The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1910-05-07
form union TO
fight FOREST fires

Secretary Wilson has signed a memo
randum of agreement with the Great
Northern Railway company, and also
one with the Northern Pacific Railway
company, which provides for co-opera-
ton of the forest service and the rail
roads to prevent damage to the nation.
al forests from fires along all lines
operated by these railroads. These
agreements had already been signed
by r. ]. harrington, vice e-president of
the Great Northern, and Howard Ell
lott, president of the Northern Pacific,
so that they are, by the signature of
the secretary Of agriculture now in
force.
The agreements have in view both
the reduction to the lowest point of the
fire risk from the operation of the rail
roads and joint action by the forest
service and the railroads to fight all
fires which may start along the lines.
The companies agree to clear and keep
clear of inflamable material a strip
of varying width, as conditions may de-
mand, up to 200 feet beyond the right
of way, and to provide all locomotives
which do not burn oil with suitable
spark arresters and other standard
equipment to prevent the dropping of
fire. 1t is also stipulated that every
effort will be made by the companies
to operate their locomotives so as not
to cause fires The protective strip is
to be designated jointly by representa-
tives of the railroad and the forest
service.
In fighting fires the railroads and the
forest service will cooperate closely
Prompt notification to forest officers of
all fires discovered by employees Of the
railroads is provided for. Telephone
lines to make this possible will be put
up by the forest service, using the
companies poles where this is desir-
able. Warning whistles will be sound
ed by locomotives on occasion. Forces
of fire fighters will be assembled on
the outbreak of fires, made up of forest
officers, railroad employees and such
temporary labor as can be gathered by
either. Except for salaries of regular
employees the cost of fighting fires
which start within 200 feet Of the
railroads will be borne by the com
panies and of all others by the forest
service, unless it shall be shown in the
first case that the railroads were not
responsible or in the second case that
they were responsible for the out
break of the fire.
The agreement provides that the
forest service will regularly patrol the
rights of way during the FIRE season.
The work of clearing the strips salts
factorily, including disposal of all
slash and refuse, is to be performed by
the railroads under the supervision Of
the forest service.
Since the courts have sustained the
right of the department of agriculture
to collect damages from railroads run
ming through national forests for
fires which they cause, there is in this
fact strong inducement for railroad
companies to join with the department
in the efforts to keep fires down; but
other reasons are doubtless potent, and
perhaps the most potent ones, in favor
of this agreement. The Northern Pa
cifc, being land-grant railroad, owns
a great amount Of timber on the alter
nte sections along its line. The Great
Northern, although it is not land
grant road, also has property at stake
in its buildings and the line itself,
operation of which may be seriously in
terfered with by forest conflagrations.
The value of heavy timber in noun
tainous regions as deterrant to ava
lanches, landslides and floods is also
to be considered. But from the stand
point of a far-sighted business policy
still broader argument is the relation
of the forest to the general welfare of
the regions whose traffic the railroads
handle Timber which goes up in
smoke pays no freight tolls, and un-
checked forest devastation means the
enfeeblement of many industries de-
pendent on wood or water. For this
reason, though there were no other,
Secretary Wilson's foresters think the
new agreements of important signif-
canoe.