33 



NATURAL FOREST 



CLEARCO & THINNED ZONE lOOrECTWIDE 



CLEAHXD a THINNED 20ME lOOEEETWlDE 



Fig. 4.— Diagram of Railroad Fire Line Constructed on Level Ground According to Chapter 74, Laws of 1909. 



Gaskill (1909) says "/. fire line like this is 

 supposed to work thus: If a spark is thrown from the looo- 

 motive stack, the foliage of the trees may so retard its 

 fall that its fire is lost. If a spark is not so killed 

 and reaches the ground alive, it is almost sure to fall with- 

 in the bared strip* There it finds little to burn, but if 

 some grass or dry leaves are ignited the fire can gain little 

 force or headway before it reaches the bared strip. "* 



In swampy land a three foot ditch will t&ke the place 

 of the ten foot cleared fire line. 



The railroads in Hew Jersey reported that fire lines 

 cost between $1H5.00 - |500#00 per mile to construct with 

 an average of flSO.OO per mile. Of course the cost depends 

 upon the topography, nature of the ground, density of tim- 

 ber, labor, and the like. The superintendent of the New 

 Jersey Southern Railroad wrote that the number of fires had 

 decreased at least one hundred per cent since the fire lines 

 were established. The annual upkeep of the fire lines was 



and this becomes less each year. 



Some of the railroads take the stand that the 



