FOREST SERVICE. 



177 



less violent, partly to improved organization and means of detecting 

 and reaching the fires. 



The following table gives further statistics regardincj the 1917 

 fares. The largest proportionate increase over the previous year was 

 in fires caused by railroads and lightning. This was due almost 

 entirely to the extremely dry condition of the Forests and the conse- 

 quent ease with which locomotive sparks and electrical storms started 

 fires. 



Fires on National Forests, calendar year 1917. 



Extent and causes of fires. 



Area burned over: 



Under 0.2.5 acre 



Between 0.25 acre and 10 acre,s 



10 acres and over, damage under SlOO 



10 acres and over, damage SlOO to ?1,000 



10 acres and over, damage over 51,000 



Total 



Causes of fires: 



Railroads .- 



Lightning 



Incendiary 



Brush burning 



Campers 



Lumbering 



Unknown 



Miscellaneous _ 



Total 



Number 

 of fires. 



3,130 



2,197 



1,893 



41.5 



179 



7,814 



1,003 

 2,132 



952 



557 

 1,288 



193 

 1,365 



324 



7,814 



Percentage 

 of total. 



40.05 



28.12 



24.23 



5.31 



2.29 



100.00 



12.84 

 27. 2S 

 12.18 



7.13 

 16.48 



2.47 

 17.47 



4.15 



100.00 



In the calendar year 1918 the fire situation has been critical from 

 the very beginning of the season. An unusual drought prevailed in 

 Arizona, New IMexico, eastern Oregon and Washington, northern 

 Idaho, and western Montana. Ordinarily there is little danger in 

 the Northwest prior to June 15, and the employment of many of the 

 regular summer patrolmen begins on that datel In 1918. however, a 

 serious fire, the extinguishment of which required an extra force of 

 250 fire fighters, started on the Coeur d'Alene Forest on June 10, 

 before the regular patrolmen were on the ground. An equally bad 

 situation developed in Arizona and New Mexico early in the summer, 

 which required the employment of a large number of extra fire 

 fighters during the month of June. With the funds depleted by an 

 unusually bad fire situation during the last half of the previous 

 calendar year, it became necessary to abandon many important proj- 

 ects, including planting and improvement work, in order that the 

 money might be used for fire fighting. 



The fiscal yea.T closed with the fire situation exceedingly critical. 

 Many dangerous fires were burning in the Forests of the Northwest, 

 and an extra force of fully 500 fire fighters was engaged in fighting 

 them. The fact that the agricultural appropriation bill had not 

 passed, and the limitation of expenditures under the continuing res- 

 olution of Congress to one-twelfth of the previous annual appropria- 

 tion per month, made it impossible to finance the fire-protoction work 

 in the usual way. In this emergency the President of the United 

 States, at the request of the Secretary- of Agriculture, made available 

 $1,000,000 from the national security and defense fund, it being 



