The Somerset reporter., 1908-10-22
The Burning Forests.


ter is very hard to get with regard to
the many forest fires now raging in
the territory north of here. Five
widely separated points are involved
and in some instances single fire is
at the present time burning timber on
two or more townships or tracts of
land.
A large fire is reported at Reding-
ton, in Franklin county, about seven
miles from Stratssn. This is on land
owned by Make & Lewis of Gardiner.
This fire has spread from Redington
onto Coplin township where it has
burned quite strip of land owned by
Fred Bradstreet also of Gardiner. In
our own county, on what is known as
township No. 5, owned by Lawrence
Brothers Of Gardiner, another small
blaze is reported. Timberland people
will also recognize a tract by the
name of 1.-THE Gore" owned by the
Shawmut Manufacturing Company
where fire was reported on Tuesday
This same company is also among the
owners of timber in a tract which
embraces parts Oh Hobbstown, Little
Spencer, the eight thousand acre
tract and the Lower Enchanted,
where a wide area is ablaze. Other
owners in this locality are Chas.
Clark of Madison, the United Box
board and Paper Co. of Fairfield and
the j. Manchester Haines estate.
W. D. Snow of this place has land
near this fire but, on Tuesday, it
/ could not be learned that it had
spread to his timber. This fire is
being watched and fought by a crew
of fifteen or twenty men. During
Monday night it burned Little Spenc-
er Dam and Tuesday it had progress :
ed two miles down the east bank of
the Spencer stream toward the Park
er Bog. 1t got across this stream to
the Plat tract several times on
Monday but the fire fighters were
able to extinguish the new outbreaks.
E. P. Viles of this place, one of the
Chief Fire Wardens of the state, left
Yesterday to visit the fire area.
While at his home here the first days
of this week, he had been in constant
telephone C o m m uni C at o Il with
people near the various fires, with
the state fire officials and with owners
of cumberland whose property is being
menaced. Bin w. Page of this place
has also been at Jackman during the
week, having been sum moned there
on Monday by advice from John
Holden of lockwood that the fire
was making progress on or toward
the timberland of the Page estate.
Mr.. Page went in his touring car and
is accompanied by Herbert Went
worth, William E. Hackett and E. A.
Bison. This party has not returned
nor has any news been received from
them.
Concerning the fire where they
have gone, in the region about jack
man, the papers of this Thursday
morning give the following account,
sent by a Jackman correspondents;
Forest fires have again become Sc
rious in this vicinity and much valu
ableatimber has been destroyed. One
Are has gone northwester1y from At
team to Dennistown plantation, which
is owned by the heirs of Edward p.
Page of Skowhegan. Probably two
million feet already has been destroy
ed or damaged.
A new fire has broken out on the
southern part of Bald mountain. A
large number of men employed by
the Kellogg Lumber Company sue
ceeded in keeping it confined to it's
present area without much damage,
but tracts of valuable timber in the
southern part of Jackman village are
endangered. Men have been work
ing night and dav to save the few
buildings on the Mckinney road.
People in the village are making ten
tative plans to move at any time.
The smoke was so dense, today, a
house could hardly be seen from
across the street. Skinner settle
ment, % miles west of this plac e, wa
in danger of being destroyed One
hundred men from the Lumber mill
of Skinner & Company have beer
fighting it several days. A report
was received today of a serious fire
near Askwith, 90 miles east of Jack
man.
Two hundred men employed in
fighting the fires were reinforced to-
day by 100 from Lilly bay. The lum-
Der camp in charge of Alfred Gaguere
has been saved, also the Milliken
farm buildings, seven miles from
Askwith. Several timber operators
from this place who had begun work
in Forsythe township were obliged to
break camp and bring out their
horses because of the fires. Resi-
dents fear that if rain does not come
soon the whole country hereabouts
may be laid fiat.o
A good readable sign board bright
ems up the highway wonderfully.
Every body in Maine-especially the
town officers should know that the
law makes it the duty of town officers
to place proper guide boards at the
intersection of roads and to keep
them in good order so that they will
do the hns1nnss for w hinh they are In