Conservation Commission 13 



ing its watchman, equipped with telephone, has largely solved the 

 problem. By detecting forest fires at their inception and com- 

 municating with the source of danger it is possible to overcome 

 them before great loss can occur. 



In 1914 the total number of mountain obsen^ation stations is 51 

 In 1910 the total number of mountain observation stations 



was 20 



Increase in installation, 1911-1914, is 31 



In other words, there are two and one-half times as many 

 mountain observation stations installed today as there were four 

 years ago. Of these 51 mountain stations, 49 were operated dur- 

 ing the 1914 fire season. 



The State has recently experienced three severe forest fire years, 

 1903, 1908 and 1913. The present up-to-date system of fighting 

 forest fires was not installed until after the year 1908 ; there- 

 fore, the following table of comparison is germane as well as 

 instructive : 



1903 

 1908 

 1913 



During the past year the total area burned by forest fires 

 was 13,837 acres; total damage, $14,905; cost to extinguish, 

 $13,978.18; total number of fires of all kinds, 413. 



The question the mountain observation station must answer is, 

 Does it detect fires in time to avert damage or greatly lessen it? 

 In the light of experience, the answer must be affirmative. The 

 system is no longer an experiment. It has stood the test; it has 

 proved its worth. 



The total number of fires reported in 1908 was 605; in 1913, 

 688. All fires discovered, no matter how small, were required to 

 be reported in 1913; some small fires which burned less than an 

 acre were not reported in 1908. There were more fires in 1913 

 than in 1908. There were seven-eighths as many railroad fires in 

 1913 as in 1908 — 78 as against 89. In the 89 railroad fires in 

 1908, the average acreage burned was 1,601 acres; average 



