Graham guardian., 1910-05-13
WILL COOPERATE
Railroads Make Agreement
With Forest Service for
Control of Fires


memorandum of agreement with the
Great Northern Railway Company,
and also one with the Northern Pa
cific Railway Company, which pro-
vides for cooperation of the Forest
Service and the railroads to prevent
damage to the national forests from
fires along all lines operated by
these railroads. These agreements
had already been signed by R. |.
harrington, vice president of the
Great Northern, and Howard Elliott,
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 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 all infamma-
BILE material 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 arresters and other
standard equipment to prevent the
dropping of fire. 1t is also stipu-
lated 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 designa-
ted jointly by representatives of the
railroad and the Forest Service.
In fighting fires the railroads and
the Forest Service will cooperate
closely. Prompt notification to for
est officers of all fires discovered by
employees of the railroads is pro-
vided for. Telephone lines to make
this possible will be put up by the
Forest Service. using the companies
poles where this is desirable. Warn
ing whistles will be sounded by loco
motives 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 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
shown in the first case that the
railroads were not responsible, or
in the second case that they were
responsible for the outbreak 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
strip satisfactorily, including dispos-
al of all slash and refuse, is to be
performed by the railroads under
the supervision of the Forest Ser
vice.
Since the courts have sustained
the right of the Department of Ag-
riculture to collect damages from
railroads running through national
forests for fires which they cause,
there is in this fact a strong induce
ment for railroad companies to join
with the department in the effort
to keep fires down; but other rea-
sons are doubtless potent, and per-
haps the most potent ones, in favor
of this agreement. The Northern
Pacific, being a land-grant railroad,
owns great amount of timber on
the alternate sections along it's line.
The Great Northern, although it is
not land-grant road, also has prop
erty at stake in its buildings and
the line itself, operation of which
may be seriously interfered with by
forest conhagrations. The value of
heavy timber in mountainous regions
as deterrent to avalanches, land
slides and floods is also to be con-
sidered. But from the standpoint
of a far-sighted business policy a
still broader argument is the rela-
ton of the forests to the general
welfare of the regions whose traffic
the railroads handle. Timber which
goes up in smoke pays no freight
tolls, and unchecked forest devasta-
ton means the enfeeblement of
many industries dependent on wood
or water. For this reason, though
there were no other, Secretary Will
sons foresters think the new agree
ments of important significance.