The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1909-06-11
PRIZES OFFERED IN THE
BIBLE QUESTION CONTEST
WIRELESS TO BE USED OUT WEST
Famous &c. d. O." Will Play Import
ant Part in the Protection
of National Forests.

|
! Spokane, Wash, June 10-Vetera
timber cruisers in the Inland Empir
declare the time is not far distan
when &C. d. O." messages will b
flashed by wireless telegraph as
! solution OF the problem OF scientifi
fire-fighting in the forests of Wash
ington, Oregon, Idaho, Nevada, Mon
tana, California and British Columbia
/ which contain more than 700 900, 00'
acres of standing timber, the patrol
ing of which costs the lumber com
panies and the United States fores
service hundreds of thousands Of dol
! lars year, in addition to the en0r
nous expense involved in constructing
and maintaining the government
lines of communication.
Lumbermen in Spokane say tina
more timber is destroyed annually BIZ
fires than is cut by the saws, anc
add If some adequate protection cou-l
be devised the standing timber in tAe
northwest would last for centuries
They have numerous state and inte..
state organizations, the largest being
the Pacific Northwest Forest Protev.
ton and Conservation association, a
federation of fire protective leagues in
Washington, Idaho, Oregon, Montana
and California, headed by Albert II
Flewelling Of Spokane. This organi-
cation has hundreds of men in it's en-
ploy, but their means of communica-
ton are not extensive enough to COW
er the vast areas, the result being
that much of it is unprotected.
The plan, advocated by R. H. Arm
strong, an expert operator, is to es-
tablish system of wireless signal
boxes and teach the forest rangers
the code, SO that with the first alarm
they could locate the blaze and sum-
mon assistance before the fire gained
much Roadway. This would eliminate
the danger OF cutting off communica-
ton by fires destroying the poles and
trees falling across wires. Probably
the most important thing is the saw
ing of life. Every year, since 1870,
an average of SO persons have been
burned to death in the United States
in forest fires, making total of near
ly 1000 lives sacrificed to flames
which might have been prevented.
Armstrong maintains that the chief
reason for the spread of the fire is
after a blaze is discovered long time
elapses before the alarm can be
sounded and aid summoned to fight
the flames. Many of the large lum-
Der concerns of the Pacific Northwest
have considered using telephone lines
for connecting camps of forest rang
ers, but this was given up for the
reason that the fires would burn the
poles or the wind would blow them
down SO often that they would be
useless most of the time. Then, too,
it was found that in many timber
tracts the country is SO rugged and
the standing timber so heavy it would
be almost impossible to stretch wire
line.
However, the forest service has
built hundreds of miles of telephone
lines and cut trails through the big
government forests in Idaho, Wash
ington, Montana and other western
states, where it also maintains patrols
These were found of good use dur
ing the fires in 1907 and 1908, but
large areas were burned over as the
result of the fires gaining great head
way before they could be located by
the range riders.
One thousand acres of virgin tim
Der in western Washington was de-
stroyed last year, when the season
was comparatively light one for
fire losses, and the losses in eastern
oregon, northern Idaho, western Mon
lana, northeastern Washington, Cali
fornia and southeastern British Co
umbia were also heavy. This enor-
nous waste of property and some
lines loss of life can be prevented to
/ large extent, it is believed, by the
of the wireless telegraph
or reporting them as soon, as they
start and calling for assistance from
I'll sides.
There are more than $50, 900, 900
lcres of standing timber in Washing
on, Idaho, Oregon, California, Ne
ada and Montana and about 1907
700, 700 acres in British Columbia. OF |
he timber lands in the six western |
tates 440,000,000 acres are owned |
W private corporations and individ |
Ials, who maintain expensive organi-
atoms to protect them In the state
# Iaho, which has more than 1907
100000 feet of standing timber
n it's five northern counties, the fire
associations working with
he state have reduced the fire losses
realty, but it cost last year more
han 100000 or about two and three
quarters cents an acre to patrol the
100000 acres. The associations
ought 500 great and small fires in
he last three years.
The Washington Forest Fire asso
iation employed between 600 and
90 extra men in addition to its rs
atrolmen to fihgt and prevent fires
n the western part of the state last
ear, and there were as many more
t work In the eastern and north CEN
raj portions. The logging and lum
ering industry is the largest and
most important in the state, and as
he area of loggedoff land is increas-
ne constantly, the fire hazard is be-
oming greater every year. This is
lso the condition in other western
tates.
The problem of forest protection
, one of vital interest to the western