Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1910-08-29
The Lesson of the Forest Fire.

Clifford Pinchot. formerly forester of
the United States. in a bristling state
ment issued Friday. lays directly at the
door OF Senator Hepburn of Idaho
senator Garter of Montana, and re pre-
sentative Mondell of Wyoming. and
their like in Congress. a share of the
responsibility of the fatal fires which
nave devasted the forests of Washing
ton and extinguished scores of human
lives and perhaps $50 900, 900 of proper
ty in making light of the efforts of the
forest service to prepare itself to pre-
vent just such calamities as these. Mr.
Plnchot says these men have been
fighting on the side Of fires against the
public welfare.
AS we remember Mr.. Pinchot's well
advertised policy, he wished Congress
to authorize the organization of an ex-
tensive body of forest rangers In
Maine forests, a system is maintained
whereby men are stationed on the
highest points in the great north woods
territory. each equipped with tele-
phone and in touch with the larger
settlements where men are availa BILE at
a brief notice to rush to any point at
which fire may have started in the
forest. These lonely outposts are con-
stantly sweeping the horizon in every
direction to note the smallest smoke or
the slightest indication of what might
in few hours prove to be disastrous
coniagration. Before the days of miles
OF wire which have been stretched into
these far corners of the wild country,
a 'wIgwag' system was in use by which
these widely separated men could COM
municate in a crude manner with each
other and send forth the intelligence
that danger menaced in some quarter
1t will be recalled that in 1909 Senator
Hepburn led bitter fight to cut the
forest service appropriation in two. He
and the other men mentioned have
fought the service from the start and
have been especially bitter because of
the excellent work of it's intelligent
publicity department. The forest fires
appropriation for this year is some
thing like Sc 100000 which according to
the latest estimates amounts to only
about one eighth of the loss suffered in
the State of Washington alone. The
,,S,,, t.r
ritories to cover tha1 the force is pitt
fully small and helpless in the face of
such nflagrations, which. after few
hours start, 1000 men could not stop.
The fires are caused by locomotives.
and more than might be supposed by
lightning: and careless campers. too,
figure in the vast expense to the ma
tional government. An instance is re-
lated of a forest service party once en-
camped on the shores of Peace Lake in
Idaho. A severe electrical storm came
on. after which no less than five dis
,inct fires were discovered blazing
away within eye-shot The party rode
ABOUT and put them all out.
Maine has been particularly fortu-
nate, in recent years, in avoiding these
disastrous forest fires. when, once
started i'm the slash of timber cutting,
might in a dry season sweep out hIi-
lions of dollars in property. but
thanks to the precaution taken. and the
tai,bfnlness of these guardians of the
forest, who save probably thousands Oh
times the expense of their wages each
vear we are avoiding what the North
west has gone through this year ana III
several other years within memory.
Bangor ALWAYS has good weather