Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1920-10-25
Old Timer Tells of Famous
Foolish Forest Fire of 1926
Boston Globe

tEOston Globe
Pango-. Mean old Bangor lum-
herman SAT- quietly by while some
men from Up river were telling OF the
great forest fires in Aroostook and
the provinces. and then he spoke up
TO say tia, there might have been
bigger fires but that the fastest and
foolistess FIRE in the history OF the
world was that set by order of the
State OF Maine away hack in 1ses.
Jim Chase Of Bangor acting as torch
bearer 70 the Commonwealth
In those days. said the old lumber
man. the State owned all the timber
and stealing timber was considered
no sin at all. much less crime The
big pumpkin pine belonged TO the
whole people, who deserved their
share That was the argument OF
the timber pirates.
In order 20 conduct successfully an
operation in the woods. there must be
laid IN stocks Of hay and grain for
the horses or oxen. and the pirates
used TO 60 up to brook a, the head
waters Of the Sebols stream. where
there is a great meadow. and there
have a fine time all summer raising
end harvesting crops or grain and
hay. The crops were stacked and
covered to await the winter and the
coming Of the oxen and horses, when
an hands helped themselves to what
they wanted OF the best timber that
ever stood in the State of Maine
Finally the State authorities heard
Of the picnic Of the pirates among the
pumpkin pine. and Jim Chase, ! man
who knew every foot of the timber
country. was sent up to put a stop TO
it By burning the crops that had been
stacked up.
Scratch Of Match. Then Destruction
Jim said it was an easy job. and
started He got to the brook. which
had been named Hay Brook, a name
August. and 1t was the driest August
that man or beast had ever seen on
the Penobscot headwaters- Every
Ming was like finder. and so when
Jim Chase touched a match TO the
first haystack he came to and pun
of wind came out of the west, the
fame spread with hghtningiike
rapidity In five minutes every stack
of grain and hay in the f0-acre field
was ablaze. while firebrands were
sailing OF into the timber and start
ing fires there Jim had begun to eat
his luncheon when the fire started
among the stacks. and he grinned to
himself when he thought, how the
one scratch Of q match made IL i'm
possible for the pirates to steal any
logs that winter.
But the wind suddenly shifted and
blew the fire toward where he was
sitting. II was time for Jim to show
what he could do in the moving line,
but he couldn't 90 fast enough to get
away from the fire on that side. and
had to fight his way back through il
to the burned over field. where his
boots scorched and shriyeiled in the
blazing stubble.
Jim's red face became the color of
ashes a. he looked around. ON every
side the woods were afame, and
great sheets of smoke, Redeemed with
streaks o. fire. were biilowing high
above the treetops- The forest re-
bounded with cries eof animals driven
out by the smoke and heat, Moose
crashed through the thick growth,
wildcats went snarling past, hordes
of rabbits and small creatures
swarmed toward the brook. TO seek
safety in its waters. now a mere
trickle over the rocky bed.
For Jim himself there was but one
chance. and that was TO reach a
rocky hill 10 miles to the south, in
which quarter the fire had made less
Roadway than elsewhere He took
the chance and Tor hours struggled
through the smoking. blazing wood.
at iast. scorched. blistered
and bleeding. al the base of the great
pile Of slate rock. which ever since
that day has borne the name OF Mt
Chase.
Upon the bleak summit Of the
rocky hill Jim stayed for two weeks.
now and then TO get
something 10 eat by hunting or fish,
ing. AT the time he could see the
woods burning in an ever widening