FOREST, FISH AND GAME COMMISSIONER. 117 



Causes of Forest Fires — 1908 



Fishermen 19 



Hunters 100 



Railroads 89 



Clearing land 21 



Berry pickers 14 



Incendiary 48 



Bee hunters 9 



Smokers 34 



Burning buildings 1 



Carelessness 13 



Campers 27 



Sparks from sawmill 1 



Children 6 



Blasting 2 



Lightning 9 



Burning wasp nests 1 



Surveyors 1 



Unknown 210 



605 



The evidence before the Public Service Commission shows that 40 per 

 cent, of the entire area burned over in 1908 was burned over by fires started 

 by the railroads. A careful analysis of the tabulated causes shows that the 

 railroads, with all the extra care of efficient patrols, fire trains and equip- 

 ment, are causing 15 per cent, of our serious fires. 



Considering all the fires set, the railroads start 83 per cent. ; from all 

 other causes 17 per cent. The reason why a much smaller number in 

 proportion to all the fires started on the railroad rights of way do damage 

 than is done by fires started back in the forest, is very plain. The railroads 

 are in the open, can be traversed easily; trains equipped to fight fire, 

 supplied with water tanks, pumps and lines of hose can be employed. Fires 

 started back in the forest are not easily discovered and are difficult to reach. 

 With the accessibility of the roads, all the care given, patrols established, 

 fire trains used, there were eighty-nine disastrous fires caused by the rail- 

 roads and nearly two thousand five hundred incipient fires. It is little won- 

 der that there is a line of burned dead trees along the railroad rights of way 



