The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1910-08-27
WASHINGTON NOTES
OF MUCH INTEREST
Plans for Fighting Forest Fires Are Dis
eussed by Chief Graves Of the
Forest Survey.


forest fires causing greater destruction
than during any year in history, pc
euliar interest attaches TO pamphlet
on that subject By Chief Henry s.
Graves Of the forest service. Mr..
Graves takes up the whole subject Of
the causes and characteristics Of the
fires and the best means Of fighting
them.
City dwellcrs with their steam en-
gines and high power water supply will
find in the pamphlet a strong contrast
ia the equipment maintained and means
employed in the great forests Of the
West
Wherever dirt can be used, he says,
4men should be provided with long
handled shovels If water is available,
buckets should be provided and, where
possible, bucket pumps, which throw a
stream about 20 feet Under most con.
ditions, it is desirable to have mattocks
and iron rakes, aud there should al.
ways be axes to aid in clearing brush or
cutting through fallen-down timber or
old tops. These implements should be
kept in a convenient place for fighting
fire. Proper organization for this pro
lection includes an adequate equipment
for the fire fighting force.
"A very good plan is TO have caches
at convenient points on the trails Or
AZ the lookout stations. containing fire.
fighting tools In some cases in the
mountain regions, tools are kept in a
special pack outfit, ready TO be thrown
upon horses and taken at once TO the
FIRE. Such special outfits usually include
snoyels, collapsibIc pals. axes, mat.
tocSs, ropes and in some cases fire ex
tinguishers and small quantity OF pro
Visions
As to the methods Of fighting fires,
Graves says;-
Small surface fires may often be
beaten out. This Is possible when the
FIRE is burning chiefly in a dry leaf
litter or short grass. Where there are
tops OF piles Of dry brush, or the fire
is burning through thick brush or under
growth, beating IS very difficult.
"There are various devices for beat
ing. A blanket, coat or riding slieker
Is often used A gunny sack is one Of
the best implements for beating, par.
tieularly II il can be wet from time 70
time a handful Of green brush serves
also very well for beating device. IN
beating out fire, one strikes the fire
with a sideways sweep, driving the
flames aud material back upon the
burned ground. A direct stroke scat
tiers the ERE.
"The best way to extinguish running
ares is to throw sand upon the flames.
This method is, Of course practicable
only when the soil Is fairly clear Of
rocks and loose enough for ready dig
ging When the FIRE is running in the
open woods, in pine needles, single +
sbovclful Of sand properly thrown, viii
extiugush over 10 feet Of fire.
Loose loan is also very good, but not
So effective as sand Heavy soil which I
elods is difficult to manipulate. Ere
quently sand or loose loan can be dug
up in spots, but It IS too stony 70 Sc
cure il all along the line Of fire. Fight
ers must then supplement the use Of
sand or earth with beating or other
Where, on account Of the accumu
lated debris, the flames are intermit-
tently too severe for beating, water il
used as available. Water usually has
to be brought from some distances it
must therefore be used very economical
~ The best way Is to deaden the
flames By a little water and then beat
them out with gunny sack or other
device.
when water must be brought over
trails. special water sacks are
used, which can be slung on pack
saddle.
Ground fires, burning in the deep
layer Of organic matter, are exceeding
" difficult to extinguish. ri the layer
IS deep, trenching is the only practical
method Of stopping the progress Of the
IRE Such a trench, which has a width
At the bottom Of one foot. viii enable
The fighters 70 stop an ordinary ground
ire, especially if the work can be sup
plemented BY the use Of water or sand
1t the trench.
Grown fires which burn through the
,rowns OF trees, are always accompanied
~ surface fires. Crown fires stop when
here are no longer infammable crowns
through which the fire win run. Or when
here is no longer any material on the
ground to carry the surface fire An
ordinary crown fire will jump wide
ire line, and many fires have been
Known to cross wide rivers almost with
nut eneck. In The mountains crown
Ire running up slope is almost i'm
possible to check.
"0n level ground it is possible to stop ,
rown fires BY back firing, when the
are such as to make back
iring possible at all Thus in the pine
orests Of the Atlantic coast grown
Tres are frequently checked by back
nm - o. u ! {