The Detroit times., 1910-11-14
RANGER SERVICE
is BADLY NEEDED
Forests in Northwest Show Losses
of Billions of Feet of Lumber
BY Fires.

WASHINGTON. Nov 1.-THE sum
mer OF 1910 must be put down as the
blacklist season in the annals OF the
forest districts OF the northwest.
In Washington Oregon. the pan
handle OF Idaho, western Montana
and northern Minnesota there were
devastated by fire districts asgregat-
ing perhaps nearly as large an area
as the whole Of Ireland. Scores OF
lives were lost Billions Of feet OF
timber was destroyed The loss, esti-
mated in dollars. must be counted In
hundreds OF millions
Now that winter has come and the
rains and SHOWS have fallen on the
waste districts, putting out the smot
dering fires. the forestry officials are
making a survey Of the district and
counting the cost They find that,
roughly this IS what the fires OF the
summer OF 1910 have done:
They have taken more than a hun
dred lives. = in the far northwest
and 80, possibly 80. in the Lake OF the
Woods region and have made hun
dreds OF families homeless.
They nave laid waste in the Bitter
Rect mountains Il district miles
long and 80 miles wide. This in Is
hours
They have destroyed in southern
Oregon S00000,000 feet OF standing
timber
I'm the two states Of Oregon and
Washington they have destroyed q
billion feet OF national forest timber
They swept a great tract in western
Montana.
In northern Minnesota they de-
stIoyed S2O0o,000 worth OF timber in
one day,
In the whole country they destroy
ed timber 70 the value Of sl75.O00.00J
TO 5000 900. 600, the entire lumber cut
OF two years about eighty billion
feet
Losses Wholly Unnecessary.
Il is difficult to realize the extent
of these losses. II IS more difficult
still to realize that these losses in
life and property We're wholly I'M
necessary. that with ordinary precau
ton on the part OF government and
public the great forest fires OF 1910
would never have been And II seems
past belief that the loss entailed by
fire this summer in Minnesota alone
reaches an aggregate equal 20 the
sum that would be required TO cover
the cost of extending the state rang
er service, as proposed, for period
OF fifty years.
Further. Il IS difficult for those VINO
have never experienced the horrors
OF a great bush fire TO form any ade-
quate conception OF what il is like.
Assistant District Forester Silcox,
writing Of the great fire driven before
the hurricane Of Aug 20-2l, gives a
word picture that serves 10 carry
some idea OF what the devastating
element may be at It's worst He
says
The roar of these fires was heard
for miles and was likened by some
of the rangers to the noise OF thou
sand freight trains crossing stimuli.
taneously as many steel trestles Al
many points the fire jumped rivers .
quarter OF a mile wide, and in several
instances lcaped across canyons q
mile or more in width from ridge TO
ridge. leaving solid strips OF green
timber untouched.
"Cinders ashes and burning en-
bers We're carried many miles The
nearest fire 20 NissouIa, Mont. was
about twelve miles, yet Cinders fell
i'm the streets and the clouds OF smoke
and ashes were so thick that the cleo.
trio lights were liz az 3 o'clock i'm the
afternoon. The sun shining through
these clouds gave vivid, lurid glare,
as OF a great confaRratiOn
Due To careleesness.
There is no excuse f5r forest FIRE.
All fires started by Individuals or by
railroads arc attributable 10 careless.
ness. Only fires started By lightning
are beyond human control as 10 their
beginning And in forests properly
patrolled and properly supplied with
trails and phone lines there is little
chance for any Ere 20 gain great
headway Thcy don't have great fires
in the great forests Of Europe.
So when folks consider that forest
fires have cost MS scores Of lives aud
millions of dollars this year. they can
lind only one possible answer TO the
question o. Why they have cost 50
dearly.
American forests ore not guarded
as they should be.
There is many q ranger IN the west
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