The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1910-05-07
Railroad News
COOPERATE TO
Fight FIRES
SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE
: MAKES AN AGREEMENT WITH
THE GREAT MOI fHERN AND
NORTHERN PACIFIC RAILROADS
FOR THE CONTROL.

Secretary Wilson has signed a
memorandum of agreement with the
Great Northern Railway Co and also
one with the Northern Pacific Railway
Co, which provides 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 L. ]. Earring
ton, vice. president of the Great North
ern 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 clong the lines
The companies agree to clear and keep
clear of inf1ammable material strip
| OF varying widti., as conditions may
demand, UP to 200 feet beyond the
right of-way, and to provide all loco
motives 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
Icompanies to operate their locomotives
so as not to cause fires. The protective
strip is to be designated 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 forest officers
iof ali fires discovered by employees of
1.-THE railroads is provided for. Tele-
tphone lines to make this possible will
be put up by the forest service, using
1.-THE companies poles where this Is de-
sirable Warning whistles will be
sounded by locomotives on occasion,
Forces Of fire fighters win be assembled
lon the outbreak of fires, made up of
forest officers, railroad employees, and
such temporary labor as can be gath
cred 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
lpanies 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 strips salts.
factorily, including disposal of al
, slash and refuse, Is to be performed b!
the railroads Tnder the supervision o
, the forest service ~
Since the courts have sustained tn
] right of the department Of agricultur
to collect damages from railroads run
ming through national forests for fire
! which they cause, there Is In this fac
a strong inducement for railroad com
! Ipanies to join with the department Il
r the effort to keep fires down. but othe
reasons are doubtless potent, and per
haps the most potent ones, in favor o
= this agreement. The Northern Pacifi
t being a Immigrant railroad, owns
Y great amount of timber on the alternat
9 sections along it's line. The Grea
Northern, although 1t Is not land
: grant road, also has property at stalk
!, in it's buildings and the line itsel
e operation Of which may be seriousl
o interfered with by forest confagra
= tons. The value of heavy timber 1
Y mountainous regions as deterrent t
S lavalanches, 1andslides and floods is ais
. to be considered. But from the stand
4 point of far-sighted business polio
a still broader argument is the rela
e ton of the forests to the general wei
n fare of the regions whose traffic tn
}. railroads handle. Timber which goe
k up in smoke pays no freight tolls an
IS unchecked forest devastation near
IS the enfeeblement of many industrie
e dependent on wood or water. For tn
reason, though there were no othe
Secretary Wilson's foresters think I'll
If new agreements of important signif
y canoe.