Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1910-10-01

tions and farm and raise stock on a
small scale under the limitations set
down by the government.
1t is nothing for a forest reserva-
ton to have a population of 10000
persons, exclusive of the employees of
the forest service. Several of the
forests in Idaho and Montana are filed
with 'nesters''
AS for the loss in money from for
est fires in ordinary years, that in it
self is enough TO warrant extraor-
binary effort and expense in the pre-
vention of such disasters
VIII it pay to support an adequate
fire protection SYSTEM"
This is the question practical lum-
bermen of the old school ask. The
forest service men are confident it
will. They have had experience and
know that reasonable protection re-
quires no patented tools, no secret
method Cooperation on the part of
the state governments and more
money from congress will bring about
the desired results
Does the maintenance of an expen-
sive fire-ighting force pay a city," is
the counter question of the forest
service experts. The affirmative an
swer comes promptly.
The government methods of fight
ing and controlling forest fires are
simple They consist of nothing
more than extreme care to prevent as
many fires as possible and plain, bus
inesslike methods of getting to work
on the flames as soon as they are dis
covered and staying with the fire I'M
til it is out
a a a shovel
and wet gunny sack, if water is OBJ
tainable, are the forest rangers fire
fighting apparatus. In the more ac-
cessible regions, where water is abund-
ant, wagons equipped with hose are
used. But these are impossible far
up in the mountains, where the most
sure-footed horses find progress diff
hcult
Get Quickly to Work.
There the work is done by the cool.
are, who know their work and have
the heart to do it They haunt the
high places and keep persistent watch
over the surrounding country for
miles
When they see fire they go to it.
If it looks too big for one or two men
70 handle they hurry to the nearest
station for help. In some of the
r.lnges the telephone and telegraph
wires and the railroads are at their
disposal.
Gradually the forest service is lay
ing out a network of telephone lines
through the forest reserves. But such
a system as is contemplated in con
nection with forest preservation is in
its infancy today, and, in the last an
alysis, the average embryonic fire is
fought by small groups of men, some
| times by only two men. sometimes by
| a single one
OF the thousands of fires that are
| put out every year in the national re-
| serves before they get we'll started
| the general public knows nothing.
| They are part of the regular routine
/ of the forest guards and rangers
The amount spent on forest fire
/ fighting by the forest service is ap-
proximately $4,000 year in ordinary
| years. Twice or three times that sum
would not seem large in view of the
| amount of property saved, to say moth
/ ing OF loss of life prevented
/ Aside from the loss of life and leav
| ing out indirect results of forest fires
| damage done by such CONGREGATIONS
! include the death of standing trees, in
| Jury to trees that are not killed in
! jury to the soil, reduction of the
| growth of the stand and the effect or
| reproduction. Some of the resistant
| species of trees are harmed but lit
| tie, while forest fires at times utterly
! wipe out species of less vitality, 81
! that they never return to the terri
| tory which has been swept by the
| flames
| the forest service has learned by ex
| perience that the principal ones arr
| sparks from locomotives, sparks from
sawmills, camp fires, burning brush
careless smokers, incendiarism ant
lightning
For the prevention of fires, or les
! SEEMING their ravages, the followin,
| are necessary:
Elimination so far as possible. o
the causes of fires. a proper organ
ization of the forest by the careful dis
position of slash, by which is mean
chips and cut branches, the opening
of roads and trails, adequate super
vision. and sufficient men, armed witt
the proper apparatus
The forest service gives great i'm
portance to the necessity of carefull
burning brush and of the establish
ment of trails through the forest, s
the small fires may be the more easil
got at. The brush should be piled il
small piles and each pile burned il
! dependently. This work is best don
. in the winter. when there is snow o
4 81. l.