168 TREES AS GOOD CITIZENS 



crow-bar is withdrawn, the gas, if present, may usually be 

 detected by applying the nostrils close to the hole; or, even 

 more effectively, by inserting a length of pipe into the 

 hole and drawing up the gases from the subsoil by inhaling. 

 A lighted match should never be used in seeking a leak, 

 because of the danger of causing an explosion. 



When gas is discovered, the possibility of saving the 

 tree depends entirely upon the extent of the damage 

 already done and the degree of promptness with which the 

 remedy is applied. If the injury has not progressed very 

 far, and immediate action is taken to remove the poison, 

 complete restoration is possible. 



One of the first steps, of course, is to see that the leak 

 is repaired and further damage prevented. Prompt report 

 to the gas company will usually result in immediate 

 attention to the matter of repairs, for shade tree destruc- 

 tion by illuminating gas is recognized by the courts as 

 constituting cause of action against a gas company. 

 Many decisions may be found holding companies respon- 

 sible for the death of trees and enforcing the payment of 

 cash damages to the owners. The penalties thus exacted 

 are useful in influencing a gas company to take every care 

 to prevent leaks, but penalties do not restore trees and 

 money cannot compensate for their loss. Frequently it 

 will be found that the company, mindful of court decisions 

 in awarding damages in similar cases, will cause its men to 

 render first aid to the soil as well, with a view to preventing 

 the death of trees in the immediate vicinity. This first 

 aid is doing everything possible to free the soil of the gas 

 which has accumulated. 



The elimination of gas from the soil is not an easy 

 matter and sometimes it is impossible to bring the soil 

 back to a state of freedom from taint, but usually it will 

 be found that a healthy condition may be restored. One 



