The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1898-02-22

structiye forest fires that have been rag
ing in several counties around Whining
ton. In some localities the bosom of de-
struction spread for twenty-five or thir-
ty miles. Since Tuesday the whole heav-
ems have been full of smoke and even
the streets of Wilmington by day and
night have been full of smoke although
the fires were many miles from here.
The smoke was plainly smel1ed in the
city and some times the smoke in the
skies was so dense that il shut out the
sun.
LOSS OF LIFE AND PROPERTY.
A correspondent of The Messenger
writes as follows from Bladenboro, Bla-
den county. under date of February 18th:
"A severe forest fire which originated
in Robson county, has been doing con-
siderable damage TO the people in gen.
eral in Bladen county. The wind was
blowing a gale and the fire did not halt
at large swamps. 1t just swept right
through the Big Swamp and was on the
people here before they hardly knew it,
1t swept things clean as it went, burning
fences, houses. etc.
IN. ID. L. Singletary sent mis- youngest
son, Cortez, about - years old, to notify
his ~neighborS that the fire was upon
them and to look out. While young Sin
gletary was making his way back 10 his
fathers the fire drove min into a bay,
and he was burned to death. He left his
father about Z O'Clock p. m. on the 18th
and was found about 9 O'Clock on the
18th.
1.-The farmers are left in a bad condi-
ton now, without fences around their
farms. Among the losers are H. Ed
wards, J. n. Kelly, d. l.. Singletary,
near Bladenboro, and j. H. Thompson,
Frank Averitt and Joe Thompson, near
Abbottsburg."
WORST CONFEDERATION IN FIFTY
YEARS.
Mr.. J. NJ. Turner, of Ashton, Fender
county, was in the city yesterday. He
says the forest fires have swept over a
very large area between Rocky Point and
Burgaw. The flames swept through the
forests, reaching the tops Of tall trees,
and fences, timber and t~urpentine lands
have been damaged to an extent almost
in~calculable. Mr.. Turner says the fire
has been the worst in fifty years. The
pine straw in the forests has been burned
and the strawberry growers will be put
to a severe test to get something with
which to cover their strawberry plants.
AS is well known, the farmers nave made
use of pine straw to protect their berries
from the froSts.
DESTRUCTION IN robson COUNTY
Mr.. J. NJ. Pope, of Red Springs, writes
Mr.. r. w. Hicks that on Tuesday forest
fires swept a large. area in that part of
Robson county. He says under date of
February 10th:
w are congratulating ourselves this
morning that we are not all burned out.
L have none of the particulars as to
where the fire started, but beyond Floral
College, a the trestle on the railroad was
burned there, the fire taking everything
in it's path. Considerable fencing and
some fodder is reported burned, and for
a while we thought every house in town
wind and carried four or five hundred
yards. The mills shut down, the mer-
chants closed the stores, the doctors and
preachers left their places and everybody
fought bravely. We stood guard all night
and if the fire Kept going as rapidly as
it was when it passed here, it is down at
your place by thism morning. I have never
seen anything like it,"
THE FIRE RACED AROUND SCOTS
HILL
Captain G.. w. Huggings received a let
ter yesterday informing him that the for
ests around SCOTS Hill have been on fire
for three days. Large timber tracts have
been burned and turpentine farms have
been greatly damaged and in many in
stances destroyed. Fencing throughout
a large section of the country has been
burned. The fence between the planta-
lions of Captain Higgins and Mrs. l..
Vollers was destroyed and also a large
amount of fencing on Mr.. r. x. Bryan's
place. The loss of fencing alone is esti-
mated at $50 light at SCOTS Hill. The
damage further up the country cannot
be estimated. The fire came from the
direction of Rocky Point, where there
has been destructive fires raging for the
past three days.
MILES OF COUNTRY BURNED.
Mr.. Simon Smith, of Parkersburg, was
news that since Tuesday the forests for
ten or twelve miles around Parkersburg,
Sampson county, have been devoured by
flames. There has been great destruction
of turpentine farms and valuable timber,
and several farm houses nave been de-
stroyed. One farmer lost a large number
of fattening hogs that he had in a pen.
The fire swept down on him at dead of
night, III llele was IdIuIy llllle IOI
the family to escape. The damage is es-
timated at not less than $50, 900.
DESTRUCTIVE FIRES ALONG THE
RAILROADS.
The Fayetteville Observer of February
10th says:
Forest fires enveloped both the Will
mington and Bennettsville branches of
the Cape Fear and Yadkin Valley rail-
road Tor miles yesterday.
On the BennettSville branch the Lum-
Der river bridge was discovered in flames
when the afternoon train, going south,
approached it.
Captain j. NJ. Walker and his crew.
after a desperate fight for several hours,
succeeded in saving the bridge, but sixty
feet of the trestle was burned. The train
had to remain there all night (the pas
sengers walking to Maxton, a distance
of three miles) and return to Fayette-
willie this morning. The connection was
made by the freight from Bennettes-
vile. The track is now clear.
The freight train, Captain Gregerson.
from Wilmington, due here at II O'Clock