Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1913-08-28
Forest Fires?

products were destroyed in West Vir
ginia during the year 1908 by forest fires
To prevent this destruction the LegisIa
ture Of 1909 enacted law.
IT is NOW UNLAWFUL
For any person to build fire, or use
an abandoned fire, in a field, public OF
private road, or adjacent to, or in any
woods or forests OF this State, unless such
fire is totally extingulshed before leaving
same.
10 negllgently set on FIRE any fields,
woods or lands in this State. so as to
thereby occasion loss, damage or injury
to another person; the fine is not less
than $50 90 nor more than $500 90, and
in the discretion of the court trying same
a jail sentence may be imposed, not 10
exceed one year.
70 unlawfully and nialiciously set fire
to any woods, fields. grass, straw or
other thing capable of spreading fire on
lands, the fine is not to exceed $4,000
and jail sentence Of not less than two
nor more than twelve months, and any
person injured thereby, or in consequence
thereof, may recover double the amount
OF damages sustained.
To willfully set on fire any woods,
fields or lands, within this State, not
your own, SO as to thereby occasion
damage or injury to any other person,
constitutes felony, punishable by con-
finement in the Penltentary for not less
than one nor more than five years.
RAILROAD COMPANIES
The law requires all railroad companies
to remove all infammable material from
their right-of-way, to provide all locomo-
tives with netting OF steel or iron wire to
prevent the escape of sparks and fire from
the smoke stacks, and adequate devices
to prevent the escape OF fire from ash
pans and furnaces, and to employ in
seasons Of drought and before vegetation
has revived in the spring, sufficient track
men to put out fires ON its rights of-way,
Engineers, conductors or trainmen dis
covering or knowing of fires in fences, or
other material along right-of-way OF the
railroad shall report same at the first sta
ton, to the station agent and such sta
ton agent shall forthwith notify the
nearest fire warden, and use all necessary
means to extingulsh same. ANY en-
poyee or officer of railroad company
violating any such provisions shall be
fined not less than 500 90 nor more than
5000 90.
FIRE WARDENS
The Forest, Game and Fish Warden is
ex-ofiicio fire warden of the State, and all
deputy wardens are deputy fire wardens
for their respective counties.
IN CASE OF FIRE
Notify some deputy warden, or if none
is near, summon help and extinguish the
fire yourself, and proper blanks will be
furnished you by the state warden on
which to make your report
BE CAREFUL WITH FIRE
Be careful with matches, cigars, pipes,
and all devices calculated to set out fires.
The time to control fire is before 1T is
started. ga STITCH IN TIME SAVES
NINE is true of forest fires Fire is the
most dangerous element in nature.
All citizens of West Virginia should
join in crusade to lessen this element Of
destruction to our forests Any assistance
or help you can give to prevent or stop
these fires, or any information as to viola
tons of this statute will be greatly APP
preciated. Wire or write,
j. A. yIQUESNEY,
Forest, Game and Fish Warden,
Belington, w. Va