Elmore County Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1910-1915, 1910-05-14

memorandum OF agreement with Tie
Northern Pacific Railway company,
which provides for cooperation of
the forest service from fires along
all lines operated by these railroads.
These agreements had already been
signed by r. l. Harrington, vice pres
ident of the Great Northern and How
ard Elliott, president of the North.
ern Pacific. SO that they are, by the
signature of the Secretary of Agr,-
culture, now In force.
The agreements have in view both
the reduction to the lowest point Of
the fire risk from the operation of
the railroads 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 MA
terial strip of varying width, as
conditions may demand, up to 200
feet beyond the right of way, and to
provide all locomotives which do not
burn oil with suitable spark arrest
ers and other standard equipment to
prevent the dropping of fire 1t is al
50 stipulated that every effor. will
be made by the companies to operate
their locomotives so as to cause no
fires. The protective strip is desig-
mated jointly by representatives Of
the railroad and the forest service.
In fighting fires the railroads and
forest service will cooperate close
y. Prompt notification to forest Of
ficials of all fires discovered by en-
ployees 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 desirable. Warning
Whistles will be sounded by locomo-
tives on occasion. Forest fire fight
ers will be assembled on the out
break of the fires, made up of for
est officers, railroad employees, and
s lch temporary labor as can be gath
cred by either. Except for salaries of
regular employees the cost of fight
ing fires which start within 200 feet |
Of the railroads will be borne by the |
companies and of all others by the |
forest service, unless it shall be show
In first case that the railroads were
not responsible or in the second case
that they were responsible for the outs
break of the fire.
The agreement provided that the
forest service will regularly patrol
he rights of way during the fire sea-
son. The work of clearing the strips
satisfactorily, including disposal of all
S ash and refuse, is to be performed
oy the railroads under the supervision
If the forest service.
Since the courts have sustained the
right of the department of agricul-
ture to collect damages from railroad
cunning through national forests for
firest which they cause, there is in
this fact strong inducement for
abroad companies to join the de-
partment in the effort to keep the fir
% down, but other reasons are doubt
less potent, and perhaps the most po-
ent ones, in the favor of this agree
ment. The Northern Pacific, being a
and grant railroad, owns a great
amount of timber on the alternate
sections along its line. The Great
Northern, although it is not land
: ant road, also has property at stake
n its buildings and the line itself, OPP
GRAFTON of which may be seriously in
erfered with by forest conflagratiOns.
The value of heavy timber in noun
famous regions as a deterrent to av-
,lanches, landslides and floods, is al
SO to be considered. But from the
standpoint of far sighted business
policy a still broader argument Is
The relation of the forests to the
general welfare of the regions whose
.raffic the railroads handle. Timber
which goes up In smoke pays no
freight tolls, and unchecked forest
devastation means the enfeeblement
If many industries dependent on
wood or water. For this reason, tho
here were no other, Secretary Will
sons foresters think the new agree
nents of important significance.