FOREST commissioner's REPORT. 47 



strated by the watchman coninuinicating- vvith a warden giving 

 him the direction and ahnost exact location of a smoke from 

 some small fire. One or two men sent out to investigate and 

 put out the fire in its early stages accomplishes what hundreds 

 or an army of men could not do after the fire has gained great 

 headway and is being driven before high wunds. 



REPORTS FROM CHIEF WARDENS. 



Something more in detail as to the exact amount of work ac- 

 complished is shown by extracts from the reports of wardens 

 which follows : 



The largest assignment to any one chief warden is that given 

 to H. B. Buck of Bangor, who says in part in regard to the work 

 performed under him in 1909: 



''The territory covered by this patrol includes one hundred 

 eleven townships, embracing an acreage of 2,591,663 acres valued 

 by the state assessors at $10,058,777. This territory was divided 

 into six sections, viz., the Aroostook river watershed west of the 

 Ashland branch of the Bangor & Aroostook railroad, and the 

 Machias watershed; the watershed of the South Branch, Little 

 South Branch and Boundary Branch of the St. John river ; the 

 watershed of Chemquassabamticook stream and lake, head 

 waters of the Allagash system; the Allagash river watershed 

 from its mouth to Churchill lake, the St. Francis river water- 

 shed in Maine, the Little Black river watershed in Maine, and 

 the main St. John river watershed from the mouth of the St. 

 Francis river to the mouth of Big Black river; the watershed 

 of Churchill lake, the watershed of Eagle lake, the watershed of 

 Chamberlain lake, and of the Allagash stream and lake; the 

 watershed of the St. John river from the mouth of Big Black 

 river to the Northwest Branch, the watershed of Big Black river 

 in Maine, Depot stream and lake, and the Canadian Boundary 

 adjoining Townships 15, R. 15, 14 R. 16, 13 R. 16, 12 R. 17, and 

 II R. 17. 



"The area patrolled, 2,291,553 acres, including the cost of 

 maintaining four fire stations located within the territory was 

 done at an expenes of $10,456.47 or a very small fraction over 

 four mills per acre. 



"Outside of the many small fires which the patrolmen, notably 

 on the Allagash river, have extinguished, but few fires have oc- 



