Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-05-30

men were seriously burned, and one has
become hopelessly insane.
Hundreds of deer were believed to have
been surrounded by fire and killed in the
low range of mountains between Tucson
and Speleyah creeks. Many carcasses were
found there, the number of smaller game
killed-grouse and squirrels-being very
great In meadow where some people
took shelter from the flames they were
companied by SIX black bears, eight deer
and a lynx. At another place where sew
eral families were OCCUPYING small clear
ing a number of deer took shelter with
them. AS supplies were low the animals
We're shot, but one of the men told me that
he would rather have stolen that much pro-
visions. In Washington 1G5 settlers had
their homes burned. and in Oregon eighty
six families were left homeless"
State Fire Laws Needed.
The forestry bureau will suggest new for
est fire legislation for the various states,
and will recommend methods of fire pre-
vention for the private land owner as soon
as this investigation shall have been COM
pleted. The federal government also will
profit by the research and use it as the
basis of reforms in the protection of the
81 21S 600 acres in the national forest re-
serves The best state forest fire laws are
those of Minnesota, Pennsylvania, New
York and Washington. Many other states
have good forest fire laws, but do not en-
lack of appropriation they are dead letters.
New Jersey has good laws, but does not APP
propriate any money for their enforcement.
Yet no state suffers more from forest fires.
in proportion to it's area, than does New
Jersey.
Washington has gone further than any
other state by instituting fire patrol sys-
TEN for It's forests This has just been
done, upon the impetus of the fatal fires of
last fall. The state land commissioner is
made eX ofco forest fire warden. The
county commissioners, road supervisors,
state land cruisers and timber cruisers
made eX officiO deputy forest fire wardens
forest patrolmen-at-large and special forest
patromen. respectively. They can make
arrests without warrant. Each year, dur
ing the "close season. when timber lands
are most in danger of fire, no person may
burn any slashing or chopping without
written permission. after which all neigh
bors must be notified and the road super
visors shall furnish men to prevent the
fires spreading. The deputies are to daily
patrol the forests. post notices, warn camp
ers, see that all locomotives and logging en-
gines entering the territory have spark ar
rosters. extinguish smoldering fires and en-
list aid from any person nearby. Any one
refusing such aid Is liable to fine up to $40.
There are heavier penalties for allowing
fires to spread and for operating between
June and October engines without spark
arreSters.
The good results of the forest fire patrol
system have been proven in the federal for
est reserves. where it has been in opera
ton during the past five years. During
this time there has been an absence of
serious fires. One patrolman is assigned
to territory twelve miles square.
Great forest fires entail a broader evil
than that viewed from the direct stand
point of commercial economy. They have
a lasting deleterous effect upon climate
and health. AS a result, hot waves period
ically fall where they never fell before
Persia, once one of the chief granaries OF
the east. is now barren and desolate over
a large extent of its area and North Africa
one of the chief granaries of ancient Rome
is now subject to the severest droughts.
The climates of Spain, Italy, Sicily. Greece
and Asia Minor have also suffered from
this same cause-defOrestation
Trees are about one-half water in their
composition, and it is estimated that fair
sized oak or poplar will exhale twenty gall
Ions of water per day. Every forest is an
oxygen factory and ozone is one of it's re-
freshing by-products.
JOHN ELFRETH WATKINS, JR.