The Opelousas courier., 1903-08-29
81 81 ~
Fire and the F~orestReserVes.
By Charles 8. NeWha1l.
BY Arthur T. Had1ey,
President OF Yale University.

ALL serious cases fire is much the best agent with which to
HRYk III fight fire. Usually, ats such times, it is not only the pest gent
WI III but the only one. A chief element in the makeup OF a good ne
kSQG9 fighter is his knowledge and skill in regard to backhrlng. ia
K9@@NAN mn losesh his head, his backfre may escape, and may lsen III
B4SWSDH turn become a forest fire.
To 1lusnate: A fire that had been smoulderng for days
Unexpectedly gained such a sudden and furious Roadway that there was no
chance whatever to meet it at the ridge. where under ordinary conditions IL
could have been stopped. 1t reached and leaped the ridge, ana then, helped
BY a strong wind, swept on into a thick dry forest. A quarter OF a mile n
so in front was a good country road. On the east and west the lei in
charge ran a narrow furrow through the pine needles and low brush: men
along the inner side, the freward side, OF the burrows and the county road
they kinded their small back fires. By the time these met the main re-
they had overrun a strip too wide for it to jump. The only further danger
was from the falling and rolling of the tall trees. 1t was a bad fire, and
in each direction it burned up to the ftbreak but nowhere crossed l."
Next in Importance to fire as a substitute for water is dirt. One
who has never seen it tried would be surprised at the effectiveness OF a space
full swept heavily over a stretch of creeping fire o. against burning logs. In
the fire referred to above a great fvefoot tree, badly decayed and hohoWed
had burned at the base until it fell. 1t fell parallel to thu length OF the
steep hill, and rolled until it lodged in the roadway beneath. Driving hard
to reach the fire I came suddenly upon it. It's hollow butt Ws a roaring anoo
raging open furnace. Had the tree rolled six feet further another stretch
of forest would have gone up in smoke. The men came win sa" rano
were in NJ haste about the furnace end. When the time came, a few shovel
fms of earth dashed into it's mouth, killed the fire almost a. quickly as wafer
could have done it. Then, when it vas certain there we're n snouloerh
Goals left, the log was rolled into the brush below.
Many fires can be easily beaten out with any extenporlzed la Irang
ment-green boughs, for example,, when they can be found, or gunny sacks
from camp, or bare sticks If there is nothing better.
Every ranger is expected to have with him Or at MIS- camp In nontooIne
rake, a shovel and a n axe; and some camps ire suppheo IN aoonlon Will
saws, pickaxes, brushhooks, and canvas buckets. 49,,
Wit preparatory and defensive work, carefully and Systematically plan.
ned and executed along lines such as have been indicated, n with a oay OF
men in charge who are clearheaied, trustworthy, strong. brave M n'
working perfunchply, but with real esprit de corps, much has been accom-
egerves as a whole, in the few years since there has been serious effort
at protection, is satisfactory. The results are to the credit OF the rangers
and supervisors in immediate charge; but the needs re evldent---tne neeo
of continuous work of NOR men, of larger appropriations. Eve tns nore ss
them is chnis play as compared with the service which these splenord
forests OF the New World demand.