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FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION 



March 



present imperfections, nor lose sight of 

 the fact that there is a big job ahead, 

 but we should at least recognize the fact 

 that a great work has already been done 

 in giving its present irresistible force to 

 the & movement which will finally place 

 American forests on a safe and rational 

 basis of management. 



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February Dispatches from Albu- 



Forest Fire. querque and Las Vegas, 

 New Mexico, say that a 

 fierce forest fire broke out on the Las 

 Vegas grant, about 18 miles from Las 

 Vegas and close to the Pecos Reserve, 

 early on the morning of February 13. 



The rangers and all available aid im- 

 mediately began to fight the flames, 

 which were driven by a strong wind. 

 The country was very dry and the fire 

 fighters were unable to make any effect- 

 ive resistance to the fire, which burnt out 

 on the morning of the fifteenth. 



The loss includes many thousands of 

 dollars' worth of pine timber and lumber 

 and two ranch houses, with all their ad- 

 jacent buildings. The village of Las 

 Dispensas was saved by a shift of wind. 

 It is believed that considerable stock 

 perished. 



Jfi 



Errata. The kindly interest of 



our readers is evinced 

 by two letters from the West drawing 

 attention to an error and an omission in 

 recent notes of forest fires in California. 

 It is a matter of regret that the only 

 source of information on these matters 

 (the leading newspapers of the region) 

 has proved so unreliable. Any such 

 corrections are always welcome. 



From a trustworthy source we have 

 had a letter stating that accounts of the 

 Fredalba fire in January were grossly 

 exaggerated. It says: "The area 

 burned over was 3,500 acres instead of 

 40,000, as formerly reported, of which 

 1,500 acres were in the San Bernardino 

 Reserve. Practically no standing tim- 

 ber was destroyed, the burn being con- 

 fined to cut-over land and chaparral. 

 The Brookings Lumber Company lost 

 2,000,000 feet of sawed timber instead of 

 5,000,000. The cause was undoubtedly 

 the carelessness of the men in charge of 

 donkey engines on the Brookings works, 



and the company advanced the theory of 

 incendiarism to cover the guilt of their 

 own men. 



' ' The Brookings Lumber Company 

 is a curse to the reserve, and they should 

 be made responsible for the damage the 

 fire caused. Their carelessness and in- 

 difference is notorious, and their lum- 

 bering is a systematic process of devas- 

 tation." 



Another letter from California states 

 that we have made no mention of ex- 

 tensive fires in Shasta county during 

 August, September, and October, 1903, 

 which involve more than 30,000 acres 

 of land owned by the United States, 

 T. B. Walker, Buick and Wengler, and 

 the Mountain Copper Company. The 

 cause of these fires is said to be incen- 

 diarism on the part of local cattlemen, 

 who wished to drive out encroaching 

 bands of sheep and goats. 



Forest Reserve Ranger G. B. Coleman 

 Personals. hasbeen placed in charge 



of the western division 

 of the Washington Forest Reserve. 

 Ranger Geo. W. Milham is in charge of 

 the eastern division of the same reserve. 



Ranger Louis F. Mosimann has been 

 transferred from the Gila River Forest 

 Reserve to the Pesos River Forest Re- 

 serve, in New Mexico. Ranger Ernest 

 E. Wright has been transferred from 

 the Lincoln Reserve to the Gila River 

 Reserve. 



Forest Inspector R. H. Charlton is 

 initiating administration of the Aqua- 

 rius Reserve, in Utah, and the Poca- 

 tello Reserve, in Idaho. 



Forest Inspector Louis A. Barrett 

 has left Washington for examination 

 of reserves in the Southwest. 



Ranger W. D. Edmandston has been 

 placed in charge of the Pike's Peak 

 group of reserves. 



Supervisor E. F. Morressey, of the 

 Wichita Reserve, has recently been 

 granted an advance in salary. 



Harry T. Britten, formerly employed 

 as a ranger in the Yosemite National 

 Park and who was accidentally shot 

 and incapacitated for active duty in 

 patrol, has been assigned to employ- 

 ment in the office of Forest Superin- 

 tendent C. S. Newhall. 



