Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1911-07-21

REFUGE ON LAKE.
Fires at Second Grand
Lake Drive People.
Pearl Young Takes Vile and
Children Away on Rail.
Fire Sweeps within is Feet Of The
Buildings, But They Escape

Bangor, Me-, July 20.-The CONNER
eial says today: Forced to seek ref
uge la a lake ON small raft from
the fiercely raging forest fires is an
experience that befans but few nen,
ard one which Pearl Young, the
owner aud proprietor Of the hotel at
MattagamRon at the head of Sec
ond Grand Lake, would not care To
have repeated. In the big forest fires
that We're burning ON the East Branch
waters. thousands of acres We're
burned over and that portion of the
tire taat b3rHad over 7 X near
~ wiped out the little settlement at
the head Of Second Grand lake burn
ing WITHIN IL feet of the buildings
and aparing them only because Of a
miraculous shift in che wind. II was
not until Mr.. Young had taken hic
wife and three children across the
lake on a frail raft TO escape the ter
rifle neat that rains came and all
lyed the danger.
MI Young was in Bangor this week
coming down from Mattagamnon
Wednesday, and while the fires are
still raging there he says the danger
Of them springing up again is slight
Since the last OF the week there has
been considerable rain in that section.
The ground is pretty well soaked
down" said Mr. Young, and the
fire is now confined to smouldering in
the ground and old stumps 1t would
have to be pretty Cry to start it up
again, but ii was bad enough last
week.
My buildings are at the head of
Second Grand lake. ana l have a
wooosmen's hotel and also a number
Of sporting camps there For almost
week the fire ragged around US So
We could not tell from one hour to
the next when we would have To get
out. For four days and nights ncith-
CT | nor my wife removed our clothes,
and we were fighting the flames With
back fires, and every other means that
We could use
II was at its worst the last of the
week, just before the rain came. ard
tine Tres crept up TO within 10 feet of
nav buildings. l tell you 1t was hot
there, and l wouldn't have refused an
,
wife and the children got some Of their
personal belongings and We embarked
on raft across the lake | didn't ex-
pect To see the buildings again. but
when / got the family in a place OF
safety. | noticed that the wind had
changed and there WAS hope OF saving
the camps. I went back and We kept at
work till the danger was over.
Il had turned all my live stock loose,
when they were in danger Of burning,
and lat them shift for themselves. and
we found after the fire was over that il
was all safe except a. pig that got be-
tween the main fire and a backfire that
We built and was burned to death.
I'VE have had some Big fires UP
there. one followed the East Branch
waters for i or Is miles, burning
mostly on the west side of the river.
but crossing here and there. and doing
quite lot of damage. This fire burn
ed from Second lake way to Little
Spring brook Much of the fire was
confined to old burns and of course the
damage was not as great as 1t might
have been on this account.
1.-TWO storehouses were burned at
Mattagammon. one belonging to Gar
diner q French. together with bat
teaux, canoes and supplies, and the
other belonging to the East Branch
Dam and Improvement Co.
1T was so smoky up there in that
country that you could hardly sec two
rods. and it got so hot at times that 1t
was almost unbearable."