The Washington herald., 1908-08-25
THE HERALD WANT ADS ARE WONDERS WINS @ People

the telephone bell rang. He was sum
moned and told that a FIRE had broken
out not far from the electric plant Of the
Mount Whitney Power Company Fa-
tigue was forgotten. He shaded his eyes
and looked far up the mountain side and
across the deep gorge which separated
him from the spot where a thin wreath
Of pale blue smoke was slowly rising
Must Fight Hard.
That promises % be a bad FIRE. and we
viii need all the help possible" he said.
almost 10 himself, as he looked UP the
side Of the mountain The underbrush
and the wild oats are as dry as tinder,
and I guess We have a fight before US
Then he spent fifteen inmates telephoa-
ing throughout a country which the gov
ernment telephone lines have brought into
communication for forty miles or more
To every stage post, 10 every ranch, and
10 every village and mountain hamlet he
telephoned that FIRE had broken out on
the grim old mountain side. and that he
wanted sixty men
He IeIephoned TO his summer headquar-
ters and ordered two Of his rangers TO
meet him He teleph0ned 10 the head
quarters Of the Mount Whitney Power
EIlaJ al hAsalla ana LQll LEae QAIAE-z4z
20 hurry out as many men as possible in
their big red automobiles and Up the
mountain side. as he felt the great fiume
OF the company was threatened That
fume cost thousands Of dollars. and car
ries an immense volume OF water in its
wood inclosure. from far up the mountain
I side 70 the power plant half way down
the steep incline. where it produces 400
horsepower as il races through the big
e
I generators night and day
4 II was but two miles across the gorge
TO where the FIRE was burning. but IL was
/ SIX over the mountain trails 70 reach the
scene By the time Hopping was on the
scene the trails and roads were alive with
men coming To the Ere. They reported at
I once 10 Hopping
I He divided the force into three bodies
l One each he assigned 70 his two rangers
I and the third he took charge Of himself
! Then when he saw that q thousand acres
/ NSre being swept by the great sheet OF
{ flames he telephoned 70 the military post
! inside the Sequoia National Park. and IN
| four hours tw0score troopers rode down
1 the mountain trail and reported 70 him
/ for duty The great and expensive six
mile fume Of the power company was
threatened Already the flames had burn
I ed IL away for loo feet or more. sending
a food Of water down the gorge Ike q
mountain torrent and stopping one OF
I the two big power plants Men with
sacks and every available article, even
coats and shirts and undershiFJs. were
beating out the IRE at its edges
FOrty-eisht Hours Struggle.
Mr.. Hopping took charge. He stationed
men along the flume with orders 10 break
open its top. wet down its sides. and wet
down a strip on both sideso il. which would
prove a fire guard Then with some of
the picked men and experienced FIRE fight
lers he took UP the greater task Of starting
a back fire and fighting fire with fire 70
stop the Conhagratfol within a compare
lively narrow scope on the mountain side.
Il would be long and desperate story tc
tell OF the work Of those FIRE fighters Il
would include the story Of the forty-eight
hours fight. at the end Of which il was
thought the fire had been kept within
bounds. and just as the men wer1 con-
graduating themselves on their victor5
the night winds swept down the noun
tairs. sent a solid sheet Of fame across
the gorge. Up the canyon and straight
into the expensive fume, wiPing out ~
feet more Of il and making the hard. ex-
hausting fight necessary all over again
L would include the tale OF how Hop
ping and seyen OF his fighters were caught
IN the sheet Of fame when IL swept ovei
the hUrue and they were obliged 10 throw
themselves face downward and breathe
close 10 the ground 10 prevent beng
Esufed Il would include a relation OF
how they dragged themselves along ths
fUme for three-qUarters OF q mile o 4
I nj -1- z- b..
with wet gunnysacks about their heal:
and holding their breath, they made z
dash through the low burning underb-usl
for safety on the other side II would b,
la story Of how the wOmen-wives Of noun
taineers and Forest Service people-caut
from villages and mountain hamlets and
spent the nights and days OF the sixty
four hours on the mountain sides makiDs
coffee and serving food and wetring dow
sacks and making camp comfortable fOi
the fire fighters
I was with the men when they came
out Not man but had his hair and eye
brovs and mustsche or whiskers singec
close 70 his head Not one but whose eye.
were bIoodshOt and whose steps wer'
. weary and walk uncertain Not . mar
who had whole boot or shoe On hi
foot or a whole shirt on his back
Half a dozen OF them in the earl!
stages Of the FIRE fighting, and before sup
plies came up, fought the fire with theI
shirt in one hand and UndeTshirt in th'
, other. stripped 10 the waist. and JheS,
were cruelty burned Not a soldier OF tn
twoscore escaped with a semblsnce O
, his uniform on his back Dozens Of th.
men descended the mountain side to II,
power plant and threw themselves on n,
b ground 10 SPEND twelve hours in sleep O
utter exhaustion But there was no wor,
Of complaint