El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1916-08-15

CUNT FRANKLIN will be for
MI ever devastated Of foliage If the
L u ruthless building OF fires
along its sides is not stopped Each
sunday for several weeks past immense
Tres have been started among the dried
vegetation on the eastern side of the
mountain. until now large areas are
completely destroyed. Each Sunday
night these fires blaze for hours. and
dcnuded spots. acres in extent may be
eaen with the naked eye by day This
is going TO permit the flood waters TO
-.-aSh away the sides of the mountains
and come down upon the level country
with greater destructive force than
usual Vegetation protects the noun
tainside and the country below It's
ruthless destruction by thoughtless
men climbing the rugged sides Of the
old peak is going to do such damage
rs years cannot repair, for vegetation
that has been an age in growing Is de
stroyed in few hours. Some day FL
Pascal least those FL Pasoans FAR
sighted enough to see the possibilities
expect TO see all Of mount Frank
lin covered with a green growth and
made into an immense park This il
not going 10 be possible IL the present
scant vegetation is permitted to be
burned away. for the earth that has
been collecting from the Gust OF ages
in the crevices and canyons Of the
great rocks, will wash out and down
onto the land below. once the vegeta-
tation is destroyed So important
does the United States government
consider the preservation of vegetation
upon the nountainside that at the
san Francisco and San Diego fairs. the
federal forestry service established
exhibits showing what damage results
when II rains on denuded noun
h1N
when the same amount of rain falls
on one that is covered with vegetation.
Water is turned on clay mountain
without vegetation and the sides soon
wash away and onto the fields below;
the rushing torrent tears the banks
Of the miniature streams to pieces
and damages adjoining land When
the same amount of water is turned on
TO the miniature mountain that 10
covered with vegetation, the result Is
Gar dffferent The ground is washed
but little and the water flows clear
and beautiful slowly down through the
streams: the small farms" IN the valley
below are unframed II is lesson that
carries home strongly the value OF TIM
The vegetation on the sides Of mount
franklin is so valua bic TO the city that
some have suggested the sending Of
speciaI police or deputy sheriffs up onto
fhe mountain side each SUNDAY 10 pre-
vent this destruction. practically all OF
which comes from the militiamen who
climb the mountain for the splendid
view it affords of city and valley and
then thoughtlessly drop matches into
the dry leaves or deliberately touch
them off to watch them burn
There IS a shooting gallery in oper-
alton near the auxiliary pumping sta
ton Of the city waterwOri6s plant west
Of the camp OF the 10th infantry at
Fort Bliss that ought TO be shut down
during the services by chaplin Axton
on Sunday evenings. II disturbs the
ervices immeasurably-
The Rio Grande-they all call It the
Rio Grande river''-affords no end of
interest TO the militiamen in camp a.
III Paso. IN groups Of from two to 90
they visit the river every day IN the
vicinity Of the Santa Fe or Stanton
street bridges and sometimes so many
Of them gather on the bank looking
into the muddy stream and across IL
into Mexico. that the Carranza guards
on the opposite bank get considerably
excited Recently a band Of Pennsyl-
~-1ia militiamen visited the Santa re