The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1876-10-04
The Burning Forests.

It is a popularity common to all great
fires, Gays the New York Herald, that
they create their own winds by reason
of the local rarefcation of the atmos-
phere. The continuous indraught of air
assists in extending the area of destruc-
ton and lends intensity to the flames by
supplying the oxygen needed for their
support. The heat is 30 great In advance
of the line of fire that the vegetation be-
comes charred and deprived of its sap
before the flames reach it, and it is,
therefore, prepared for rapid combus-
tion. Without an abundant rainfall it
will be very difficult to arrest and extin.
guish these forest fires, especially on
the parched mountain slopes of northern
New Jersey and eastern Pennsylvania.
Fortunately the coming weather changes
will have the effect of creating rain areas
along the line of the Ohio valley east
ward toward the Atlantic coast and over
the region in which the burning forests
lie. But certain portions of the fire.
swept country will receive but little OF
the rainfall, being situated to the east
ward of the northern portion OF the Al
leghany mountains.
Ranges of lofty hills which lie trans
versely to the tracks of areas of low at
mospheric pressure exercise the same
influence on the movements of the latter
as the cushion OF billiard table has on
the moving ball that impingos upon it.
The area of low pressure with its mar
pinal rains is detected from its direct
course and forced to follow that which
gives it the readiest means of resumlng
its eastward progress. The Allegheny
range lies northeast and southwest, 30
that storm centers striking it on the
western side are caused to move along
parallel to its axis until the termination
of the chain is reached north OF the
Catskill mountains, whence the storm
moves eastward into New England. For
this reason Albany may have season OF
copious rains, while Newburgh and
Poughkeepsie experience a prolonged
drought. The regions now suffering
from the forest fires are particularly af-
fected by this Typographical influence
on the weather conditions, and it is real
ly remarkable that they have not long
since been denuded Of their timber by
such confagrations.
The attempts of the local residents
fighting the fires in an almost waterless
region will prove fruitless, so long as
the efforts are confined to trying to ex-
tinguish the flames directly. Those en-
gagged in such work cannot approach
near enough to arrest the advance of the
devouring fire. All post and rail fences
should be torn down and removed, and
wide belt Of forest cut down about
quarter OF a mile in advance of the con-
fagration. In telling the trees care
should be taken to cut them 80 that
those next the fire would fall with their
tops toward it, but all the others should
fall the other way-that is, present their
butts to the flames. by this means a
wide space would be created between
the most combustible parts Of the trees
and time would be given to beat out the
flames when they reached the heavier
portions. If possible, the trees felled
in the center OF the clearing should be
hauled as far away from the exposed
line as possible. With the large force
composing the army OF the fighters, this
work could be easily accomplished in
single day. The avenues of clearing 30
formed should be kept open as perma-
nent safeguards against future forest
fires