The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1909-07-17
TELEPHONES IN ADIRoNDAcks
Plan Arranged to Stop and Prevent
Forest Fires


New York is using the telephone
this season to protect the beautiful
Adirondack region from the forest
fires which last year proved very dis
astrous in the upper part of tne state,
and to afford greater degree of CON
venience to the many city people who
find the Adirondacks pleasant place
to spend their summer vacation. Jas.
S. Whipple, forest, fish and game COM
missioner has charge OF installing the
protective mountain telephone system
which, it is believed, will be a 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 an 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 tle
telephone in the national forests of
the far west. The governments sys-
TEN of forest telephones was installed
by the Western Electric company.
which is also furnishing the tele-
phones and line material for the Adir-
ondacks system.
The New York Herald in dispatch
from Lake Placid on this subject re-
Gently had the following to say:
"As the result of a conference with
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
mis- forest fire protective service for
this portion Of the Adirondacks on the
summit of Mount Whiteface instead
of on the summit of Mount Saddle
back, 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 fighting force.
Wniteface, which has an elevation
of 1865 feet above the sea, and 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
discepned, is the mountain most fire.
quently climbed by visitors to the Ad
irondacks. Heretofore there has been
no means of communicating with
friends making the ascent other than
by the uncertain method of flashing
back from the summit the suns rays
with pocket mirrors. With a tele-
phone system extending to the sum-
NIT, ready means of communicating
with anxious friends in the village be-
low, the ascent of Whiteface will be-
come even more popular this season
than it has been in the past, and in
time, beneath the stress of increasing
business tle bald knob of Whiteface
may blossom forth with a 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 will begin next week. Final ar
were decided upon at
meeting of Commissioner Whipple and
several of his fire wardens acid at the
stevens house. A similar telephone
service is to be placed on the summit
Of St. Regis mountain hear the st. Re
yis chain of lakes, and this obviates
he need of a service on Saddleback