The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-09-02
THE GREAT FOREST FIRES.
~uoUs4YDs OF ACRES OF LUMBER
land SWEET BY FLAMES.
Farmer. Driven From their Homcs-A vast
, ..ientoi Terriior, Devnstnted-vi'iaser.
s,,,rs their Town Only by Week oil
uard Piehtipa-1 Immense Loss Of Property

s,,irs their Town Only by n Week OF
u.rd Piehtipa-1mmense Loss Of Property
uoSpspAtE. Pa. Sept. 1.--This morning
A,orc on hundreds Of exhausted men In this
,oun,y. All night long the progress OF the
Y,,e.t aros was contested Inch oy inoh In the
,,oinity OF whites VALLEY, Mount Pleasant, Way
mari white Mills, Middle VALLEY, Tanners
Fal,s. aud other places. In this immediate
vicinity tue fAmes are now under control, and
the worst IA over still q dense cloud OF smoke
hoyets over the place. denoting that fur
tber away the connaerations are raging with
un,tatod fury. A. whites Valley. Mount
Plea. ant township, a large force is defending
the pisce against the encroachment Of the 0re.
That village Is In a deep valley, and the noun
t,tns witch rise above IL on all sides are atl ze.
Ciark's stick o ory, on stream running
through the place, has been burned, ana ass"
mill on the same stream Is in imminent oanRcr
The buildings on Schoonover's anu other farms,
this side Of whites Val ey, afe IN the centre OF
su amphitheatre OF flames, and parties were
out n night trying to check their progress.
From the village Of Bethany, on high hill
three miles from Honesdale. tie approach Of
the nres can be noted for miles by the volumes
of thick black smoke that roll no on every side.
In the open wood south of the village the nanes
are meeting with no obstruction, and are feed
Ing on the choicest timber In the country.
Around the headwaters OF the LackawaIen
river the forests have been swept away like
straw. The bark pesings 10 that section, In
which are piled much OF the bark supplying the
ext enslve tanneries thereabout, are like finder
10 the path of the coDnsgrstion. and ut night
the Ore may be seen from the surrounding hills
lsAplng up hundreds OF feet into the air.
Near Pleasant Mount village, seventeen miles
from Honesdale, according to reports brought
A.. Ia uhoie Nadia of and
buck wheat, miles OF fences, and a number Of
TAfm buildings have been consumed. The VII
lAys has been back-nred on all sides, for 10 the
event OF strong breeze sprinsing up. no matter
from what point OF the compass, the rames
would be driven down upon 1t aud place II in
great danger. Along the Jefferson branch Of
The Ene Railway, which runs downthe Starrucia
valley. in the northern part Of this county.
lhsre are walls Of nre that threaten some OF the
great trostlss on that railroad. Near Herrick
Centre on this road. there are extensive fires,
aud Mount Ararst, the highest poiut IN nortnera
Pennsyivanid, Is literally pillar OF nre.
ALI around Tanners Falls. where an extensive
tannery is located, the nres have teen raging
for several days, but have been kept in cAeck ~
constant nghtllg. The road lenoinR from tnis
trees that have been burned on and fallen
across It. On Tuesday DIR. r. II. Gibbons Of
Honesdale was summoned to attend man at
Tanners Falls VINO h.d cut his throat. He
found the heat So Intense along the road at one
point near tDo village ana tue 5mOke so kultk
that he put his horse on run to get Through IT,.
Herring great crash hehiud him, he looked
back and saw TWO Large beech trees, which had
fallen across the road not ten feet Ia his rear.
In places the Il mes were running OUT on the
branches that extended across the road ahead
Of him. He reached the falls nearly sunocated.
Men are still nghting the hre there day anu night.
At whites Mills. aions the Honesdale branch
Of the Eris Railway. nve miles south Of this
place. the nres have been threatening this llsge
bince sunday. the village. which is conpassed
ohSehy by the cottages OF employees or the ex-
Snaiv nnrfingsr glass factory. ia surfOuud a.
with forests. All work bas been discontinued
In the factory, the men being ensaged IN nght-
dred men have been thus employed. several
times the fury of the nanes has been so great
~ TO Almost Ovsrpower tue worAins force
but IL Is hOughL that unless a ttrong breeze
arises the danger will be passed to-day. -.
From Preston anu Damascus townships the
news is that The farmers nave Ia many aces dis
continued all work q hgnt The names. Ine
heavy forests ABOUT STOCKPORT are on nie ana
hundreds Of acres n valuable young timber
have been destroyed. Al Aloenville, Clinton
township, where the Ores have been partlcu
iarlarly destructive, suecial prayers for rain
were offered IN tue Baptist Cuurcb last nignt.
In toe vicinity many farms are sunounde1 by
name, and 1t requires the unceasing Efforts OF
che populace TO Keep them away from tue build
ipES; ESom the .umm,, Of one OF the bisb ,,dse,
near Alienville eleven different ranges Of mouu-
tAins are visible. Last nigut every one ofituese
was lighted up bv the frss sweeping yer them.
on toward the city of CarDondais tue connagr4
ton was most extensive. The bark peehngs In
the vicinity Of Middle Na.lsy; siI miles from
this place, aud all along tne Pennsysvania Coal
Uompsny's gravity 70 d from plane No. II 10
plane No. IT, are on nre, anu LIS men were all
day yesterday aud all night last night nghtiLg
tue f4mes. whls scores ot teams we're kept
busy IN hauling out as IrIch b TX as possible 10
bafer places. De-pits all Efforts thousands of
cords have slready been consumed, aud Tue
nTes this morning we're steadily gaining on the
men. About o,clock thls n1eInoon thunder
shower. heavy, but Of short duration, passed
over tue vicinity and checked the nres some
what. but unless more rsin falls the cessatio II
Will be but temporary These nres are near
Gsles tannery, the second largest esta aolishmen Ut
OF the KIND IN the world. he burning bars
between plane MS. u aud Il, ON the Pennsyl-
wanna Coal COmpanys railroad, tue coal trains
pre- compelled 10 run gauntlet OF nre, and a
large force Is out keeping the namss from the
sngine houses winch are threatened at one or
The news from Berlin township is that the
course Of the conhagraton there has Deen
pheoked 10 great extent by miles of back
tting. Rain has also ihilen at Intervals since
noon. 1Lis saved brakes tannery.
lhe drver OF The stage between Honesdale
and MOSCOW, through the southwestern part OF
this county 10 the border Of Luzerne, reports
verT destructive hfes all along bis route. lie
saws there Is no park pselins within ten miles
of the road Dnt what 10 10 flames. Numerous
farm buildings tack on tne mountains have
been burned, and every aule-bodied man Is out
ngDtiDg pre, Whom he l-ft NO COW this nom
tDE there mad been no rain. Great hea ps Of Dark
osve been plea along the rual anu In nelds,
Arc hhulng IL irom peeslnsu not Yet on nre, but
uoomed.
The great humber tract In northern Monroe
county Is stlll on ore, aud AnDtner Jaw mIll, tue
property of )dgs Co., has been bIIned. Iho
numbering village mentioned Ia nv yesterday .
despatch ~ being surrounded by hre ls no ~ out
pf danger, tho wiud having vseTed and driven
the names In another Oh ection. Some houses
on tue outskirts Of the place were destroyed by
this sudden change. Inc Ore Is now taking a
pOurse Into Blooming Grove, Pike county. A
barn belonging 10 John founss N This town
lhip has been burned, ana ht last accounts the
IRE was sweeping on toward other farms In the
peighborhoOd. From tue appearance VI the SKY
in that direction late this aiIsrnoonit isthoughl
Jsin 10 falling there,
Along tue Delaware from shohola to II n
poDk, On both sides Of the stream, the hres nave
been severe, but accounts from the valley TO-
day are 70 the en- q that they are sOnewh b Al
Abatsd la fury. he country about Mast Hop.
has been devastated To oil extent never DeiOf,
known, although forest nges have visited til,
Dectioh every spring for years. In Bethel TOW n
AMP the nrss nave been rasing lOr lwu weeks
10 the vlclnity Of Black Lake they have don,
YfeIt damage, sweeping the heavy tiuDer lane
IN that section for fourteen miles around ant
Itevihg II chafTod ana ruined. he countrl
around Black Lake Is noted summer resDrt
Tue nTes Wole 80 tnTeal eniDk IN tue Latter par
oI Lat week that neatly all the boarders re-
poVeu 70 saier places. Ihs MADsiCp, lBr.'
potel near tue lAke, waa sIrrOuL dsu aud had
hArfQw escape, Aple " the O.tbuudings Lcinl
hesttobed, Inc nie fau within few rods VI
Whtson's Cptt,ge, ATT tnr luAldt.- led aud tool
up their quarter ln boat, ia tur centre Of thG
lake, lie dainass done " property In lh4I
Region viii amount 20 tafUr.
Ii L. a g.HNF a..Ft