Illustrated Cauadiaii Forestry Magarjine. Deeeuiber. jp20 



59: 



Improvements in Railway Fire 

 Protection 



By Win. Kllhy. Fire lus['ecti)r. C.X.N.. Uiiniipeg. 



A large part of the central western 

 provinces, was in glacial times, a huge 

 lake known as Lake Agazziz, and when 

 the glaciers from the Hudson Bay region 

 slowly forced the water out of the lake 

 they left enormous flats of very valuable 

 clay. The fertile prairie lands west of 

 Winnipeg, world famr)us for their pro- 

 ductiveness, were originally a lake bot- 

 tom, and sometimes when excavations 

 are being made the remains of shell fish 

 are found and go to confirm this state- 

 ment. In otlier parts where timber 

 grow til is in evidence the glaciers formed 

 huge, saucer-like formations and on the 

 edge of these is found the best timber, 

 l)ut the centre of the saucers, owing to 

 tlie drainage being retarded by the rims 

 (or ridges is covered with a scrub grow^th 

 of tamarac and black spruce. Along the 

 outer edge of the rims, forest streams 

 opening out into lakes were formed and 

 early exploration was made by this 

 luethod. consequently the exjjlorers got 

 their first information of the timl:)er re- 

 sources from the fiuanlity lhe\ saw grow- 

 ing alongside the streams. 



With this insufficient knowledge li> go 

 on, our wonderful timber su])i)l_\" was 

 rutlilessl}' wasted, and etlorls to conserve 

 it by economical logging methods and 

 protect it from devastating fires were 

 considered an unnecessary exi^ense. 



The I'se of ['IoikUuI ii'iKinls. 



.\lau\- wars ago. the ( anadian I'acilic 

 railwax' reconi/.ing the eiiornious daniage 

 done b\ prairie lire>. esia1ili-lie(l ;i system 

 of ])lo\ving strips known a^ lireguards on 

 either side of their track luiiiiing through 

 the praiiie countr\ . Ihese strips stopl^ed 

 llie lire from spreading owr the pr.airie. 

 but the root of the e\il at that liiiU'. ibe 

 loconioli\-e, was not imiiroxed until year^ 

 ]:\\vr, the policx being r;ilhei- to vt,,p 

 the lire than lo ^lop ihi' cau>e. 

 In forested region^ llie plow- 

 ing of lireguards wa-^ not praciic.ible .and 

 <lifi'ercnt measure^, therefore, bad lo be 



adopted. S])ark arresting and ash pan 

 devices were experimented with, and the 

 use of hard coal, which was obtainable in 

 sufficient (juantities a few years ago. were 

 very successful, but with the develop- 

 ment of the coal mines of Western Can- 

 ada and the necessity- of using this home 

 ])ro(luci. the lire preventive devices on 

 locomotives have not. so far, been de- 

 veloped to make the use of these light 

 W^estern coals practicable. 



In order to stop fires in forested coun- 

 tr\' it was therefore necessary that other 

 systems be adopted and special fire patrol, 

 s])ecial vigilance by track forces and oil 

 burning locomotives were put into use, 

 but des])itc the combined efforts of Gov- 

 ernment i-'orestry Departments working 

 jointly with the railways, each years sees 

 the timber supply of Canada given a hard 

 jolt by fires alongside the hitter's lines. 



Sometimes Falsely Blamed. 



\\ bile it is frankly admitted that manv 

 hres are started from railway causes it is 

 yet felt that the railways are hebl to 

 blame for man\- lires ni doubtful origin 

 which ibey ha\e not been guilty of start- 

 ing. 



rile principle of immediate action is 

 as a])plicable to fore'-t and ])rairie tires as 

 to the city ones, lui! ow ing to the enorm- 

 ous distance help is iiecessarilv much 

 liinL;er in ani\ing. Communication is 

 highly de\ eloped i 'U the railwax. :uiil to 

 Use diis lo s(.'cin-e the best results is the 

 lir.si aim oi (he hre reporting svstem as 

 usrd on llie Canadian X.itional Kailwav. 

 I'.arly in r»14 a t'..rm i \o. I*)5">» us- 

 ing teU'graphic symbols was introduced. 

 this in order io reduce the Telegraph 

 < )peralor"s work, and to handle with the 

 le.isi possihU' delay reports of Tires. The 

 li'iui calls for the notiTication n\ ot'ticials 

 who will b*.' able to lake .iu\ action that 

 may be necessary lo combat the contla- 

 g|-atioii. either in the fori-si or on the 

 pr.iiries. ( )fteniimes. ii is neoessarv in 

 st.'rious lircs io lit,' up li-ain movements 



