696 AMERICAN FORESTRY 



and dollars' worth of valuable timber, This extreme action on the part of 

 and even the more valuable soil itself, New York State followed the great 

 was destroyed. Lumbermen, specula- devastation of the season of 1908, when 

 tors, and dishonest men robbed the 368,0/2 acres of wooded land in the 

 State of its timber, and through any Forest Preserve were burned over, vil- 

 and many pretenses wantonly took and leges destroyed, and the property loss 

 used much of the State's forests with and suffering of inhabitants of the 

 little or no thought except to get as district affected most serious, 

 many dollars out of it for today as they The lesson of 1903, when 465,000 

 could. They left the unused parts of acres were burned over and a loss of 

 trees, logs, limbs, and tops where they $3,500,000 incurred, had not proved a 

 fell, forming a dangerous fire trap, warning and was so soon forgotten 

 which thus created additional danger that in 1908 the railroads, as well as 

 to all the forest growth left uncut, the State, found themselves practical- 

 Great fires raged through the cuttings ly unprepared for the prevention of 

 and swept the debris up in mighty fire damage. The 1908 fires in the 

 conflagration destroying everything in Adirondacks destroyed lumber and 

 its path, standing trees as well as down logs to the amount of $126,539, an d 

 timber. The railroads, by careless buildings, the value of which was $44,- 

 management of their locomotive en- 395, besides the loss to State lands 

 gines and rights of way, added to the amounting to $644,000. 

 danger and destruction. On thousands of acres which were 



During the administration of the late first burned in 1903, the 1908 fires 

 Governor Higgins, in 1905-6, and con- consumed the vegetable matter, or 

 tinned under Governor Hughes, the "duff," which forms the floor of 

 matter of the preservation of the For- the forest, and the destruction of 

 est Preserve was taken hold of with a which will prevent reforestation 

 firm hand and the mandates of the Con- for many years. The Long Lake 

 stitution strictly carried out. Tres- West fire, conceded to be a rail- 

 passers and timber thieves were prose- road fire, was one of the most disas- 

 cuted and punished, tree planting has trous in the history of this region. In 

 been carried on and encouraged among places the soil burned down to the 

 the people. rocks. The hamlet was wiped off the 



Concededly the greatest agency of map, and even the railroad station and 



destruction to the forest was the coal cars standing on the tracks were 



burning locomotive, which in its ever burned. 



onward rush through the country, scat- In addition to the order made by 



ters destructive coals and sparks along the Public Service Commission safe- 



and upon, and even outside, the rail- guarding from railroad-set fires, a 



road right of way. comprehensive system under the For- 



Acting on the petition of the Forest, est, Fish and Game Commission is ob- 

 Fish, and Game Commission the pow- served over the entire Forest Reserve. A 

 erfnl Public Service Commission this complete fire patrol is maintained. Ob- 

 year ordered the installation of oil servation stations have been erected 

 burning engines on the lines of the on twelve mountain tops. From each 

 New York Central and the Delaware a territory within a radius of twenty 

 and Hudson, operating through the miles can be clearly observed through 

 Forest Preserve, and the order has the aid of powerful field glasses. The 

 been obeyed. The success of this move man in charge is provided with a map 

 is best attested by the statement that of the territory, a range-finder, a tele- 

 while in other parts of the country, phone, and field .glasses, 

 this year has been one of the worst for Every fire patrolman is within tele- 

 forest fires, there has not been one fire phone communication of each observa- 

 of any great consequence in New York tion station. The observation station 

 State. attendant sees a smoke curling up ten 



