Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1911-07-20
Monday Nights Rain
Proves Efficient Check.
WaTdens State Situation More
Favorable Than for Long Time.
The Sections Most Affected and
Conditions Now Reported.


The million dollar forest fires, which
have lasted in this county II days,
have been subdued. These fires have
meant the loss of valuable growing
trees and have rendered more than
10000 acres of growing spruce land I'M
fit for numbering for 50 years, and in
many places they have burned the soil
so deep that nothing of any worth viii
grow again.
Seven of the fires have been set by
lightning and it is reasonably certain
that the Great ENCHANTED fire was
started by lightning. AS the showers
pass over the forest it sometimes
happens that a tall. dry stub attracts
the lightning. which follows down the
trunk to the roots where the small fire
started may smolder for a day or two
until breeze fans ii into a flame that
catches on the dry weeds and moss 1t
creeps along. setting fire to everything
that L comes across and reaching a
dead tree top left by the lumbermen
begins its great devastation. Some
mountain lookout fire warden with his
glass sees the smoke and at once tele-
phones to the nearest fire sta tion. CIV
ing the location as near as he can The
fire warden gets men as soon as posi-
bic and if they arrive before the fire
has spread too far the men are able
to dig trenches with mattocks. an
implement resembling a hoe.
In the case of the Big Enchanted
fire no men could be obtained on July
A fire
two days start and had run two miles
or more through old cuttings before
the men arrived
Nearly 1000 men hwave been working
on the forest fires the last two weeks
and the sweltering heat has made
their lahors extremely exhausting
They have suffered for food and for
shelter. there being such a large army
of them that food could not be sup
piled
Monday nights rain proved quite
check 70 the fires, so that men can get
onto the burned area and extingush
the smomdering places. which were
in danger of causing another outbreak
Two fires on Stony brook in Cop
lin plantation also broke out the same
day as the Enchanted fire. and for a
time they seriously threatened the
south slope of Bigelow, owned by
Coburn heirs. Butler Sc Phlbrook and
the Edward Hill estate Good work
by the Dead River men under the
direction of Chief Fire Warden L.
Paysnn NiIes eXtinguished this fire
after il had burned over something
less than a thousand acres.
While the other confiagrat ions were
raging the lookout on Pleasant pond
mountain discovered fires on East
MoXie township and at Austin pond.
Both were in old cuttings but quite
near valuable tracts of virgin timber.
They were promptly reported to
Chief Fire Warden Albert Webster of
Bingham. and the men in his charge
put them cut before serious damage
had been done. Both fires were at
tributed to the carelessness of fish
ing parties
The second largest fire in Somerset
county started July 18th in the north
west corner of Dennistown near the
Farsythe line Urged forward by a
strong breeze it swept down the val
ley of Wood Stream through lands
owned by the Edward Page estate,
and all but got into some virgin tim
Der at Moose River and Jackman
Even Jackman village was in serious
danger at one time but after burn
ing over about 1000 acres. Deputy
Fire Warden Albert McDaniels with
about 1850 men succeeded in getting it
under control.
Fires in Piseataquis. which threat
ened the entire east shore of Moose
head lake, burned over thousands of
acres during the period that kept the
Somerset wardens hustling They Were
located in Frenehtown near Upper
River pond, al Lobster lake, on the
Middlesex canal and Dyer academy
grants, and were also attributed to
the carless fishermen. The lands
DANA ged were owned principally by
the Hollingsworth e. Whitney Co. and
| Bangor parties.
Chief Fire Warden Frank Thomp-
son of Skowhegan was kept more
than busy through it all, sending re-
| Inducements and supplies to the men
| in the woods. Every available man
from even so far as Augusta was pro
cured and hurried to the critical
places several times by automobile,
| Quick action all along the line was
all that kept the situation from de-
veloping into one of the worst that
the state has ever experienced.