The Ketchikan miner., 1908-10-24
HISTORIC FOREST FIRES.

The tSrrl0le HorA or the names which during the past two months burned over and destroyed hundreds $
 of thousands of acres of timber and
 property, in she lake states recalls to
 memory other great forest fires. all of which should serve to reconcile the public to the wisdom of the policy of the government in it's effort at the protection and conservation of timber on the public domain, whatever may
 be their criticisms, here and there. of the red tape regulations made by
 the department for administration of she law itself in it's minor details. Indeed it may be well considered, if.
 really the forestry law does npt stop short of the full measure of wisdom
 in that it fails to provide for re-
 and conservatism of rapidly diminish ing tim Der supply. As long ago as ,he colonial days, drastic laws were enacted, providing for replant- ing forests, and she benefit that should have accrued had such policy been
 perpesuaIede in all the states would have been incclculable. Whether it
 bs in the province Uf the general
 government. or of the states. most
 assuredIy The question of reforestra-
 sion is one second to only in in-
 portauce to that of protection and conservation provided for by forestry
 reserve laws
 Inci.ed thereto by the recent great
 fires in the lake regions. the forestry
 bureau has recently described some
 Of the most notable historic fires
 which have occurred in this country,
 the earliest of which WAS the great
 Mirsmichi fire of 1895. IL began it's greatest destruction about o'clock
 in the afternoon of October 7rh of that year. as place about sixty miles above s.Ie town of Newcastle, on the
 Miramichi river in New Brunswick.
 Before 10 o'clock that night ii had destroyed belt of forest thirty miles long and twenty-five miles wide. Over more than two and one half million acres almost every living thing was killed. Even the fish were found after-
 wards dead in heaps on the river
 banks. Five hundred and Dlnety buildings were burned and a number of towns. including Newcastle, Chatham and DougIastown were destroyed. One hundred and sixty
 p rsons perished, ard nearly a tnous- and head of stock The loss from the Hesimichi fire is estimated at s3OO. co not including rbe timher.
 The Peshtigo fire Of ls7l. was still more severe than rbe Mirimichi. It covered an area of more than 1000 square miles ju Wisconsin and invoIv- cd los in timber and other proper v of many million dolIars. BetueeG 1. Pa, and l.JO0 persons perished, in- clujing nearly half .be population of Pesbsizo. a, that time a town of 2, GO 
 Other fires Of about the same time were Bsoss destructive in Michigan. 4 strip about forty miles wide and IsO miles long. extending across the cen- tral part of the state, from Lake 70 Lake Huron, was devss- tsEed. The estimated loss in timber vas about i,OOO. GO, GO feet board measure and in money over alO, O0O, GO. l Several hundred persons perished.
 In the early part of September, lssl. great fires covered more than l ]. 300 square miles in various parts of | The estimated loss in in addition to many hundred l thousand acres of valuable .inber. was more than s2, 30O,OD0 Over 5000 persons were made destitute, and the number of lives lost is yarionsIy es- .Imaied at from I5O to 5OO.
 The most destructive fire of more recent years was that which started l pear HiDckIey, Minnesota, on Sep i .ember let, 1go4. While the area burned over was less than iD some other great fires, the loss of life and property was very heavy. HinckIey md six other towns were destroyed, about 5O0 lives lost, more than 2,O00 persons were left destitute, and she