9? COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION 



"To this question Mr. Vauclain, General Superintendent of the 

 Baldwin Locomotive Works, answers : ' We think that, while loco- 

 motives so designed, would compare favourably with oil-biiming 

 locomotives, they would, of course, not be as absolutely certain from 

 the non-fire producing point of view as oil burning locomotives, where 

 we have absolutely no sparking and no chance whatever for the setting 

 of fire to property by the locomotives.' 



"Mr. Cole, Chief Mechanical Engineer of the American Locomotive 

 Company, answers : 'Such locomotives wotdd not offer as complete 

 protection, even under the best condition of maintenance and with a 

 reasonable degree of operating efficiency, as oil burning locomotives. 

 With the latter the question of danger from lack of maintenance and 

 carelessness in installation is minimized, the degree of spark throwing 

 not being dependent upon these two conditions.' 



"In the correspondence with the officers of the Southern Pacific 

 Company, Supplement No. 6, the answer of Mr. H. J. Small, General 

 Superintendent of Motive Power, to the following question is of in- 

 terest : 'Have you found it practicable to safeguard the operation of 

 coal burning, locomotives sufficiently by the use of improved spark- 

 arrester apparatus, improved ash-pans, cleaning the right of way of 

 combustible matter, or patrolling the lines, so that the fire risk from coal 

 burning locomotives is reduced practically to that from oil burning 

 locomotives ?' 



"Answer : 'With the best possible safeguards applied to coal 

 burning locomotives, it is impossible to prevent sparks being thrown 

 from the stack ; to remove all combustible matter from the right of 

 way and patrol the line thoroughly with proper appliances for fighting 

 fire, the fire risk might be reduced somewhat, but even then it wotild be a 

 question whether or not the patrolmen would be at the proper place at 

 the proper time to stop the fire.' " 



For the above reasons, the Commission concluded that it was 

 clearly its duty to make such an order as should amount to a positive 

 guarantee that no further damage should be caused by railroad fires 

 in the Forest Preserve. An Order was accordingly issued, requiring 

 the railroads operating within the Adirondack Forest Preserve to b\im 

 oil upon all locomotives operated in the daytime from April 15 to 

 November i of each year, but permitting the use of coal-burning loco- 

 motives at night, provided such locomotives had been examined by the 

 inspectors of the Commission, and certificates of inspection issued. 



As showing the later working of the Order, the following is quoted 

 from the Fourth Aimual Report of the Public Service Commission, 

 Second District, of the State of New York, for the year ended December 



