Evening star., 1926-05-10
Forestry Lookout i'm Trap.

Rlthough no persons are known to
have lost their lives, the flames swept
over Catoctin Mountain with such
rapidity that they trapped Louis
Gardner, State forestry lookout. in
his field tower. right in the midst of
the inferno. The tower is 60 feet
high and, while it is not believed the
ranger has been burned to death,
due to this eminence. some concern
was expressed that he may have
been suffocated by the dense smoke.
dozen rescue parties tried to break
their way through the wall of fire last
night and early this morning but
each effort was repulsed by the ter.
rife heat and it is scarcely believed
that help can be sent to the marooned
ranger before this evening. MANY
other persons had narrow escapes.
and II is reported that three men were
forced TO jump into a creek and re.
main submerged TO the neck when
they were caught by the fire. They
barely succeeded in making their way
to safety down the creek it is said.
Only the heroic efforts of several
hundred volunteer fire fighters saved
the little town of Catoctin Furnace
from destruction. last night. The
fire spread to within less than a hun.
dred yards of the town and set sew
eral buildings blazing on the out
skirts. Firemen from Frederick. hav-
ing been called to the scene earlier
succeeded in eXtinguishing these
blaZes, while volunteers directed by
students from the Pennsylvania For.
estry School, succeeded in stopping
the confiagration at the very borders
of the town by back firing.
Landscape Like Day. =
All last night the flames played
around Catoctin Furnace with such
fury that residents declared they
could read newspapers on the streets
without difficulty. Two hundred men
patroled the fire front in that section
this morning and it was believed that
danger to the place had passed At
the same time state officials declared
they would take no chance of shifting
winds driving the flames back on the
township.
Hundreds of volunteers have been
enlisted around the countryside and
scores have gone out from Frederick
1t is said that a small army is fighting
the fire today, but without any ap-
preciable success. Farmers with
homes or buildings in the path of the
fire have been warned to remove
lHelI DelOilS IIlSS DIS QuICklN dS pos
sible and the whole countryside is in
a state of terror, the roads recalling
the war days in France as refugees
plowed along them with great pack
ages of belongings on their backs,
seeking refuge far from the danger
point of the forest fire.
The beautiful Colonial home of
Mrs. Thomas B. Mcpherson, near Ca
toctin Furnace, just escaped destruc-
ton yesterday afternoon. The flames
destroyed two outbuildings before vol
unteers checked them. This home is
one of the most famous in this part
of Maryland, and 1t dates back to
Revolutionary times. having been
built by Thomas Johnson, the first
Governor of Maryland.
Spread of Flames Rapid.
The fire started at the lower end
of Catoctin Mountain, about eight
miles northwest of Frederick, and to-
day the front was estimated to have
travelled about six miles. Fire bugs"
are blamed for the conf1agratiOn. Off
cials have been informed that the
flames were started early Sunday
morning by group or berry pickers
who had hoped to burn away the
underbrush and improve the berry
crop in the Fall
When the fire got beyond their con-
troll, however, they fled and an in
Vestigation has been ordered by State
Fire Warden Curry of Baltimore.
TWO FIRES HALTED.