140 Forestry Quarterly 



fires from them is practically eliminated. But engines are, of 

 course, not the only source of fire danger along railway lines, 

 many fires being started by tramps, settlers, the carelessness of 

 section men, etc. On the other hand, with even the best fire- 

 protective appliances on coal-burning engines, there is still some 

 danger of starting fires. In practice, however, under the present 

 requirements of the Railway Commission, this danger is to a 

 very considerable extent overcome by special patrols, removal 

 of inflammable debris from the right of way, use of modern 

 spark-arresters, and the issuance of instructions to all regular 

 railway employees relative to the reporting and extinguishing of 

 fires occurring in proximity to railway lines. 



The Fire Inspection Department of the Dominion Railway 

 Commission gives the following important information. The 

 department was not organized until June, 1912, so that data given 

 are for only part of that year. 



The total number of fires reported to have started within 300 

 feet of the railway tracks in Canada was 196 in 1912, the area 

 burned over being 25,008 acres, and the destruction of property 

 amounting to $83,380; for 1913 the statistics are, respectively, 

 462 fires, 2,360 acres, and $12,250 worth of property. Thus, the 

 year 1913 showed an improvement in the handling of the railway 

 fire situation, as evidenced by the great reduction in the area 

 burned over and the value of property destroyed. Further, of the 

 196 fires reported for 1912, 160, or 82 per cent., were due to 

 trains, whereas in 1913 only 295 of the 462 fires were traceable to 

 this cause. 



According to reports from the Chief Forester of British 

 Columbia, over 300,000 acres — principally old slashings — were 

 overrun by forest fires in British Columbia during the past sea- 

 son. The merchantable timber destroyed or seriously damaged 

 was 8,000,000 feet. The season was an unusually dry one, and at 

 one time a force of almost 5,000 men was engaged in forest pro- 

 tection work. One very regrettable feature about this season's 

 fires is the fact that a large area of reforested land was burned 

 over. 



