Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1909-06-03
FIGHT FOREST FIRES
Plan TO utilize Wireless Telegraph
in North West. |
ANNUAL DAMAGE IS VERY LARGE
&C. @. D." Messages Could Be Sent
From the Various Stations, Avoiding
the Inconvenience of Broken Wires
and Reducing Damage to Property.


SPOKANE WASH, June wet
eran timber cruisers In the Inland
Empire declare the time is not far
distant when &C. q. D." messages VIII
be flashed by wireless telegraph az
solution of the problem of scientii-
&c fire. fighting in the forest of Wash
ington, Oregon Idaho. Nevada. Mon
tana, California and British Columbia.
which contains mere than 1000. 900
acres of standing timber, the patroi:-
ing of which cost the lumber com
panies and the United States forest
service hundreds CT thousands Of do,-
lars wear. in addition 10 the enor-
nous expense involved in construct
ing and maintaining the government
lines CT communication.
I5umbermen in Spokane say that
more timber is destroyed annually by
fires than is cut by the saws, and add
il some adequate protection could be
devised the standing timber in the
Northwest would last for centuries.
They have enormous state and inter
state organizations, the largest being
the Pacific Northwest Forest protec-
ton and Conservation association, a
federation of fire protective leagues
in Washington Idaho, Oregon, Mon
tana and California, headed by Albert
/. Flewelling of Spokane. This organ
iZatiCn has hundreds of men in its
employ but their means of communi-
cation are net extensive enough to
cover the vast areas the result be-
ing that much of it is unprotected.
The plan, advocated by r. H. Arm
strong. an expert operator. Is to ec-
tablish a system of wireless signal
boxes and teach the forest hangers
the code. so that with the first alarm
they could locate the blaze and sum-
mon assistance before the ere gained
Roadway This would eliminate the
danger CT cutting off communication
by fire destroying the poles and trees
falling across wires. Probably the
most import thing is the saving or
life Every year, since 1870. an aver
age CT so persons have been burned
to death in the United Sta;es in for
est fires. making a total OF nearly g.
900 lives sacrificed to flames which
might have been prevented
Armstrong maintains that the CHIEF
reason for the spread Of the fires IS
after 2 blaze is discovered lcng time
elapses before the alarm can Je sum
moned to fight the flames .sany OF
the large lumber concerns Of the
Pacific Northwest have considered
using telephone lines for connecting
camps of forest rangers, bui this was
given up for the reason that the fires
would burn the poles CT the wini
would blow them down SO OFTEN tina.
they would be useless most CT 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 impossible to
stretch a 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 pa
trolls. These were found Of good use
during 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 in eastern
Oregon, northern Idaho. western Mon
tana. northeastern Washington, Cali
fornia and southeastern British sCo-
Iumbia were also heavy. This enor-
nous waste Of property and some
times loss OF life can be prevented
to a large extent. il is believed, by
the employment of the wireless tele-
graph for reporting them as soon as
they start aud calling for assistance
from all sides.
There are more than J5O,00O,OOO
acres OF standing timber in washing
ton Idaho, Oregon. California. Neva-
da and Montana and about 10000
Oe0 acres in British Columbia. OF the
timber lands in the six western
states ts0. 600 900 acres are owned by
Drfvate corporations and individuals
who maintain expensive organizations
10 protect them. In the state oil
idaho. which has more than 10000
O0O. 600 feet CT standing timber in US
five northern counties. the hre pro
tec,icu associations working with the
state have reduced the fire losses
greatly but IL cost last year more
than so. 900 OF about two and three
ouarters cents an acre TO patrol the
2 500 900 acres. The association fought