REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 91 



Railroads continue to be responsible for a large number of fires. 

 This will continue to be the case until the locomotives are either 

 equipped wath efficient spark arresters or oil is used for fuel. It 

 should be said, however, to the credit of the railroads, that during the 

 past season many of them have taken an active part in assisting in 

 the work of fire protection and fire fighting. The Chicago, Milwaukee 

 and Puget Sound Railroad has installed oil-burning locomotives, and 

 it is a striking fact that not a single fire has started from them, 

 although the road traverses a long distance in the National Forests. 

 A number of railroad companies have entered into cooperative agree- 

 ments with the Forest Service to clear fire lines along the right of way 

 and to employ special guards to patrol the tracks during the danger- 

 ous season. The elfectiveness of the cooperative patrol by the rail- 

 roads and the Forest Service was well illustrated in Montana and 

 Idaho. Although a very large number of fires were started, most of 

 them were extinguished before great damage was done. In some 

 instances, however, no efi'ective system of protection had been under- 

 taken and very damaging fires are chargeable to locomotive sparks. 



One of the most prolific sources of fire and one which is uncon- 

 trollable is lightning. There are scattered throughout the forest 

 innumerable dead trees and stubs. During the past season there 

 were many electric storms unaccompanied by rain. In nearly every 

 such storm some tree was struck and a fije started. These occurred 

 frequently in very remote and inaccessible places and resulted in 

 fires which were very disastrous because they could not be quickly 

 reached. 



Many fires are chargeable to carelessness, especially in leaving 

 camp fires and in burning slashings. A larger patrol service would 

 prevent to some extent carelessness in the use of fire in the woods, 

 but fundamentally there is required a better appreciation on the part 

 of the public of the need of protection from fire. 



The most regrettable fact is that there has been a considerable 

 amount of incendiarism. While it is very difficult to prove that a 

 given fire is of incendiary origin, circumstantial evidence has shown 

 that many incendiary fires were started during the past season. The 

 situation has been so serious that I have offered a reward for the 

 conviction of incendiaries. 



The first necessity in organizing a forest for protection from fire is 

 to construct roads and trails in order that the different parts of the 

 forest may be accessible both for patrol and for the mobilization of 

 fire fighters. A forest in which there are inadequate means of com- 

 munication can not be fully protected under any conditions. With- 

 out trails it is impossible properly to patrol the forest, and in case a 

 fire is discovered it can not be attacked if tliere are no means of 

 transporting quickly to it men and fire-lighting equipment. The 



