Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1880-05-20
NEW JERSEYS sCouRaL.
The Fearful Devastation Caused by the
Great Forest Fires OF the Last Week,

NEW JERSEYS sCoURaE.
The Fearful Devastation Caused by tho
| Great Forest firos OF the Last Week.
NEw YoRK, May l0.-The forest tires
| In Cape May, Salem aud Cumberland
| counties, n. j., were under control yes
| torday, but the flames IN Atlantic county
were still raging, licking up the last Tow
acres Ut timber. There can he no further
considerable loss, unless the fire reaches
some OF the smaller towns lying of the
| line OF the railroads, for there is really
little lelt TO destroy, II is now lhat the
inhabitants begin to estimate their
losses. ami the result is despondency
and gloom. The bitter fight for exis-
tence left little time Tor them to
consider The question Of damage,
but at this moment they ieel
| tho full weight of the crushing
blow. The following statements are
| based on the estimates oi the several
county engineers and surveyors In
| Atlantic county 05 900 acres have been
burned over, the area of the county be-
| INK 10000 acres. Two-thiTds ol the
burned district was covered with pine
woods OF recent growth, the older trees
having been cut inr luel only low
years ago, The timber destroyed Was
| therefore OF only prospective value.
Growing among the pines was vast
quantity oi oak sapllngs such -as are
used In making hoop poles. These
were valuable, their worth reaching
S25, 900 at the least. Some 5000 acres of
cranberry bogs were also burned over,
aud 5000 acres OF vineyards near to the
the north OF Egg Harbor City. Five
thousand acres oi lands were swept
over, and their growing grain
aud garden truck rendered worthless.
On those farm lands, Including the vii.
lage OF Pprt Republio-a mere cluster oi
harm Aansss- there were 81 dwall-
down. '1harnsand ontbuildings burned
Of tho bushpklsts NlasEs, VI, ,il,s. .esbias
swamps aud cranberry hugs and live IN
log huts banked up with mud. Ol these
Nrctrhed habit, tons ten or twelve are
known Ia have gone down before tho
flames, aud only guess can hc made Us
to thc whole number consumed. The
rrpurls ni the Poor Commissioners ut
parkrr's Indicate that twelve families
ol bush-scttlers have applied ior iood
and lodging at the county poor house.
The last considerable item Of loss Ia
that experienced IN the cedar Swamps.
OF these some twenty thousand acres
have been hurnei over. This In the
more serious, as they furnish the most
valuable timber grown IN New Jersey.
Near Mays Landing a great number oil
cedars, which had been prepared Tor
Il. laaIInNssI
The Cumberland County swamps
Passing west into Cumberland coun'
ty. the traveller finds that the entire
southern portion oi IL has been devasta
ted hy fire Here again the cedar
sNamps, 1000 acres ~ extent, have
bocn destroyed, while 81 900 acres coy
cred with other kinds Oi wood have been
sown with ashes The cedar belonged
chiefly to the mill owners al Mays
Landing and at Millyille. For over u
week they have had between one and
| two hundred men engaged IN hghting
| the flames. The northerly gale oi sun
day sent the fire dashing down upon
| thum, aud their efforts 10 keep II back
proved unayalling. IL was on their
property that the fire centred that night,
| Having destroyed all the iniiammable
matter ior miles around the deyourlng
element found It's escape from theswamp
cut oil, vet even there u was impossibie
to qucnch il. The men attempted
To- make "A gap across the neck oi the
forest by cutting down belt Oi woods
| forty or iiity ieet IN width But although
| the Wind had died out aud the flames
did not move 81 iaSt ~ during the day,
the blaze travelled with terrible rapid
~ and gave forth heat that no man
| could withstand Ii MAS an exciting
scene presented at two o'clock yester
day morning 10y the bare armed workers
toiling by tho light Of the last approach
lng frr. At some places they stood In
the water aud mud waist deep.
| The roaring of the flames was
like the sound OF many railroad trains
moving with great speed. The live
cmhers falling IN the water hissed like
demons. The falling trees aud limbs
crashed down with q loui noise, and
every surrounding lent an impress oil
danger a. the scene, before which the
| power al description stands inadequate
| Ii was hali.past two when the men were
driven irom the swamp. The IRE had
come within iurlong Oi the gap that
hal bcen nearly cut. The people stood
AZ near 10 the edge Of the swamp as the
heat would permit aud gazed al the rush
ing, deyouring element IL came 10 the
break and licked up the trees as though
they we're hghtwOod. The swamp moss
that hung heavy On the branches took
fire dFst aud in the twinkling al an eve
great mountain Oi flame would arise
cut at the tree last attacked
and Join itself with other
towering columns oi fre in imposing
| splendOT. When the moss was des'
tfoyed, the flames would lull little,
but presently the fire would Ind
stronger fuel in the body OF ,he trees,
and the great mass of fame would swell
aeAin. The gap, So Tar ss it vent, dean
onstrAted how effective II would have
heen had II been completed; but the
link that connected IL with .he unburnt
portions carried the blaze over, aud in
two bours the whole southern end oi
ths property vas ia flames. by sun
riss IL was destroyed, aud the last con-
siderable DIRE that could rags In that
region was over, because there was
nothing more Tor Il to burn.
More Fortunate Countisa
salem county has escaped vith small
io~s. aud reports from Elmer. Palaiine.
Husted, finley and Bridgc,on last even
ing we're 70 the eject that ths danger u
over and that the hns are out
Reports from the south western parss
Of Burlington county indicate that ssv.
srsl larse arw aro rsgins there. and
thsi many fxrms have been DESTROYED.
AlnOsi bsyond the possibility oi q