis
covered in ,the'woods in the rear of Pine
Grove Sehool-house by two or three boys.
Two of the boys commenced digging a
trench In the leaves with their hands,
while the other wentto the village for help.
BY this trench the boys kept back the fire
until assistance came, when the fire was
surrounded and at last died out.
A fire has been burning in tract of land
owned by Devereux & Clark, in the vicinity
of Roods Pond, in -4ompkins, Delaware
County, which has swept over five hun
dred acres of land, almost completely de-
stroying the timber, and burning house
belonging to Horace Benjamin.
Deyoe & Clark, of Deposit, are among
the sufferers by the fire. 70 5e-t,s
In Pike County, Pennsylvania, consider
able damage has been done by the fires,
and also in Sussex Co., n. j., but the loss
es do not compare with those of Sullivan
and Delaware counties. The rains of Mon
day and Tuesday of this week quenched
the flames. =