Milford chronicle., 1930-05-09
FOREST FIRES
SWEEP SUSSEX
rContinued from Fira Paqel

ony, State institution, was respon-
slole for the fire.
Under the law the State cannot be
sued but those having claims against
the State can present them to the
legislature for that body to act on.
AT a meeting of the property own
erS held Monday night at Zoar
Church il was decided to engage
Daniel J. Layton, of Georgetown, to
prepare bill for presentation to the
/ legislature covering their losses.
/ 1t was reported at the meeting
that John S. Davis, an employee ol
the Delaware Colony at Stockley, Il
Delaware institution for the fe9ble
minded. had stated that he was bur
ming paper bags in which cement
had been shipped, on the colony
farm, when one of the bags caught
by the wind and carried over into .
the woods where ii set fire to the
timber. 1t was also reported at the
meeting that Howard e. Ennis, the
Superintendent of the Colony, had
also admitted that the fire so start .
ed.
A committee composed of Frank
. W. Lawson, Clayton Gordey Frank y
P Johnson, DR.. Joseph X. Frame
and Theodore NJ. Jarvis was ap-
pointed to consult with the lawyer
and take the necessary steps to OBJ
tain reimbursement. From present 1
Indications the bill will provide for
the appointment of a commission ID
AXE an investigation and fix the
damages.
A committee composed of J. Reese
White and Morris Ableman was
lamed to adopt resolutions thanking
the fremen for their wOhk.
There were about rs property ow-
nels present at the meeting. There
was an informal discussion of the
subject and those who lost by the s
fire EXPRESSED themselves as belieV-
ing that it was moral obligation OIL
the State to pay them for their loss
when the fire originated on State
property.
frank w. Lawson who is deputyE
clerk of the peace of Sussex county,
was the principal speaker, but most
of those present expressed Their
0pinions. The committee named is
COnlpOSeu VI llliCC hiCihbCio -
the Eighth representative district
one from the Sixth and one from the
Tenth, which are the districts most
affected by the fire.
Zoar Church, where the meeting
was held, is situated near the fam 4
Gus Zoar campmeeting grounds
which were also badly damaged by :
the flames.
State Forester w. f. Taber esti-
mates that from $4,000 to 10000 4
acres of woodland have been burned
over.
In addition to the timber which
has been burned, the fire, which is
known as the big fire" in cOmpari- q
son with those which followed, six
barns, a dwelling, a garage, steam
saw mill and two carloads OF cut
lumber were destroyed, while fifty
dwellings were threatened and some
were damaged by the flames, though
not destroyed.
Three more fires broke ont Mon
day but were gotten under control
before serious damage was dOnean@
The first fire was between Mt. JOY
and Millsboro and almost adjoining
the tract which was burned. Mills1
boro, Georgetown and Lewes' ire
companies were called to the scene
and managed to extinguish the fire
after about half Il mile square was
burned over.
Shortly after this fire was discOv-
cred a second one was discovered y
between Drawbridge and Overlook.
The RehOboth Fire Company was
summoned to this blaze and manag-
ed to eXtinguish it, 1t only burned a
small sCace before it was conquer '
ed.
The third fire broke out at Her
ring Creek on the farm of A. P. '
Sloans. 1t was extinguished by vol
unteer workers after a hard fight Y
It only burned over small section
Fortunately there is little wind
but should a stiff breeze arise the
fire would again spread to adjoin-
ing sections. Everyone in Sussex >
county is hoping for rain, as all
vegetation is drying up, and it would
take but little to start Il number or
serious fires.
Hundreds of people drove to the
burned section to see the ruins o.
the timber section. The loss is es-
pecially heavy because much Of thef
timber burned was growing timber.
which the owners were carefully
watching.