720 



Canadian Forestry Journal, September, igi6 



It will interest readers of the 

 Journal to know that the Northern 

 Ontario forest fires of 1916 rank as 

 the third greatest disaster in the his- 

 tory of the American continent. 



The worst fire of all occurred in 

 October, 1871, in Wisconsin, and 

 was known as the "Peshtigo" disas- 

 ter, when 1,500 lives were lost and 

 1,280,000 acres burned over. 



In point of lives lost, the Hinck- 

 ley fire in Minnesota in September, 

 1894, ranks second, with 418 deaths 

 and 160,000 acres devastated. 



The Northern Ontario fire of 1916, 

 including the 12 lives lost near Hai- 

 leybury in the second conflagration 

 in August, account for probably 260 

 deaths. About 800,000 acres were 

 burned. 



In the famous Miramichi disaster 

 of 1825, 3,000.000 acres of New 

 Brunswick and Maine were cleaned 

 out and 160 lives lost. 



The Porcupine disaster in North- 

 ern Ontario in 1911 accounted for a 

 loss of about 84 people. 



Prompt Action by a Board of Trade 



An example of the courageous 

 stand taken by so many of the On- 

 tario Boards of Trade in advocating 

 an overhauling of the Ontario For- 

 est Protection System is contained 

 in the following telegram sent by 

 the London Board of Trade to Hon. 

 G. H. Ferguson, Minister of Lands 

 and Forests. Toronto : 

 "Minister Lands and Forests, Par- 

 liament Buildings, Toronto: 



"Concerning Northern Ontario 

 disaster and this Board's resolution 

 previously communicated to you, 

 urging adequate control of settlers' 

 fires. Board asks what immediate 

 steps are being taken to protect 

 lives and property. 

 "Secretary London Board of Trade." 



The Carleton Board of Trade 

 took similar action, and the Fort 

 William Board, the Prescott Board, 

 and others addressed letters to the 

 Minister at Toronto urging a study 

 of forest protection systems in other 

 parts of Canada and the United 



States, and the application of radi- 

 cal reforms to the Ontario forest 

 service. This action by the Boards 

 of Trade is certain to exert a power- 

 ful influence. 



Co-operate with Settlers. 



(New Liskeard Speaker.) 

 "There is but one way to proceed 

 in order to reduce the danger from 

 forest fires, and that is by asking 

 the assistance of the farmers. Con- 

 sult them. Ask their advice. Let 

 them be represented on a Commis- 

 sion to be appointed to give permits 

 to burn over the land intended to 

 be cleaned. This plan would elicit 

 the support of the farmers, and they 

 in turn would help enforce the law. 

 Briefly put, these are the Speaker's 

 views." 



[Note : The Permit System of con- 

 trolling settlers' fires proceeds ex- 

 actly on the principle advocated 

 above — co-operation with the care- 

 ful settler. — Editor Canadian Fores- 

 try Journal.] 



