The Portland daily press., 1900-07-21

Sandwich, Mass. ,sJuly 20.--A forest fire
which extends over territory of at least
25 square miles and which threatens at
least a score of towns and villages in this
portion of the Cape district is the result
of tiny blaze started yesterday IN the
vicinity Of Hatchvil1e by some berry
pickers. Hundreds Of men drawn from
every town in this neighborhood are
working night and day to check the
progress of the flames. but as the brush is
as dry as tinder and the flames jump first
one way and then the other, the men are
almost helpless, and their lives are con-
stantly being menaced, several instances
bsing known where gangs Of men, by
quick shift of the wind, We're entirely
surrounded by the flames, and none es-
capped without bad soorching. At late
hour tonight the flames are travelling
through some of the heaviest timber
standing on the cape as fast as man
can walk and the excitement is intense
in all the surrounding towns, as it is not
known at what shift of the wind the
flames win sweep some IuckIess sattle-
ment out of existence.
The fire now hassno general direction
but is spread ont IN the direction of
Sandwich and Buzzards Bay, bounded
by the main line of the Consolidated road
and by the towns Of Cataumet, Wenau-
met and the Falmouths, and the brush
and tinder between is q roaring mass of
flames. The fire Wardens have been un-
able to make out what course the flames
viii take, and oftentimes back firing,
which it was hoped would keep the fire
ms hon af f,f, al
and the back fire is carried away in the
huge head fire. 1T has been a terrible
battle for the men and many are coming
out of the woods in an exhausted cOndf-
tion, and they express no hope that the
fire will be checked unless rain comes.
Men in sufficient numbers cannot be
brought here and the fire is entirely out
OF control of the help at the disposal OF
the Wapdens.
The whole country bounded by Hal
lowell, the FaIm0uths, Howard and Po-
casset roads was burned ast night. and
this morning the brisk breeze soon had
the fire headed in the direction of Fal
mouth and the adjoining villages and
with a shift of the wind to a southerIy
and then TO an easterly direction the
flames bore down on the heavily wooded
country before it at the rate of four
miles an hour. The fire wardens seeing
their helplessness, sent cOuriers to the
surrounding towns requesting all avail
able men, and the cali was answered by
a large number who tonight are hard at
work with shovels.
The old Pocasset road Is being guarded
lest the fire break over and get IN the viz
lagos OF Sandwich and Cataulnet. At
noon the main fire was working toward
Hatchville but another shift of the wind
sent the flames back so that they are now
heading in the direction Of Sandwich and
Sycamore. A large gang is back firing
on the Foster road to prevent the fire |
from reaching the town of Bourne.
This afternoon a gang of over 100 were |
fighting the flames near SagamOre, when, |
by a change of the wind the flames sur
rounded the gang and only through the !
careful guiding of Fire Warden Burgess |
were the men brought out alive, al |
though a large number were burned. |
The fire is near the summer residence of |
Mrs. Sarah Curtis of Newton Highlands |
and at dark a number of men were stand |
ing by to guard the property. Farmers |
are bringing into service all the wagons |
possible to haul the cord wood they own |
from the woods before the flames reach |
it. One farmer who came out of the |
woods said the flames jump the sand bars
which the men place on the patch of the |
fire and continue uninterrupted.
Tonight the wind is from the south |
west, which is likely to increase rather |
than diminish the fury Of the fire. No
estimate of the. damage already done can /
be given, nor can anything definite be
said as to the progress the flames viii |
make tonight.