The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1914-02-25

ID. " N


SIS. california and Oregon. ali ott-
ers showing a marked decrease VI
the 45,2 SincsndIaTy fires, 1928 we're IN
/ ArkanTas, 1873 IN California ana -
/ in OREGON, wl,er two brothers We're
known To have set seventy two fires
ON one forest alone These two ana
I q her incen diar.as were, OF course
seves ely dealt with; by the law Oll
the Arkansas forest. too, 1t has been
| assumed that the 351 fres classea
under the general, beading OF Origin
unknown" were mainly incend1ary
\ In California the fncend airy fires are
4 largely attra5Tted to what is know
az the ~ ght=burntng theory wnlsa
Il Advances the argument that forests
shl,am b. burned over frequently 70
prevent the aceI1nul a. ion OF DEBRIS,
; The forest service considers this
pern,cicus theory because II sears
fine standing timber and thus RED tcS
rs value: it robs the forest SOIL Q.
its ability to retain moisture, an ~,
egectually prevents the Reproduce. on
Cf t;le forest. since suo:l fires destroy
all tree seedlings before they have
chance 10 get a good start.
Lightning eau ed Most FIRES.
i IN 1912 lightning caused more
fires than any other agency, follower
closely by railroads. campers and N
cendiaries. N hte order given. In
1919 however, the fires caused Dy
ltqlitn rig outnumbered the next
nearest cause by more than three %
one but the order-railroads camp
ers and incendiaries-re ned the
same as in 1912 A consideraDle
4 decrease in the proportion set by
railroads and campers indicates, az
cording to forest officers, a CROWNS
carefulness on the part Of the geneF-
al public ,..,.,
lied all others in numbers of fires,
this lead being natural because Car
Iifcrnia has such long dry season.
II was. followed by Arkansas, Ari-
iona and oregon N the order naneu.
Kansas. which hal only one hre IN
1912. escaped without any in l9I .:
/ North Dakota reported its record o
1912 and had no fires on Its one
small forest. Not a single severe
fire occurred during the year in DIS
tript 4, which includes Utah, Nevada
ana southern Idaho, and IN which
large proportion OF the forests re-
ported no fires at all.
Losses on Private Lands.
There was proportionately grea-et
loss on private lands within the FOR
est boundaries than on the publ e
lands 1T Is pointed out by the forest
officers that these lands cover ap-
rroxtmately eleven per cent of the
total area included within the forest
bonn iaries, yet the area ourneu
over on these private lands was more
than twenty-five per cent OF all. Ine
forest service expended more than
$4,000 n. protecting the private
1 lands within the forests and lands
adjacent to and outside of the for
ests. In addition to this cost, ser
| vice and supplies to the value OF
more than SIT 900 were contributed
.by co-operators for fire-ight.ng on
these areas.
Fires Came at End of Season.
r In the MIDDLE of the fire season.
THAT is in July, the service had higa
lhopes OF srnall fire damage during
i.19l3, and this hope kept up until
the m ddIe of September. when the
| nra season on the national forests
ordinarily Is about at an end. ~
hat time there were less damage
than had ever been recorded, anu
only 2 ,260 fires as against 2,41O ~
1912; with about $4,000 acres
burned as compared win z9V'o0 y.
in 1912, and 100000 in l9l l. A.
/ t,ae end Of the month, however, the
( electric storms in California and ono
or two outbreaks OF incendtarl5Ea
changed the whole situation.
I But even IN the face of these /
4 ficulties, the fire fighting force, Win
I its plans of experience from preced-
ing years. was able to cope with the
/ SITUATION IN California. n partcu-
liar, il was as if a military leader,
represented by the district forester
Al san Francisco. was holding, with
a comparatively small number Of
men or a mere skirmish force, line
Of defense extending $50 miles in
north and south direction. This
force received, as if from an attack
by the heavy artillery of an opposing
army. the electric storms, generaHy
unaccompanied by ran which piayed
VOC MI along the Sierras and the
F,uast Range. That the California
force was able to cope with the sit
.iat.on was, according TO Mr.: Graves,
IAN evidence of the efflciency Of the
men AMI the organization.