TREES AS GOOD CITIZENS 
168 
crow-bar is withdrawn, the gas, if present, may usually be 
detected by applying the nostrils close to the hole; or, even 
more effectively, by inserting a length of pipe into the 
hole and drawing up the gases from the subsoil by inhaling. 
A lighted match should never be used in seeking a leak , 
because of the danger of causing an explosion. 
When gas is discovered, the possibility of saving the 
tree depends entirely upon the extent of the damage 
already done and the degree of promptness with which the 
remedy is applied. If the injury has not progressed very 
far, and immediate action is taken to remove the poison, 
complete restoration is possible. 
One of the first steps, of course, is to see that the leak 
is repaired and further damage prevented. Prompt report 
to the gas company will usually result in immediate 
attention to the matter of repairs, for shade tree destruc¬ 
tion by illuminating gas is recognized by the courts as 
constituting cause of action against a gas company. 
Many decisions may be found holding companies respon¬ 
sible for the death of trees and enforcing the payment of 
cash damages to the owners. The penalties thus exacted 
are useful in influencing a gas company to take every care 
to prevent leaks, but penalties do not restore trees and 
money cannot compensate for their loss. Frequently it 
will be found that the company, mindful of court decisions 
in awarding damages in similar cases, will cause its men to 
render first aid to the soil as well, with a view to preventing 
the death of trees in the immediate vicinity. This first 
aid is doing everything possible to free the soil of the gas 
which has accumulated. 
The elimination of gas from the soil is not an easy 
matter and sometimes it is impossible to bring the soil 
back to a state of freedom from taint, but usually it will 
be found that a healthy condition may be restored. One 
