Smyrna times., 1884-10-29
Destructive Forest Fires.
EXTENSIVE DAMAGE IN THE LOWER
PART OF MARYLAND AND
VIRGINIA,

NSeNCSA WV hel - anu NllG hblduBlC.
For two weeks past the Chesapeake
bay has been visited by smoke from
numerous fires in the resinOus pine
forests on the Eastern and Western
Shores. Some nights, too, the fires
have been so close to the water and of
such extent as to throw a glare over
the bay and crimson the caps of the
waves 1t has been the source of no
little alarm to travellers who leave
Baltimore on the night boats which
run down below the Potomac to smell
| the pungent pine smoke and feel the
sting of it in their eyes. But fear was
soon dispelled by the statement from
| the captain that much of the swamp
and timber land on both sides of the
bay was on fire and the smoke came
from that cause. The fire which light
ed up the eastern horizon Just below
James Point, in Dorchester county.
was perhaps twenty miles from the
steamer. The effect was wierd. A
mile of forest was likely on fire. The
light hared up brightly and again sub
sided into a steady glow, not unlike
| the recent crimson sunsets on a small
scale. Occasionally as the flames
reached a clump of resinous trees a
sheet of flame leaped into the air and
flashed CLEANS of fire across the tumb-
ling waves, lighting up the water ard
| bringing into bold view several white
sailed vessels only known to be near a
minute before from the fiery glow of
their forward red and green lights.
The captain says no doubt that if the
nights were darker the effect would be
more marked. Later in the night fires
were sighted in St. Mary's County.
above Point Lookout, and in West
mOreland County, Va.
Crossing the bay in a southeast
course the smoke and glow of the fires
in WicomicO and Somerset could be
seen when abreast of Hooper's straits,
and thereafter until Crisfeld was
reached. There were many thousands
of acres burning here. The whole
country seemed to be full of flame and
! smoke. One almost tancied that the
fire was menacing the very existence
OF this town, which has suffered so
badly from the flames in the past three
years. 1t may be that the town was
! full of smoke, and the few twinkling
lamps on the streets looked like will
o'-the-wisps. The worst of these fires
was raging up the country on both
sides of the Eastern Shore Railroad.
but patches Of it cropped out all down
the eastern shore of Tangier sound
nearly to Watts Island, while in Acco-
mac and Northampton Counties, Va,
several large ones were burning
| Piney Glade swamp, only few miles
| above Crlsiield, contained fine lot of
/ tirst-growth Of pine and oak timber.
| Some days since it was discovered to
| be on fire. The neighborhood turned
out and fought it manfully, and sue
ceeded in staying its progress after it
had burned over two miles and de-
stroyed $4, 900 worth of timber. 1t is
thought that the rain of last night
etfectually completed the work of ex-
tinguishing it. The timber belonged
to Messrs. John II. Miles, VIM. II. and
John H. Cullen, Thomas Miles, the
heirs of the late Harvey johnson, and
others. Two weeks ago fire started
IN the swamp near Eden, a station on
the Eastern Shore Railroad, a few
miles above Princess Anne. All efforts
to stay its progress proved useless. It
ate its way down the country around
Princess Anne, doubled several times
and wound up last night near Kings
ton, having cleaned out the swamp and
| high timber land for distance of near
ly seventeen miles, varying in width
| from one to three miles, and burning
| over 5000 acres of land. Much fenc-
ing was destroyed and a great amount
of cord wood, which was piled up in
! the thickets awaiting transportation to
the waterside. Rabbits, squirrels,
partridges, snakes, raccoons, opossums
and other animals swept before the on
coming flood of fire in mad haste to
escape with their lives. The ground
was so thoroughly dried by the long
drought that the fire burrowed under
the earth and burned the roots of huge
trees.
"The loss to growing timber, fenc-
ing, cord wood and the destruction of
the future timber prospects of land cut
over in recent years is estimated at
more than $4,000. The land burned
over by this fire belonged to Messrs.
B. Frank Lankford, J. f. Powell, Chas.
w. Long, VIM. J. Porter, VIM. Flem-
ming, VIM. 7. Layfield's heirs, John
Louis Porter and Lafayette Ross.
A fire broke out in large swamp
in Dublin district some days ago which
consumed a large tract of timber and is
still burning. Down in Monte there
were several large fires burning, and
the lower part of Wicomico County has
been on fire for five or six DAYS. The
damage in this region will be very
heavy, as a great amount of good tim
ber and fencing has been destroyed.
In AccOmac County large fires are
raging in Deep Creek Neck, two and
a-half miles north of Onancock, belong
ing to Capt. Edward B. NAPLES.
Another swamp, two miles south of
OnancOck, owned by DR.. Louis Har-
monsOn, has been burning for a week.
The Hacks Neck fire, which has been
active for over three weeks, has de-
strOyed much good timber and was
still burning at last accounts. The
land in this region belongs to Mr.. VIM.
Cullen, of Accomac, Mr.. John N. Cor
bin, of Baltimore, and others. There
was also a large forest fire between
Marionsville and Johnstown, in North
ampton County, on both sides Of the
New York, Philadelphia and Norfolk
Railroad. The fires in Virginia are
likely to prove more disastrous than in
Maryland. The "pine-shats " there
are really the gold mine of the country
and their destruction would amount to
calamity, for without them sweet
potatoes, the staple product of the
country, cannot be proftably grown
Hence the people there are fighting
stubbornly to preserve their pine
thickets from the flames. But the fire
has already licked up great deal oi
thriving thicket there, and bids fair tC
spread alarmingly if the rain has not
stayed its progress. There has moi
been any rain in Virginia until last
night since the 7th of August, and the
whole country was dry as tinder.
Gall these forest fires are thought tc
have been started by coon hunters