II 



time, and any indulgence in it betrays an ignorance of the actual 

 situation. 



But all the Adirondack fires did not originate along the railroads ; 

 there were other causes at work. At this season of the year there 

 are a large number of fishermen in the woods, many of them belong- 

 ing to a careless, shiftless class, unworthy the name of sportsmen. 

 They employ no guides, but straggle aimlessly through the forests, 

 camping out wherever night overtakes them. As they move on from 

 place to place they generally leave their camp fires burning; when 

 they make coffee at noon they use little or no effort to extinguish the 

 small fire kindled for that purpose. With the woods as dry as they 

 were last spring, several fires which started up in remote, unfre- 

 quented places were fairly attributable to fishermen of this class, 

 some of whom were reported as having been seen in these localities. 



Hitherto we have had but little success in prosecuting these offend- 

 ers, because it was so difficult under the circumstances to secure the 

 positive evidence necessary to conviction. The local juries, too 

 often in sympathy with the defendant, refuse to render a verdict for 

 the State on presumptive evidence merely. The only remedy for this 

 evil is the employment of patrols in sufficient number so that each 

 fishing party can be followed and closely watched. This plan may 

 be expensive, but it would be far cheaper than fighting the fires 

 which otherwise will occur. 



With few exceptions the private preserves escaped damage; for 

 the lands of this description were thoroughly patroled by men in the 

 employ of the owners. A notable exception, however, was the 

 Rockefeller Preserve, through which the line of the New York and 

 Ottawa Railroad runs for several miles, and which was burned ex- 

 tensively by fires started by locomotives before measures were taken 

 to thoroughly patrol the road. 



