Fire Loss in 1912 Is $23,346.51 



WITH a mantle of snow falling upon the forests and the 

 danger season practically ended, Minnesota has cause 

 to remember this Thanksgiving that fire the "Red 

 Dragon of the Woods," has levied little toll from timber. The 

 vigil of the rangers and patrolmen and the asisstance lent by 

 settlers, cut to a degree the loss too frequently sustained. 



From January 1, 1912 to October 31, a total of 334 fires 

 occurred in the woods, entailing a damage estimated at 

 $23,346.51. Seventeen thousand, four hundred and seventy- 

 nine acres of land were burned over a comparatively small 

 area when the extent of the vast region of almost uninhabited 

 timberland, is taken into consideration. With a. record of 

 405,748 acres burned in 1908, a total of 45,690 acres burned 

 in 1909 and 1,051,333 burned in 1910, the 1912 record of 17,479 

 acres appears small. The Minnesota forest service as at 

 present constituted, was not organized till 1911, and it was 

 in June of that year the rangers went into the field. Con- 

 sequently, the record of fires in the spring of 1911, is in- 

 complete. Statistics available after June 22, show that during 

 fhe remaining period of the year, there were 144 fires, which 

 caused losses aggregating $18,615. Were the entire loss of 

 the year included in the reports, the amount probably would 

 be far in excess of the loss during the year just closing. 



Railroads Started Nearly One-third of the Fires Reported. 



The greatest danger, as statistics show, is the railroad 

 locomotive. Of the 334 fires during 1912, 100 were started 

 by railroads. Brush burning is the second most perilous. 



