Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1909-07-23

New York is using the telephone this
season to protect the beautiful Adiron-
dack region from the forest fires which
last year proved very disastrous in the
upper part of the state, and to afford a
greater degree of convenience to the
many city people who find the Adiron-
dacks pleasant place to spend their
summer vacation. James S. Whipple,
Forest, Fish and Game Commissioner,
has charge of installing the protective
mountain telephone system which, it is
believed, will be great benefit to that
section.
The idea of using telephones as an
aid in fighting forest fires is by no
means new one. The United States
Government already has a extensive
system of mountain telephones in the
National Forests, over which it holds
sway. Already many disastrous fires
have been checked by the aid that has
been brought through the use of the
| telephone in the National Forests of the
far west The Government S system of
forest telephones was installed by the
Western Electric Company, which is
also furnishing the telephones and line
material for the Adirondacks system.
The New York Herald in a dispatch
from Lake Placid on this subject re-
Gently had the following to say:
''As the result of a conference with
Mr.. George A. Stevens, proprietor of
the Stevens House, who is familiar
with every inch of the forests about
here, and with Assemblyman James
Shea, of this village, Commissioner
Whipple has now definitely decided to
install his forest fire protective service
for this portion of the Adirondacks on
the summit of Mount Whiteface instead
of on the summit of Mount Saddleback,
as first proposed The idea is to run a
telephone line to the summit, build a
permanent shelter there and install a
day and night lookout for fires. At the
least sign of one, word is at once to be
communicated to the district likely to
furnish the nearest available fire fight
ing force.
''Whiteface, which has an elevation
| OF 4,SOO 1eeC ABOVE Une sea, ana from
the summit of which on clear days Lake
Champlain, the st. Lawrence and even
the spires of Montreal and other equally
distant points can be discerned, is the
mountain most frequently climbed by
visitors to the Adirondacks. Hereto
fore there has been no means of COM
municating with friends making the
ascent other than by the uncertain
method of flashing back from the sum.
nit the suns rays with pocket mirrors.
With telephone system extending to
the summit, ready means of commu-
nicating with anxious friends in the
village below, the ascent of Whiteface
will become even more popular this
season than it has been in the past, and
in time, beneath the stress of increas-
ing business the bald knob of Whiteface
may blossom forth with switchboard
and an up-to-date Hello girl.
THE wire, which is to be strung up
the side of the mountain upon the trees
and over the rocks, has already arrived,
and the work of putting in the line viii
begin next week. Final arrangements
were decided upon at a meeting OF
Commissioner Whipple and several OF
his fire wardens held at the Stevens
House. A similar telephone service is
to be placed on the summit of St. Regis
Mountain near the St. Regis chain OF
lakes, and this obviates the need of &
service on Saddeback Mountain. -