5. 



person or employee thereof shall deposit fire, coals or 

 ashes on any railroad track or right-of-way near forest 

 lands^\ and when a station agent has been notified of a 

 fire, "such station agent shall forthv/ith notify the 

 nearest fire warden or forest ranger of the fire". 



Minnesota, New Hampshire, liew York and Wisconsin 

 have laws which require the railroads to employ inspectors 

 whose duty it shall be to inspect the engines and right- 

 of-way of the company at regular intervals and see that 

 they are kept in order. Minnesota, i^ew York, Washington, 

 and Wisconsin employ state inspectors who must see that 

 engines and rights-of-way are kept in order. 



Protective Devices 



Host of the railroad forest fires are caused by the 

 escape of sparks from the smoke stacks, and the dropping of 

 live coals from the ash pans upon the tracks. It is, there- 

 fore, imperative that these dangers be eliminated in one way 

 or another. The best way, where practicable, is to use 

 oil burners or electric power in the place of coal or wood 

 in locomotives. If it is necessary to buim coal or wood, 

 then the laws provide that adequate r^rotective devices must 

 be used to prevent the escape of sparks and live coals from 

 the engines. 



The Minnesota law says that "every company operating 

 a railroad for any purpose shall equip and use upon each 

 locomotive engine a practical and efficient ash pan and 



