FIREWARDEN'S REPORT. 67 



reaches the safety belt. If this safety belt is properly maintained 

 a small fire is not apt to cross it, even if there is considerable 

 wind, but must go out for want of fuel. If a fire starts while 

 the wind is strong no practicable barrier will stop it. Fire 

 fighters are needed. 



Cost of Fire Lines. 



No new figures of the cost of fire lines have been secured. 

 According to our best information, therefore, the cost still ranges 

 from $125 to $500 a mile; the former figure approximating the 

 cost in the pine forests of South Jersey, the latter where the 

 ground is rough and rocky. 



Value of Fire Lines. 



The Commission finds no ground to modify its belief that by 

 means of these fire lines fires started from the railroads in our 

 territory can be in large measure controlled. It is not in any 

 sense implied that the fire lines themselves do this. The best 

 that can be expected is that they will check most of the incipient 

 fires, the rest being left to the local firewardens, who invariably 

 look closely after territory protected in this way, and to the oper- 

 atives of the railroads, especially the section men, many of 

 whom hold it a point of honor to keep their fire lines in good 

 condition and to allow no fire to get beyond them. There is 

 reason to believe it a fact that many fires are set on these fire 

 lines but never reported because they are so quickly extinguished 

 that no one apart from the section crew is allowed to ha.ve 

 knowledge of them. 



Thus, while fire lines cannot be considered as a positive means 

 of preventing all forest fires, they do unquestionably, either di- 

 rectly or indirectly, work for effective control. 



