The fire was confined to the of the Underwood Club was saved. areas previously burned and advanced over this area. It finally endangered valuable property in the vicinity of St. Huberts. The commission, appreciating the situation which might develop had, through the Hon. Peter G. Ten Eyck, representative in Congress, secured an order from President Wilson directing the United States army to assist in this work. The Superintendent of State Forests, who was on the ground, learned that a portion of the Fifth Infantry was on a march through the Adirondacks, immediately communicated with the commandant, and, within a day, three companies of soldiers were upon the ground assisting in the work. Later, three additional companies were detailed to this work. The troops rendered most efficient service in constructing fire lines, setting back fires, and patroling trenches; they were faithful, vigilant and energetic both night and day. This fire covered approximately 30,000 acres and, in some places, was fully ten miles in length and four miles in width, but there were large areas within this radius which were not burned, and the damage of the fire was confined to about 375 acres of timber land. The accompanying illustration gives a fair idea of the character of the land where the fire occurred; the region, being almost entirely an old fire slash, was an ever present menace, and now that a large portion of the debris has been consumed and fire lines erected, fire protection in that locality has been greatly increased. The most regrettable feature of the fire was the loss of a human life. One of the fire fighters from the mines at Mineville, while digging a trench along the edge of the burned area, was struck by a fallen stub and instantly killed. The other fire which was not immediately controlled, originated in Lewis county on the night of August 18th, and was caused by a burning building. A heavy wind, which was blowing at the time, scattered the burning embers from the building and the forest was ignited. All available labor was employed to protect the remaining camps and the forest fire escaped. This area, like that in Essex county, had previously been burned by the fires of 1903 and 1908. Two forest rangers with a large force of men were almost immediately on the scene and did all they could to control the situation, but, on account of the high wind and the dry condition of the ground cover, the fire spread rapidly. Fire lines were built, but, because of the wind, had to be abandoned and new ones constructed. This fire worked northerly, connecting with another fire in the vicinity of Independence river, which was caused by fishermen. About 5,400 acres were burned over, but fully 95 per cent of this area was nearly worthless. A significant fact in connection with both of these fires is that they were surrounded and under control before any rain fell to subdue them. WEEKS LAW The allotment of money to be expended for fire protection in New York State under the provisions of the Weeks Law was increased from four to five thousand dollars for use within the Adirondack and Catskill regions, together with an additional three thousand for use in other parts of the State. The total sum of eight thousand dollars was set aside for use in this State, provided certain conditions were complied with. The grant of five thousand dollars, for the region embraced in the so-called "Fire Towns," was made contingent upon the expenditure of fifty thousand dollars by this Commission within the same region during the calendar year 1913. Inasmuch as the Department spent over one hundred thousand dollars there was no difficulty in securing the five thousand dollars. The money was used to pay the salaries of fourteen observers on mountain stations throughout the fire season. The appropriation of three thousand dollars, for use outside the forest regions, was made contingent upon the expenditure of an equal amount by the State for fire protection outside the Adirondack and Catskill forest towns. It is unfortunate that this allotment had to lapse because the State made no appropriation for this purpose. In 1912 an order sent out by the Postmaster-General directed all rural mail carriers to report to the rangers any fires which came to their notice. In the early spring of 1913 lists of all rural mail routes and star routes were sent to the district rangers in order that they might communicate with the postmasters and encourage co-operation along these lines. The result has not been startling, but the value of the addition of such a large force of "observers" is undoubtedly considerable. Eleven fires were reported by the rural carriers during the year. RECOMMENDATIONS An earnest endeavor has been made to place the fire protective work under a budget system. At the beginning of the season the funds which were available were apportioned for compensation of observers and rangers, traveling expenses, permanent improvements and expense of extinguishing fires. The latter varies from year to year and, therefore, it cannot be accurately determined. The present system of appropriations for fire protection provides a lump sum for this work. A careful analysis of the situation indicates that the fire force should be employed seven months, approximately April 10th to November 10th and, furthermore, that in order to insure sufficient protection one hundred rangers are necessary. The customary compensation for this week is $60 per month; the traveling expenses of a ranger, during the fire season, are approximately $30 per month, therefore, the total expense per month per man is $90, or $9,000 for the entire force, and if employed for the seven months, it would require $63,000 for salaries and expenses. In order to enforce the provisions of the top lopping law, do necessary work in maintaining our telephone system, and protect the State land from trespass, it is necessary to employ thirty rangers during the remaining five months. The traveling expenses for this period will approximate $40 per man, therefore, the expense per month per man would be approximately $100, or for the winter force $3,000 per month, and for the five months period $15,000. The expense of the necessary ranger force is therefore $78,000. Observers are usually paid $60 per month, with an allowance of $12 for provisions, providing they board themselves on the station, making a cost of $72 per month. This would mean a charge of $4,320 per month, and for the seven months' period $30,240. The total appropriation for the compensation and expenses above mentioned aggregate $108,240. Additional funds. are necessary in order to maintain the telephone system, observa |