Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1908-12-12
A CYCLONE OF FLAME
Fires In Bamboo Forests Are the
Fiercest Known.
SWEEP ON A MILE A MINUTE.
Like the Roar, the Roll and the Rattle
Of a Great Battle Is the Noise Of the
Exploding Stalks That Sometimes
Shoot High Into the Air.

OF Great Battle Is the Noise OF the
Exploding Stalks That Sometimes
Shoot High Into the Air.
When the forests are aiire. when
the smoke makes dusk at noon and
reddens the harvest moon q thousand
miles away, there is the measure Of
conilagration. When the prairies burn.
MS they used to before farms had crept
IN upon the endless miles Of grass.
there was a fire which ran like mad
and left behind II blackcned trail Of
death II one could combine the speed
Of the prairie fire with the tumult Of
the blazing forest, that would be a
fire indeed
Such combination is effected when
the bamboo groves catch fire The
bamboo is but grass. a grass with
the height Of tree. swaying stems
reaching loo. even 100 feet IN air
In Cambodia. where the bamboo
groves along the rivers cover the space
Of forests. il is no unusual thing for
fires to break out and sweep all before
them for many miles. II the summer
has been dry the bamboo turns scar
and inilammable as any grass
All that Is needed Is q spark then
ruin runs red. II is not necessary 10
rely upon the carelcssness Of the
woodsman to start the blaze The
bamboo can kIndlc itself.
Let two swayirg stalks Of dry BAN
4. a., .
one rub across the other long enough.
and the friction viii set the spark. and
the long dry leaves will feed the flame
X Is known that many fires If the
bamboo forests thus originate Per.
haps # was from observing such n
sight that primitive man learned the
Promethean secret That theory has
been advanced
As soon rs a flame IN the bamboos
has crcpt 10 the level of the tossing
tips It spreads like wildiirc The wind
carries II sheet If flame along the grove
at tremendous speed Some observers
say that such fires have been seen 10
move forward nj the rate of more than
a mile minute Seen from below il
looks rs II she sky had burst into an
instant flash Of flame
From such burst ~ fire there could
be no escape. Fortunately it passes
high overhead NJ the tops Of he bau-
booS II serves as Il warning Ia the
traveller who may be making his way
along some one of the water courses
by which the forest Is iutcrsected The
bamboo itself Is almost an obstacle To-
travel Of any sort II Is well nigh i'm
possible TO force a way through il eN-
cept by the slow and toilsome labor Of
hewing out path
The fire In the great trunks moves
more slowly. and II warming he taken
It may be possible 10 sink ones boat
and throw up wet heritage and clay
against the bank Of the stream 10 pro
vide shelter until the furnace blast
has blown by such fire In the BAN
boo has not only the speed of the pral
RTE fire on its sweep overhead but Il
has the same volume Of fuel as is
found In any forest fire II combines
the two types.
Bamboo forest fires have another
quality which Is all their own They
bang and rattle with thunderous
cessation
The stalks Of these tree hamboos are
frequently more than a foot IN diane
ter Near the ground the joints are
close together IN the Younger growth
the nodes may be several feet apart.
But. long or short Ms they may be- each
joint Of the sun dried bamboo is Il
tightly sealed chamber filled with air.
The partitions between the cavities are
singularly tough, the outside rind Of
the stalks is almost pure flint
When the blast OF the fame sweeps
onward the air In the stalks upon
which It is driven is suddenly heated
TO very high temperature The resid
uum Of moisture which may be in the
stems is immediately transformed into
steam and at once subjected 10 super
heating. thus becoming a violent expo
sive. As the hot breath of the flame
becomes hotter these joints burst with
loud cannon discharges.
Sometimes the force Of the explosion
near the roots Is SO great rs 20 shoot
the stalk like a javelin high into the
air. where it flashes into torchlikc
fame and is carried 10y the wind to
spread wider disaster The bursting
Of the smaller joints Is like the roll and
rattle Of rifles and machine guns The
effect is that Of a battle hotly contest
ed Washington Post