The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1904-04-15
FOREST FIRES.
Hunters and Fishermen are Asked to Dee
Care 10 IS to Reduce Danger to tho =
~ Minimum Point. 4

Every summer and autumn large
areas Of public and private forests are
devastated by fire. This destruction is
a universal injury. 1t not only de-
stroys valuable asset in the list of the
country's resources, but is productive of
floods. The forest is the most effective
means OF preventing floods and produc-
ing more regular flow OF water for
irrigation and other useful purposes.
10 prevent the miscl1ievous forest
tlres congress has enacted a Law which
forbids setting fire to the woods, and
forbids leaving fires (ca,np fires and
others) without first extinguishing the
The law provides. maximum fine of
$1,000 or imprisonment for two years, or
both, IT the fire is set maliciously, and
a fne' OF 81 ,ooo or imprisonment for one
year, It the fire is due to carelessness.
1t also provides that the money from
these fines goes to the school funds Of
the county in which the offense is COM
mitted.
Commissioner w. A. Richards of the
general land Office, has issued circulars,
warning the public. against carelessness,
lnasmuch as many fires start from neg
lected camp fires, and makes the follow
ing requests:
do not build larger fire than you
need.
DO not build your fires in dense
masses of pine leaves, duff and other
combustible material, where the fire is
sure to spread! =.
3-Do not build your fire against
large logs, especially rotten logs, where
| it requires much more work and time
to put the fire out than you are will
ing to expend, and where you are rare
ly quite certain that the fire is really
and completely extinguished
4-1n windy weather and in danger
Gus places dig fire hole and clear off
a place to secure your fire. You will
save wood and trouble.
every camp fire should be complete
ly put out before leaving the camp.
6-Do not build fires to clear off
land and fox other similar purposes
without informing the nearest ranger
or the supervisor, so that he may assist
you.
| AS hunters, fishers and campers will
soon haunt the woods and streams, it
is hoped that newspapers everywhere
will circulate this warning and infor-
nation.
Coming Back.
|; immigration officials of the northern
coast lines say that evidence is accumu-
lating which tends to; show that many
of the American settlers who have gone
into the Canadian Northwest during the
last few years will return and will take
up farms in the Western states A con-
siderable inquiry is developing, and ar
engagements have already been made to
ibring back a number of families and
}settle them on lands in Washington. i,
Many of the settlers that went from
the United States into Canada, the let
tiers indicate, have not Jared we'll, and
have been less successful than they ex-
pected. Many of them found the wintef
| vcryisevere, and they are anxious to dis
pose of their holdings and seek the
milder climate of the Pacific coast states
| The local commercial bodies in Washing
ton cities, an official said yesterday, have
received an even heavier inquiry from
| Canadian points, and in several in
stances have been able to complete ar
engagements to bring back parties Of
Americans who settled in the North
west territories and locate them on
American land.