The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1908-10-19
BIG FOREST FIRES
RAGEON NEARBY
MOUNTAINS
Several Hundred Acres Have
Been Burned Over
FIRE FIGHTERS AT WORK
Large Gangs Labor All Night on Bald
Mountain and on Mount
Anthony.

Bennington is having its first ex.
Derience with the forest fire problem,
which has caused So much damage in
many sections of the country and in
number of locanles IN Vermont.
The first fire, which started late Sat
urday afternoon on the ridge south of
Mount Anthony is now believed to be
practically under control The other
IRE, on Bald Mountain, which burned
fiercely during the early evening, has
apparently passed over the ridge and
is burning on the other side Men
who returned from fighting the fire
early this morning reported that so
far as property in Bennington was
concerned, the danger was apparently
over.
The situation is not so alarming be-
cause OF the damage that has been
done on account Of the territory that
is endangered. The fire on Bald
mountain is surrounded by the largest
section of unbrOken Forest In the state
outside Of Essex county. The whole
town of Glastonbury, a large section
.Ot Woodiord, Somerset Sunderland and
StrattOn are menaccd and there Is a
possibility. under the prevailing con
ditions in the woods. of destruction TO
more than a million dollars worth of
timber.
The section burned over on Bald
mountain is about 200 acres in extent
and is largely owned by VIM. r. Nor.
gan and Clarence Morse. IL is GOV.
cred with timber, mostly hard wood
but there is some excellent spruce
scattered through the oak. beech and
birch.
The section burned south Of Mount
Anthony is largely owned by j. D..
Parsons although there are small wood
lots belonging TO other parties Soon
after the fire was discovered a gang
OF men was taken 10 the scene and
worked all night putting out the fire.
About 30 men were taken onto the
mountain IN the evening but the num-
Der was increased during the day to
nearly q hundred and the work was
kept up through Sunday night The
fire was still burning this morning,
and another gang Of men was put at
work, but nc last reports IL was con-
| sidered 10 be- under control Between
30 and 100 acres were burned over
The fire ON Bald mountain is said
TO have originated In the Shields
property Just over the ridge and was
brought over the mountain early in
the morning by the southeast wind.
! II burned hercely an day gradually
working this way with the light wind
/ that prevailed during the forenoon.
| Ina the afternoon the wind changed
TO the opposite direction. and the fire
| line was carried back over the noun
tain. In the early evening the FIRE
| appeared 10 extend along the ridge OF
the mountain for an estimated dis.
| lance OF nearly one and one-hali miles
and presented a brilliant spectacle
Later In the evening the fire appeared
TO pass over the mountain and disap.
pear.
Several parties Of firc-hghters work
ed all night. There was n gang of
men on the Shields property and about
40 men laborod until after 3 O'Clock
this morning on the Morgan and
Morse property. Progress was slow
because of the conditions. The
ground is covered with heavy coat
OF dry leaves and the halfrotted
mould underneath burned In a man
ner that ballled the fire fighters. The
men worked with shovels, cloarni
away the leaves ana turning the com
bustible material toward the FIRE
The change In the direction of IN,
wind In the afternoon aided In th,
work but the fire was treachcrous
Time and again the workers woulC
apparently have a section under con
troll only to find that the fire haS
worked ahead of them under the mucl
and broken out In new spots.
The locality whore the FIRE origin
ated Is particularly dangerous for thu
reason that the land was burned owe
few years ago. At that time Il wa
thlckly covered with small poplar
and oak saplngs which the Gre kllleu
and which In the years that hav
elapsed havc become as dry as kline
. ling wood. In this dead thicket IN
, Gre ragged so llerccly that there wa
r no possibility OF checking Il In tn
immediate vicinity.
When the men from the village LET
the mountain this morning they b,
licvCd that the danger on this slop
, had been overcome. but First Solcc
. man Frank NJ. Crawford took anotho
, gang of men to the scene this for
noon. The fire has found it's way n
TO Woodford but just how much PR
grosse it is making cannot be asco
tanned.
r Up TO the present time Il has bee
, apparent that hunters and other pc
, sons who frequent the woods have e.
ercised unusual caution In the ma
ter of fires as this Is the FIRST tim
that there has been any large amour
of territory burned over. The pre-
q ent experience. however. should CO.
!. stitute a warming. Il is impossible
q be too vigllant during the preset
dangerous conditions that prcva
The leaves that have fallen from n
trees during the present season al
as dry as the old dead foliage IN
/. there is consequently q much larg
!, amount of combustiblo material
q the ground
Sunday evening still another a
was visible from Town hill. hurnh
at the north end of Glastonbury mou
tain. about six or seven miles nor
q, of the FIRE on Bald mountain. Repor
from this section are hard 20 get
~ there are no telephones within sew,
o al miles but it is reported to ha
gotten into some large timber and