Catamount from the southwestCatamount is a 3169-foot mountain in Black Brook, just south of Taylor Pond.
Plattsburgh Sentinel, August 29, 1902
FIGHT WITH A BEAR.
Party of Hunters Encounter Bruin on Catamount Mountain.
A Saranac Lake dispatch says Dr. A. G. Root of Albany, H. Chester Spratley of New York and J. C. McCaffrey of Paul Smith's Station, have been spending several days hunting in the Adirondaks, and one of their experiences, that with a great black bear on Catamount Mountain, ten miles from Franklin Falls, was a severe one.
They had been traveling for two days in a wagon along the highway leading north from Osgood Pond and had been rewarded by frequent signs of bears among the berry bushes, of which there were a good number, well laden with fruit Leaving their wagon and working along the base Catamount Mountain; they followed the tracks of one particularly large animal for about five miles. They finally came upon the bear and a shot from Sprathy’s gun wounded the big fellow. He turned and attacked the hunters. Several shots were without effect, and the fight soon ranged at close quarters. Dr. Root was injured by a fall and McCarthy threw away, his rifle, while he continued to fight with a knife. The bear was a male, weighing about three hundred pounds, and his skin seemed to be impenetrable to knife and ball. McCaffrey, who is a mountain guide, led the hunters in their assault, and as he was in the thickest of the fight came near losing his life in the bear's vigorous use of his teeth and jaws. The fight was finally ended by a knife thrust by Spratley, who, in discussing the struggle later, said it was of considerable danger for all of them and particularly for McCaffrey.
Dr. Root, who is an old hunter, also considered his escape a narrow one. They have the skin and many bruises and scratches as evidence of the encounter.
Fort Covington Sun, October 22, 1908,
The Forest Fires.
Inman, N.Y., Oct. 19, 1908.
My dear Editor:
One of the fiercest and most destructive forest fires that the people of Inman have experienced in recent years has raged here incessantly with ever increasing force since last Wednesday morning, at which time Catamount Mountain caught (supposedly from the D. & H trains) and the whole mountain was soon entirely enveloped in flames and smoke, the wind finally sweeping the fire towards Goldsmith. Early Friday the smoldering fires of the first forest fires, which occurred during the latter part of September, were again fanned by the winds into dangerous fires, which descended the Loon Lake mountain slopes with great speed towards Inman, and but for the timely arrival of the N. Y. C. fire train the residences of Eli Linois and Patrick Ryan would have been reduced to ashes.
On Saturday evening about eight o'clock the reflection of a fire coming from the north could be seen in the distance and at midnight the cry of “Fire” was given by those patroling the place and all the inhabitants were out in a few minutes doing all they could to protect their homes from the sparks which were falling in every direction. A scene was beheld which to describe with the same breath, was as beautiful as it was terrible, a gigantic wave—a solid mass of flames reaching a height of ten and twelve feet and a mile or more in length came roaring and sweeping everything before it. Here, again, the fire train rendered very efficient service. With their several hundred feet of hose they saturated with water everything for several hundred feet on each side of the railroad track, where the fire had to cross to reach several residences, the destruction of which would have been a certainty but for the fire train. The entire settlement of Inman would today be a bed of smoldering coals but for the fire train.
Sunday was also a day of terror. The wind blew a fierce gale, the fire raged, sparks flew in every direction. The fire train was kept in constant service protecting the property in greatest danger. A train was sent up to take us out if the danger became too great.
A few weeks ago we feasted our eyes on the beautiful foliage of variegated colors which covered these mountains and today, Monday, the fires are still smoldering, it is smoky and gloomy, and we gaze again on what was once beautiful scenery and see nothing but desolation.
Thanking you, my dear editor, for this space in your valued paper, I am, with best wishes, yours most respectfully,
JOHN LACOMBE.
