Forest Fires in British Columbia 1904 103 



Coming south to the Lillooet District, the central district 

 north of the railway, the reports show that this part of the country 

 suffered severely. One agent states that this was the most dead- 

 ly year since 1869. caused by an almost total absence of rain. A 

 quotation may be made from his report. He says : — 



" Bush fires commenced early on account of the extreme dry- 

 ness of everything, and as a matter of fact I saw smouldering 

 remains on Nov. 3rd, on my way to and from Lillooet the other 

 day. Men — white, black, brown and yellow — are responsible for 

 these fires, by the utter carelessness and want of thought that is 

 inherent in nearly every human being. I tried for a conviction 

 against three whites last August before two justices of the peace, 

 but was met with the Scotch verdict " not proven " although they 

 were the originators of a most dangerous fire without a doubt. 

 High up in the mountains the Indian is responsible. He fires 

 there for a crop of tender young grass in the fall for the deer. 

 In the valley of the Fraser he fires, in accordance with the cus- 

 tom, to light the salmon on their way up the river. It does not 

 appear that it has dawned on him to any extent that the paleface 

 at the mouth of the river is responsible for their absence. With 

 regard to the estimated destruction this year ; that is simply beyond 

 my power, to say nothing of the consequent destruction and loss, 

 which may be approximately arrived at, in the event of a hard 

 winter, next April by counting heads of dead and dying domestic 

 animals on the various ranges which are alroady appallingly bare 

 throughout the entire district.'' 



The mountains round the town of Lillooet were burned, m 

 several places from base to summit, extending over large areas. 

 At otlur places forest fires raged for a long time travelling long 

 distances. 



In the northern part of Yale District, being the central tract 

 immediately south of the railway, the fires were not of serious 

 proportions, the persons located in that district having evidently 

 been trained to carefulness. 



In the southern part of Yale the report from Grand Forks, 

 near the international boundary, states that a vast extent of the 

 country was run over by fires during the past season, in fact it 



