The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1910-04-02
THE TELEPHONE IN THE MA
TIONAL. FORESTS

Xuobb RAOuiA8Cht 0
which Uncle Sam has taken to protect
his national forests in the west frcr,
heavy loss by fire is the extended use
of the telephone. This handy little
instrument has proved it's worth dur
ing the past year. According to
figures which have just been published
by the department Of agriculture, the
loss from fire has been reduced al
though the number Of conflagrations
has been actually larger than in the
year preceding.
Through the aid Of the telephone as
sistance is brought to the spot as soon
as a blaze is discovered. In this way
it is possible to prevent the spread Of
a fire and to confne it to a small area.
In one instance last year a freight
ing force was collected in q few hours
where at least a day would have been
wasted if aid had been sought by
means of a courier.
The number of fires in the national
forests last year was 410 larger than
in 1908, but almost 80 per cent OF
the fires were ex~tingnished before as
much az FIVE acres had been damaged.
The fires covered less than one and
one-half acres to the square mile OF
national forest land, and the damage
done to the burned-over area averag-
ed but $1.25 an acre.
According to the governments
figures. during 1909 there were 3,13s
fires in the national domain, burning
over about 100000 acres. In 1908
there had been AGO. 900 acrs laid waste.
Last year some 17O,0O0,0O0 board feet
of timber were consumed, as against
203, ,OO0, 600 the previous year.
The loss Of value of timber destroy
ed was less than 100000. The loss
the year before was about $45o,oOo
These figures seem to indicate that
although the damage to the forests Is
still very great, the fires are not SO
much of a scourge as formerly. With
a view to still greater increasing the
fire-fghting facilities, the work of e
tending the protective system into all
narts of the national woodlands is be-
ing pursued this year. The telephone
will play an important part in the
measures that are to be taken to re
duce still further the loss in the west
ern forests.
In some sections the forest rangers
are supplied with portable telephones
which they carry strapped to theil
backs and with which they can secure
connection at any convenient point
The government owns and operates q
number Of telephone lines, and makes
connection with lookout stations
where watchmen with field glasses are
kept to search for signs Of fire among
the trees. The instruments and line
material for these systems have been
furnished by the Western Electric
company, the largest manufacturer OF
telephones in the world.
Many Of the states have jurisdiction
over great tracts Of wooded land and
maintain ire-fghting systems Of their
OWE. 1t 10 interesting to note that in
New York, where lookout stations are
fully equipped with telephones and
telescopes for detecting and reporting
fires, the loss during 1909 amounted to
only $25,1Ol, whereas the year before
the damage had totalled $644,0
Forest fires are still one Of the great
est problems the government has to
face. Since 1870 more than two thous-
and people have lost their lives
through these conflagrations in the
national forests. Five hundred ana
fifty million acres Of standing timber
are centered in six Pacific and north
western states-material for a gIor-
ious bonfire. To prevent fires seems to
be out of the question, but it is pos
sible to check the spread of the
flames, and in its work Of the past
the government has given a dem
onstration Of what up-to-date methods
will do.