The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1900-11-16
MINNESOTA FORESTS
Precautions Against Forest Fires
Outlined.
The Fifth Annual Report of the Chief Fire
Warden of Minnesota.

preSSlon OF forest ana prairie hreS has
been in operation five years, and the
fifth annual report of the Chief Fire
Warden, Gen. c. c. Andrews, for the
year 1899, has recently been published.
1t is document of IA pages, and con-
tains numerous original illustrations
of Minnesota forests The law consti-
tutes town supervisors fire wardens,
and IN unorganized townships having
inhabitants the Chief Fire Warden APP
points fire wardens. The Chief Fire
Warden can mass the FIRE warden force
of the state at any special point to sup
press fires In ordinary years their pay
cannot exceed Is days at So day. In
emergencies, any able-bodied male cit
izen Is years of age may be called upon
TO help extinguish fire, for which he
may be paid 81. SO day for not exceed
ing five days in year. 1t is the duty
of chairmen and of fire wardens in un-
organized territory to investigate and
report fires to the Chief Fire Warden.
Such officers are furnished with blanks
for the purpose and stamped return
envelope, and may charge a fee for
making reports The number of for
est fires reported for 1899 was only 10;
acres burned over, 5, 6S5; damage, ST.
541. Number of pr airie fires, "a; acres
burned over, 24.616; damage, 81. $3.50
The drouth of 1900, regarded by many
as equal to that of 1894, when the
Hinckley fire occurred, had been
broken just as the report was ready to
be printed. In regard to this period
the Chief Fire Warden says:
There have been many forest fires, but
from all the Information i have received
I doubt if the aggregate damage caused
by them will exceed 100000, or 3 per cent
of the total valuation of the forests.
There has been no loss of life. Consider
ing the vast extent of the forest region,
the great activity prevailing and the dan
gerous weather. the damage is less than
might have been expected. While in some
cases fire wardens could, no doubt, have
been more on the alert, it is nevertheless
a fact that many fires were prevented,
controlled and extinguished by fire war
dens The fact that / have received
over 800 reports from various fire war
dens. relating TO fires and the precautions
being taken during the drought, is evil
dence OF their interest and activity.
The Pay of Fire wardens.
Under the present law it is the duty
of county commissioners to audit the
accounts of fire wardens when satisfied
of the Justice of the claim, but in two
or three of the thirty counties where
fire warden service should be active
the county commissioners have refused
to audit such accounts, and have prac-
tically nullified the law in their coun-
ties The state promptly reimburses
each county to the amount of one-third
of what they expend for fire warden
service and no county can expend
more than $500 in any one year under
the fire warden law. What better
method can be devised for the payment
of fire warden claims than by counties?
If payment be left to the respective
town boards, levy for the purpose
will have to be voted each year by the
town meeting, and it might frequently
happen that the towns which most
needed the service would fail to vote
the money. Also, it might often hap
pen that money would be voted and
not actually required; in which case
there would be temptation to spend 1T.
There might be cases where towns
could not afford to pay the necessary
expense. Suppose the state would as
sumo to pay all such expenses, how
could central officer very well scruti-
be liability of much more excessive &C
counts being presented than under the
present system?
We make the following additional
extracts from the report:
Punishment for Carelessly Causing Fires.
few persons have been convicted and
punished the past year for carelessly
causing fires. Fire wardens, however, are
reluctant TO institute criminal proceed
ings: and ii is natural that they should
be unwilling to make criminal complaint
against a man who. perhaps, will be their
neighbor or townsman through life. Still,
men who accept Official trusts should
have courage to discharge them faithful
ly. Communities often feel that a man is
being wronged If he is prosecuted; they
do not stop to think that the principal
object of punishment is to deter others
from committing similar offenses- Very
good people are liable to be careless, and
when we punish a man who in a needless
and careless spirit, sets fire in very dry
and windy weather, which he ought to
know he cannot control and which de-
stroys or endangers the property Of 9TH
ers he should be made an example of;
not for revenge or because we wish to
injure him, but as a warning to many
others 10 TeIfd1n from OOlIlS Inc same
Guarantees by Railroad Companies Against
Fires.
The act of congress Of March 3, 1875,
grants railroad companies rights of way
through the public lands of the United
States, and the act of congress of March
2. 1899 grants general right of way for
railroads through Indian reservations;
and the laws of Minnesota give railroad
companies power to acquire rights of way
by purchase or condemnation of land
None of these laws provide guarantees
arainst causing forest fires by companies
Operating railroads. and it would seem
that they should be amended so as to Sc
cure proper guarantees against such
evils
Fires ON Indian Reservations
While the fire warden law applies to
white people on Indian reservations, II
does not apply to Indians on their reser-
vations; with the view, therefore, to hav-
ing some regulations adopted that would
help prevent forest fires on Indian reSer-
vations, j visited Washington in the ear
1y part of December last, and had Sat1s-
factory interviews with the secretary OF
the interior, the commissioner of the gen.
eral land Office and with the commission
er of Indian affairs. with the result that
the latter issued regulations and instrue-
tions, In form of letter to the United
States Chippewa Indian agent at White
Earth. under date of December q. 1883.