The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-09-11
By William Atherton Du Puv

OF nsxt Importance. In the history of
bad forest fires 1t has in most cases been
shown that these smoldered for days
and weeks and could have been easily
exterminated before they were finally
famed Into fury by some strong wind
and converted into agents of destruc-
ton.
Clear Out the Brush.
Practically none Of the states have
made adequate provision for the preYen-
ton or suppression Of forest fires. Prac-
tilcally all. however, have suffered loses
through fires that were ten times greater
these states the national government may
point out that II is necessary in the first
place to dispose Of the brush. and in the
second place to have oen on watch
whose duty 1t is to put out incipient
fires. These two steps Will go far
toward wiping out the losses and the
beyond them for better forest control
will bear fruit tenfold. The Chisholm
fire. In Minnesota. that wiped out "a
town TOW ,.on Of 5000 ., pc, people had smoudersd in
time that it broke upon the town That
but few people perished In this fire is
entirely due to the fortunate fact that
1t happened In mid afternoon, while
every one was up and about and ready
to fee to safety. II 1t had occurred at
perished In their beds. The loss was
estimated at $4,000 900, which figure is
contrasted with S11 900 set aside by the
state Legislature for fighting fires.
Great Tragedy in Michigan. :
Practically the same condition had ex-
listed around the village of Metz In Mich
igan. where the fires are yet hardly cold,
and where twenty-seven people are
known to have perished- This is the
greatest tragedy OF lnte years in connec-l
| tlon with forest fires. buc It is in no
way compared with some others that
have happened in the history Of the
country.
Death came to between 1900 and 1900
people In a fire that destroyed Peshtigo,
neighborhood in 1871 The flames bore
down on Peshtigo, taking the people un-
aware, and more than half of them per-
ataee sv e 5He tS
number Of lives lost were only roughly
estimated
The same year a strip forty miles wide
great forest peninsula Of Michigan. con-
| sumtng s10.000.000 worth Of standing
timber and causing tho death OF 300 poo
pie.
Four hundred people were killed. 5000
left homeless and destitute. 100000
worth OF property DESTROYED and 1890
Michigan forests in 1881
Another Tragic Chapter. :
Ao0 tIdBiC CHdptcT III tu0 VIOiyi
of fire destruction in recent years Is that
Of Hickey, Mimi. which was written I'M
1894, Fire had smouldered unnoticed for
weeks on the outskirts or the town and
| could have been extipguished at any
time. but the people were careless. Them
OF a sudden a strong WIND whipped the
flames into a fury and the town caught
| fire. 418 OF It's inhabitants perishing; g.
damage of s25. .0oe 900 was done.
Congress annually appropriates a snug
sum OF money for the fighting OF forest
fires. This season that sum was ex-
hausted in the very midst Of the biggest
! battles in the northwest. There is a law
which stipuates that a cabinet officer
| creating a deficit has violated the Law
and may be sent to prison for Ave years
In the face of this law Secretary VII
son has ordered the expenditure OF addi-
tional Sums OF money In FIRE fighting.
The fiscal year does not close until June
40, 1911, and deficits are not reckoned
until that date. Congress in the mean
| time meets and Will mako good the
money expended and the shortage WILL
not exist. Otherwise the patriarch Of the
cabinet would have to go to prison after
sitting for fourteen years about the adj
visory table Of presidents.