Forest Fires and their Prevention. 29 



Any wagoner, hunter, camper or other person who shall leave a camp-fire without 

 fully extinguishing it, or who shall accidentally or negligently, by the use of any 

 torch, gun, match or other instrumentality, or in any manner whatever, start 

 any fire upon any grassland, brushland or woodland, without fully extinguishing 

 the same, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction shall be punish- 

 able by a fine of not less than twenty-five dollars nor more than fifty dollars or 

 imprisoned not exceeding thirty days. 



Sec. 3. All persons, firms or corporations who shall burn any tar kiln or pit 

 of charcoal or set fire to or burn any brush, grass or other material whereby any 

 property may be endangered or destroyed, shall keep and maintain a careful and 

 competent watchman in charge of said kiln, pit, brush or other material while 

 burning. Any person, firm or corporation violating the provisions of this section 

 shall be guilty of a misdemeanor. 



Railroad Fires. — The railroads and lumber conipaiiies, though great 

 offenders, having caused probably one-third of the fires in the State 

 in 1910, are also great sufferers, being generally held respoiisible for 

 injury and made to pay damages. A few of the replies to the ques- 

 tion asking about prosecutions are here quoted : "Railroad paid for 

 several acres of timber" ; "Railroad compromised, nothing done about 

 the' rest" ; "No ; the railroad people always pay damage" ; "The 

 railroad has paid about $1,000" ; "Xo ; Railroad Company paid about 

 $2,000" ; "The Railroad Company goes over the ground and sees how 

 much it burns over, and pays about thirty-five cents per acre" ; "Set by 

 traction engine, and damage paid" ; "Lumber Company sued for 

 $5,000" ; "Lumber Company forced to pay damages" ; "Suit entered 

 against one lumber company." These prosecutions are, of course, as 

 said bei'ore, brought under the civil law, and do not invoke the present 

 fire laws. They do, however, show that it is as much to the interest 

 of the railroads as to that of the owners of woodland that fires should 

 be prevented. Until there is some general demand, howef'er, that the 

 railroads take necessary precautions, they prefer to drift along in 

 the old way, paying damages now and then, — the average cost of which 

 they know — rather than advocate new laws, which, though they might 

 save them money, still would cost them an unknoAvn amount to carry 

 out. When reasonable laws are once passed the railroads will undoubt- 

 edly co-operate actively in their enforcement, trusting thereby to cut 

 down their large annual bill of damages. 



During the last sesion of the Legislature the following bill was drawn 

 up, after careful discussion and criticism of every point by the repre- 

 sentatives of the people and of the railroad and lumber companies. It 

 was at first introduced as part of the general forestry bill, but was 

 later drawn up as a separate law. It is in this form that its passage by 

 the next Legislature is strongly urged. 



