, 1880-05-22
NEW MUSIC.
FOREST FIRES.

Nttv York Sun, May n.
This is tfnle wien tho prayers for rain
arc brought into rcqutstion III tho churches,
and farmers are nnxiously scrutinl2!ng the
skies and watching the weather yanes for Ill
dicatlons OF the close Of the season Of
drought. The dry weather Inns not yet been
of long enough duration to seriously check
the growth OF vegetation, which IL looking
finely throughout this region; but II Is oc-
curing at tho season when our annunl forest
fires are raging, md Is making them more
than ordinarily disastrous
These fires havo already burned over near
]y tho whole Of the best timber land Of Pike
County, Pennsylvania. They nre raging In
Atlantic County, New Jersey, and leaving
little timber behind them rs they progress;
while In Cape May, Salem, md Cumberland
Counties, though now under control, they
Ii, Atlantic and Cumberland Counties, wllero
they have burned over between 100,0 600 and
200, 900 acres, destroying ping woods OF rc-
cont growth, valuable oak saplinga, ind great
areas Of cedar, the best timber Of the State.
aer Ihsy eS1 eanrv ass sYsp apss oysg 1 " oasas G
and have ruined tho growing crops,
grnin, vegetables. and tho carly fruits
throughout q. wido extent Of country.
These forest fir fire. aro nls9 rng'nE n a tto
been burned, and the pcople'of Caldwell, on
Its shores, nre TN nlnrm for tho safety Of
their houses. They have been started uD on
the south side Of Long 1slantl, ard oveIy-
timber.la .land Ii extensive they have either been
kindled already, or arc liable to be lighted
nt any, moment by sparks from passing
locomotives. by the careless leaving Of CAMP
cignr Of tho hunter. or by malicious agency.
No wonder, therefore, TINT the people hre
praying for raln,, To which alone. thoy Cit,
look for sure projection, 1t Is eight or ten
Layoc, among the woods, md our supply Of
vnlunblo tIinbor-lanl liasnlready baon. greatly
reduced. not only by fires, but nlso by prod
igalIty, the wanton felllng Of trees, or their
frewoodt and Tor fencing. ,-..,:: :,
II we should have . plolonRed senson Of
drought thts summer, these fires, which hnvo
b1ackcned whole townships during THO pres
multip!Ieu throughout tho country, md
their disastrous effects be only comparable
to tho burning Of great capital. Tho sum-
mer and autumn Of 1871 were unusually dry,
Northwestern States. Throughout. the
Kocky Mountain rcgtol,, and In Wisconsin and
Michigan tho forest fires were Of un..
precedented extent, sweepfng oyer an urea OF
@ estiaates plaeed the Ii s' oss oecasIcnsd @ ID BY BY
them at hundreds Of millions Of dollars.
Northeastern Pennsylvania wns four years
sEo M@ M@ @rayaged BY these @ tlres 70 Delaware and
repeatedly. within recent years, burned over
the mountains; Wills IN Lewis County and
Jefferson County they liavo done equal danl-
nge. Regions where once maRilincent plno
blackberry bushes, the calcined soil not
being .ablo to nourlsI, richer vegetation.
Ii the northwestern pnrt Of New Jersey
It's Pine woods their damage Inns been ~
cruasing Of late ySnrs, III 1872, rs now, South
ern New Jersey was visited w them, and
they reduced the value. Of land along their
10 ii an aero. In Tue Nov Eneland Status,
Speaking Of The wooded rcgiulls Of illo co,iil-
try GENERALLY. We may say, ~ the langnaxe Of
inidablc agent In the DESTRUCTION Of orr for
United Stntcs is we'll as Of Caiiatla thai
"nlore pine timber has been destroyed, by
S o f. t d III unSsFns sss sat % s rra nna Mafs txs
Ut I Il dos5tfui L sny AmerleaS $tats sxespt
perhaps Oregon has mora woodland than 1t
ought permanently to preserve"
When once great forest fire Is under way
| In a dry season and with favOrfng Winds, 1t Is
noxt to impossible to stop It by Human ageil-
! cles, for 1t travels along tho ground, md !ts
ApHIAb A&3 u!OWn luluuEu tld AIs Au UHl}
| Wny Is to prevent 1t; and our present experl-
| ence shows that we aro 10 nUarer to doing
that than we were when our forests less
needed jealous protection. Meantime, the
| extension of railroads has added a new
| danger. Six years ago the report OF tho Now
| Jersey Board Of Agriculture leciarcd that
"tilo damage done b., sparks from l0eonlo::
| tivcs has been almost beyond computation"
| III England It is hold by law Tint fire
communicated by 4 passlng engine Is
prima facic proof of negligence in its uso;
Tut hero 1t Is generally determined that
rnllroads 'are not responsible unless guilty
OF "ncglIgeneo or folly, something very
or Of the property. destroyed may lIavs Ill
vlted tho fire BY allowing dry brush To ncru-
1nulate near the railway truck; aud that H.,
! indeed, usually the case.
| It is, therefore, all almost impossible mat
ter to tlx the lcgal responsibility Tor these
fires oil the railroads; but In dry times, like
the present. they should DO required to exer-
clso unusual pr0eaut to prevent dnHKer
| from sparks even II they nust ltsa less draft,
and 80 be compelled to run at lower rata OF
| speed. Farmers, too, need to prepare them.
solves against the lc0llont Of fre by relnov-
| Ing dend leaves and underbrus} In tho yictll-
itY OF railroads, hut tho question OF the pre-.
| v0ntlon of these disastrous fires Is ono Of the
most difficult which legislation has to treat,