Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1886-08-24


he Miniax aad Il dastrial Journal.
pnEEshed IS H4nEoT. Ne, says
Tie dezzruefon % properly -
Maine dzxine the pazt furtnigh1 ny
forest ErcG. which fortunately MAve
been exlingaizAed o. Ia . large mes
sure checked bF khe rains Of he past
gwc days brings eonspicnoasly . tie
fronf s subject that has never re
celVed, IN this section e least. the 81
fenti0n its great impoFtsncs demands-
Esery year II this State thousands.
and ID some years miilionE Of dollars
worth Of property Standing timber,
mills and farm baiidings. and ocea-
sionally entire Eiilages-Are swept
out Of existence, industrial enieTpri-
aes Of various kinds Oankrupted or
seriously crippled, capitalists fright
ened away from contemplated invest
meats. and the face Of the landscape
hideoosly dafaced. through the
agency OF forest fires OF what use
Is il % talk Of the preservation and
propagation o. forests. and the waste
Of timber "a cutting, IS long a.
whole townships are being devasta-
ted By the fleFY element every sea-
song Clearly, while such conditions
exist, the 0wner Of timber lands has
very little inducement 10 enll bis
growth instead Of stripping It. or %
leave young timber standing until i
shall have acQaired greater value by
reason Of increased age; the risk Is
too great. Rather will be be inclined
to strip his tract Of whatever may be
Of value upon il. while yet happily
the fires have left Il untouched.
The exaspevating feature ct these
forest fires Is the fact that in nearly
every instance the most simple and
ordinary measures Of caution on the
part Of whoever Is responsible. for
starting them would have prevented
their Occurrences. In ninetY-nine
cases ont Of every hundred their orr
gin is directly traceable 70 gross and
utterly inaccessible carelessness or
negligence, and In the hundredth case
20 willfulness- The most prolific
sources of forest fires, and the only
enc which need be considered, are
locomotives, brush burners, campers
and sportsmen. As regards the rail-
roads, modern Iscience has provided
appliances for arresting sparks and
rendering them harmless, and the
State should permit no train to be
run without one wherever its author
ity extends. This danger, then,
might be easily removed, as railroad
managers are supposed to be men Of
II least average Intelligence and to
have more or less respect for State
laws. The other classes are mere diff
ticult TO deal with, as many Of them
are ignorant and shiftless, and still
larger proportion care little for laws
Of any kind 50 long Is they can vio-
late them without fear of punish
ment. Nevertheless there should be
laws, as ia fact there are. holding
the originator OF fires strictly respon-
sible for all damage caused by or re-
sulting from his carelessness and stu
pidity. But these laws should be
more strictly enforced by efforts on
the part OF the State to investigate
the origin Of each disastrous fire, fix
the responsibility, and bring the
guilty party or parties TO justice. A
few noteworthy examples of this
kind, tending 10 show that the au-
thorities mean to enforce the laws.
viii have a wholesome effect upon
reckless kindlers of brush or camp
fires.
snow that the camping out season
is at hand. city sportsmen and rusti-
Gators should be made to understand
the necessity of exercising the ut
most caution in kIndling fires for any
purpose, and where one has been
started 70 be sure the last spark Is ex,
tinguished before leaving It. The
laws Of New Brunswick are clearer
and better than ours in relation to this
matter, and although the rules laid
down have Of course no legal force
in this State, they are sensible and
simple enough - meet the approba
ton Of aud be observed by every
true sportsman and worthy citizen.
They direct that whoever between
May LIST and December LIST may star,
3 ere In or near q forest, shall
First, select locality where there
Is the smallest quantity of vegetable
matter, dead wood. branches, brush,
wood, dry leaves or resinous trees;
second, clear the place in which be
Is about to light the IRE, by remov,
ing all vegetable matter, dead trees,
branches, brushwood and dry leaves
from the soil within radius Of five
feet from the fire; third, exercise and
observe every reasonable care and
precauti0n 20 prevent such Ere from
spreading, and carefully extinguish
the same before quitting the place.
Another section provides that any
person who shall throw OF drop any
burning match, ashes Of q pipe,
lighted cigar or any other burning
substance, or discharge any lrearm.
within any forest or wood lot or other
place where there Is vegetable matter,
shall be subject 70 the penalties Inn.
posed by this act II he negligently
omit wholly to extinguish, before
leaving the spot, the IRE Of such
match, ashes Of q pipe, cigar. wad-
ding Of the fiFearm, or other burning
substance. Il Is further provided
that every person who may be in
charge OF = party requiring camp
fires for cooking or other purposes
in the forest shall provide himself
with copy OF the law and read and
explain L 10 his companions
On wall sePees.