The daily sentinel., 1910-04-16

\
he valley. from hundreds of orchards.
came a glare of red and yellow light
II was the light from tens of thou
, sands of smudge pots and orchard
heaters, both coal and oil heaters,
placed and prepared for lighting dur
} ing yesterday or some other day
from Palisade clear on down the val
ley TO Fruita the glare of the lights
} from the myriads of heaters and pots
was cast upon the sky. Those who
wended their way along the roads
, and especially those who were on
high eminences declare that the sight
to be witnessed was one of grandeur
} and splendor never to be forgotten.
The whole valley seemed to be on
fire. The contest between the ele-
} ments of the fruit saving heat and the
elements of the fruit killing cold was
on in earnest.
) Never before were there so many
smudge pots used in this valley or in
aany other section of the country for
this valley leads the world in orchard
protection.
At 9;l5 the temperature was at
freezing point, which, however, is
not danger stage for the fruit, but
lower than freezing point (32 de-
grees) the danger begins to grow
apace.
From 10 O'Clock on until midnight
reports of temperature stages of from
32 to 2S degrees were reported from
various sections of the valley.
From midnight on the temperature
fell slowly but surely but demonstrate
ing beyond all question and all doubt,
its value, the orchard heating system,
was able TO keep the temperature in
| th
ers and pots were used, from 8 to II
degrees higher than the temperature
stage outside of the orchard, or rath-
er in unsmudged districts.
} Naturally as result of the general
smudging, the heat and smoke waited
over unsmudged sections of the val
ley, kept the temperature up much
higher than naturally IL would have
been.
Along about the break of day the
. most critical stage was reached. From
various points temperature stages as
low Us Is, 27, % degrees We're re-
! ported as existing for short periods.
In unsmudged districts unofficial re-
ports showed still lower stages of
. temperature for brief periods.
All through the night and until af-
ter six o'clock this morning the thou
were kept burning. 1t was n stren-
uous fight but when morning came
} and the temperature began to rise
the great majority of the fruit grow
ers felt that the fight had been an
> effective one and that the vast por-
ton of the valleys enormous fruit
crop was safe and sound.
) Throughout the night, from 10
o'clock on, dense clouds of smoke
hOvercd over the entire valley, smoke
; from the smudge pots. In Grand
junction the smoke settled over the
city like thick fog and arc lights
; looked like fireflies two blocks away.
. Buildings could not be seen IA block
) and half away. Even rooms in
houses closed pretty tightly were well
q heavy was the air with the smoke. In
: the orchard districts the smoke was
SO thick that breathing was difficult
at times. But it was life giving, heat
:, carrying smoke.
The smoke clouds hung over the
valley good part of today
Today the tired fruit growers have
!. been busy getting their heaters in
readiness for another battle If the
danger should come again tonight or
some other night. Scores of wagon
e loads of oil and coal have been hauled
g from yards and depots at Palisade,
y Clifton, Grand Junction and Fruita.
k All day today reports have been
s coming in to the Chamber of Com
n merce, the Fruit Growers association
and The Sentinel concerning the CON
n dition of the fruit. Men who have
q made investigations in Palisade, Cliff
!. ton, Fruitvale, Orchard Mesa, Fruit
( Ridge, Pomona, Fruita and all other
n sections, declare emphatically that
o the great bulk of the fruit crop is
r still safe, due largely to the valley
$ wide smudging campaign.
@ In the districts west and north OF
i Grand Junction the apples, the big
d gest portion of the valleys fruit crop,
v are not far enough advanced to sus-
r tain hardly any damage whatever.
e The Grand valley certainly has u
S tremendous advantage over all the
other apple, pear and peach growing
( districts of the nation, due to the fact
that this valley is the only section in
the country that, up to this time, has
. an orchard heating system that en-
braces every fruit section of the val
/ ley and makes il possible to raise the
/ temperature, when frosts come at this
period of the year, from 8 to II de-
grees throughout the valley, thereby,
in nearly every instance, successfully
raising the temperature above point
that would mean disaster TO the fruit
II crop.
Secretary Mahony of the Chamber
of Commerce has been busy all day
supplying volunteers to the ranch
men to help fill the smudge pots. He
has also aided great deal in helping
| the ranchmen to hire the men needed.
The ranchmen are paying 20 cents an
hour to those who will not volunteer
to help and 1t has been hard even
then to secure sufficient help.