The Waxahachie daily light. [volume] (Waxahachie, Tex.) 1894-current, 1908-10-27
HOW FOREST FIRES START.
Most Timber Conflagrations Result
From Carelessness of Campers

FROM CarcIesSneSS OF Campers
Washington, Oct. 27.-What
starts these forest fires? This ques-
ton has been asked over. and over
again this summer by readers OF the
accounts OF the destructive fires
which have been raging in all parts
of the country.
Campers and locomotives, is the
usual answer. Many of the other
things which start blazes in the for
est are forgotten 1t Is true that per-
haps one-half to three-fourths of the
forest fires do begin as result of
the carelessness of some camper, or
from sparks flying from locomotives
but there are a number of things
which set the woods a-fire.
complete report of forest fires
on the private forests of the country
and their causes is not kept by any
one Uncle Sam, however. is most
careful to account for the damage
done by the blazes on his timber
land under forest administration, ag-
gregating about 1853, 100000 acres,
and each year the total area burned
over, the cumberland burned over,
the amount of timber destroyed and
and the causes of fires are carefully
checked up. These reports are made
at the end of the calendar year, and
the announcement of this years los
ses will therefore not be known for
more than two months.
Last years figures, however, give
a good idea of the things which
cause fires in forests. OF the 1885
fires discovered on the national for
ests last year, all of which were
checked by the rangers before they
had burned over fourteen hum
tdredths of one per cent (14-100 of
l per cent? of the national forest
area, campers caused 346, while rail-
roads followed next with 275; light
ming came next, with 176; donkey
engines used in numbering opera
tons, fourth, with sixty-five; fires
caused by careless brush burning by
honest leaders clearing land, "a; hres
caused by incendiaries and those set
by herders and hunters, 80. For
more than 400 of the fires the cause
is not known This is not strange
when it is remembered that fire
nay smolder for days, if the air is
TOO thick to permit the smoke to be
seen at a distance before it breaks
out when famed by wind so as to
reveal it's presence to the watchfuf
forest officer.
While campers caused more fires
than locomotives last year, there are
many seasons when the railroads
hold undisputed claim to first place.
Forest fires started by both are most
| ly unnecessary. If campers would ex-
ercise care in starting camp fires and
| he sure that they are extinguished
| before they are left, and If the rail-
jYoad companies would use the most
modern and efficient spark arresters,
| I is reasonable to think that the an
lnual forest fire loss could be reduced
more than one-half. Lightning ranks
| third among the causes of fires, and
jof course man has no greater respon
sihility in this case than to put the
fire out as soon as possible after dis
coyery Careless brush burning by
homesteaders and persons clearing
| land is said to be the cause OF many
of the fires which have started this
year, particularly. those which have
| swept over the Lake states.
/ The ranger force on many of the
national forests has been kept busy
! fighting fires which, if left to run
Unchecked, would have done meal
cuable damage BY quickening COM
| munication between important
points through the construction of
telephone lines. and building roads
and trails, the national forests have
been made more accessible turing
the past two years and fire lighting
has been greatly facilitated.