The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1891-03-28
WASHBURN LEADER.
BY r.. H. COPELAND,
WASHBURN, NORTH DAKOTA
PREVENTION OF PRAIRIE FIRES.

WASHBURN, NORTH DAKOTA
PREVENTION OF PRAIRIE FIRES.
rs. b. No. 1871
An Act for the Prevention of Prairie Fires and tic
Provide Against Damage Done by Them; also
Prescribing Duties of County Commissioners in
Relation Thereto.
Be i Enae5fd Sy he Legislative ASSEMBLY Of Mt
SECTION l. 1t shall be lawful for the
county Commissioners of any county in
this State to provide such tools and appli-
ances as in their judgment should be pro
yided to aid and assist in making firebreaks
to prevent the spread Of prairie fires and
damage caused thereby.
SEC. 2. The board of county. commits
county into as many districts as may in
their Judgment be necessary, and each dis
trict SO formed shall be known and desig-
mated as fire district No.; Provided,
That whenever practicable a road 0verseer
residing in said fire district shall be fire
warden, who shall act under his oath OF
Office as said road overseer, and who shall
in addition be required to give a bond with
two good and sufficient sureties in the pc
nal sum of five hundred (500) dollars for
the faithful discharge OF the duties OF said
fire warden.
SEC s. The road supervisors shall have
the right. and 1t is hereby. made their duty,
board Of county commissioners at any reg
ular meeting, firebreaks shall be made, to
call on any and all persons liable for the
payment Of road poll tax in their respec-
tive districts to come forth with such TOOLS
or teams as the road supervisor may direct
and work upon such hreDreaks al a TWO
days in each year..
Sec. 4. The road supervisors shall give
at least three days notice to all persons IL
able for road poll tax and living within
their respective districts, of the time and
place when and where they are 10 appear
Tor work on fi%rebreaKs, and with what i'm
plements. Every person warned to work
NAV appear In person or by an able-bodied
substitute, and the person or substitute
shall actually work eight hours in each
day. Every person notified who refuses
or neRlects to appear as above provided
shall Be fined the sum of twenty. five (25)
dollars, to be collected as other ines are
collected.
SEC. s. The fire warden may use his dis
erection and take advantage OF any creek,
river or other natural or artificial barrier to
prairie fires, and of broken or ploWed fields,
and may In his judgment map out his dls-
trict in any form, so that when the fire.
guards are made q prairie fire may De con-
fined to the smallest possible area con.
o4okOk1t "kBAkV 4A1
available In his fire district.
SEC.6 6. A strip of blowing or of burning,
or partly plowed and party burned, not
less than sixty-six 1857 feet wide is hereby
designated a legal firebreak or fireguard.
SEC. z: For the purpose Of making a
prairie on fire; Provided, That the prairie
so set on fire shall not exceed one hundred
(lOO) feet in width and shall be protected
on each side by a strip of blowing or of
burning not less than five (5) feet wide,
and at any such burning there shall not be
less than four ~ msn R4 present tn and pre-,
to keep such fire under control.
SEC. 8. The board of county commits
siOners are hereby authorized to expend
not to exceed the sum of n thousand
dollars annually. from the o and
bridge fund, for the purpose OF construct
ing iireguards.
SEC. s. The fire warden shall have the
power to summon all persons liable for
highway tax to work the same in aiding to
to make f%ireguards, and they shall have
the same credits therefor as II the work
had been upon the highways. The same
law as I notice and failure to work.. as
applies to highway work shall apply to ms
law.
SEC. 10. The fire warden shall have
power and is hereby authorized to call out
. sufficient number of men IN case a
prairie fire threatens any portion OF ms
IRE district, to extinguish or control SAID
fire as far as possible and to protect prop
erty, and any one Warned out Dy n ,de w nle
refuses or neglects to respond, unless ne
renders q reasonable excuse, h be ad.
Judged guilty of a m~isdemeanor and lined
not less than ten (l0) dollars nor more than
twenty five (25) dollars; Provided, now
ever, That any one so called out snail De
given credit The same as IT he performed
labor on this highways.
Sec. II. It Is hereby made the duty OF
every railroad company within this state
that is operated by steam power as soon as
possible In each year to burn or otherwise
destroy all grass, weeds or other cOmouS-
tible matter upon the right OF way OF such
railroad company.
SEC. IL. Every person or cooperation who
shall wlllfully, negligently or carelessly
set on fire, or cause to be set on fire any
woods, hay, weeds or prairie grass snail De
guilty of q misdeameanOr, and shall, upon
conviction, be fined not less than flye nun
dred dollars or by imprisonment IN the
both such fine and imprisonment, in the
discretion of the court, and shall also be
liable to any person or persons or corpora
ton damaged by such fire to the amount OF
sSEc: is. All acts or parts of acts in any.
manner in conflict with the provision or
this act are hereby repealed.
SEC. IL. There being no adequate rem
edy against prairie fires and the necessity
tor taking legal action long before July
LIST creates an emergency, therefore, tnls
hiil shali become q law from and after its
passage and approval.
Approved March 9, 1891.
TO ENCOURAGE CONSTRUCTION OF
ARTISAN WELLS.
rs. B. No. 1881