Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1895-05-30

Chapter 266. Laws OF 1895, is an
act to provide for the better protec-
ton of life and property against forest
fires. Its salient features are as fol-
lows:
SECTION /. The chief clerk of the
state laad office shall be the state
forest warden, and the assistant chief
clerk Of the state land office shall be
the deputy forest warden, neither of
whom shall receive any additional
compensation for the duties performed
under the provisions of this act.
SECTION 2. The supervisors Of the
town and road uperintendents in this
state herby constituted fire wardens
OF their several towns, and the chair
man of the town board Of each town
shall be the chairman of the town fire
wardens; he shall report the names
and post-ofiice address OF all the fire
wardens of his town to the state forest
warden on or before the first day of
May of each year. 1t shall be the
duty OF said fire wardens to take pre-
cautions to prevent the improper set
ting or progress of fires, and when
fire is observed therein, to immedi-
ately summon such assistance as they
may deem necessary, 90 at once TO
the scene of it, and, if possible. ex-
tinguish it. They shall cause to be
posted at places frequented by camp
ing parties, tourists, hunters and fish
ermen. in their respective towns,
warnings against causing fire, to be
printed in large letters on cloth and
to be furnished by the forest warden;
and anyone wantonly tearing down or
defacing any notice posted under this
act shall be liable to pay a fine of ten
dollars. Fire wardens shall duly re-
port the occurrence of fires 10 the
forest wardens, the cause of the same
to the best of their information, and
the amount of property destroyed
Fire wardens, and such persons as
they may employ shall be paid for
their services by the towns in which
such fires occur, but at the rate of
not exceeding one dollar and fifty
cents per day, but no fire warden shall
be paid in any one year for more than
ten days service in extinguishing or
preventing fires, nor for more than
five days service in posting notices.
nor in the aggregate for more than
fifteen days services, of whatever
character, in any one year; nor shall
any one person employed by fire
wardens to assist in extinguish;ng or
preventing fires be paid for more than
five days of such service in any one
year. No towns shall expend more
than one hundred dollars of public
money under this act in any one year.
No payment shall be made to fire
wardens, or to any person they may
employ. until they shall have rendered
an itemized account. duly subscribed
and sworn to by them respectively,
which account shall be left on file
with the officer making the payment
SECTION 3. ANY person who shall
build fire on any lands in this state
not his own or under his control, ex-
pit as hereinafter provided, shall be-
fore leaving the same, totally extin-
guish such fires, and upon failure To
do SO. such person shall be deemed
guilty of misdemeanor, and upon
conviction thereof. shall be punished
by fine not exceeding one hundred
dollars or by Imprisonment in the
county Jail, not exceeding one month,
or by both such fine and imprison-
ment. Any person who shall will
fIlly or negligently set fire to, or as
sist another 70 set fire on any land,
whereby such land is injured or en-
dangered, or who wi1fullv or negligent
~ suffers any fire upon his own land
to escape beyond the limits thereof.
to the injury of the land of another,
shall upon conviction thereof, be
punished by fine not exceeding one
hundred dollars. or by imprisonment
in the county jail not exceeding one
month or by both such fine and inn
prisonment, and be liable to the per-
son injured for all damages that may
be caused by such fire. And during
the months of July, August, Septem-
Der and October of each wear no fire
shall be set upon any land. in any town
ofthis state, tor any purpose other than
the purposes provided for in section
Of this act, and providing the fire
NathShS nave INsttu dt teaSt che
notice in each road district in the
town requiring that no such fires
shall be set, except upon the written
permission Of one OF the fire wardens
of said town.
SECTION 4. All hunters, trappers,
fishermen, campers, surveyors, pros
pectors, land loeators, travellers or
other persons who start camptires
shall exercise all reasonable precau-
tions to prevent damage from the
same, and shall eNtinguish the same
before leaving them The penalty
for failure to comply with the require
ments of this section shall be fine
OF not less than thirty dollars and
costs. or imprisonment in the county
Jail not more than six months tor
! each 0ffense