Volume 29
Public Law 54–313
To prevent forest tires on the public domain.
Approved February 24, 1897
Statutory text
An Act
To prevent forest tires on the public domain.
Be it enacted by the Senate, and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
That any person who shall willfully or maliciously set on tire, or cause to be set on fire, any timber, underbrush, or grass upon the public domain, or shall carelessly or negligently leave or sillier lire to burn unattended near any timber or other inflammable material, shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and, upon conviction thereof in any district court of the United States having jurisdiction of the same, shall be fined in a sum not more than five thousand dollars or be imprisoned for a term of not more than two years, or both.
Sec. 2.
Camp fires, etc., to be extinguished.
That any person who shall build a camp fire, or other fire, in or near any forest, timber, or other inflammable material upon the public domain, shall, before breaking camp or leaving said fire, totally
Punishment for failure.
extinguish the same. Any person failing to do so shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and, upon conviction thereof in any district court of the United States having jurisdiction of the same, shall be fined in a sum not more than one thousand dollars, or be imprisoned for a term of not more than one year, or both.
Sec. 3.
Disposal of fines collected.
That in all cases arising under this Act the fines collected shall be paid into the public-school fund of the county in which the lands where the offense was committed are situate.
Approved, .