Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1910-10-20

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the heading Thousands Of Dollars
Saved the Government by Telephone
in the following words:
In protecting forest reserves Of the
! United States from fire the telephone
has become an instrument of saliva
ton, and there are many cases on re-
cord in the forestry bureau where this
modern appliance has saved innumer-
able lives and many hundred thous-
and dollars worth of timber
! Exerience has taught the officials
in charge of the forestry bureau that
it is almost out of the question to
cope with forest fires after they have
been fully started. When they get a
good start and have favorable condi-
tons, such as brisk breeze and dry
weather, the flames sweep through the
forest and over the surrounding coun-
try without meeting any great resis-
lance. Therefore, the officials of the
bureau have determined that the only
possible way to control these fires is
to prevent them that is, attack the
fire at it's inception.
1t is at this point where the tele.
phone gets in it's work and has DEM
onstrated itself as an important fact
or and as machine Of salvation. As
a means of preventing fires and to
discover those which have not gained
any amount of Roadway, thousands of
men have been employed annually by
the government as rangers and patrol
men. They are assigned to districts
which they are called on to patrol,
but the work of this patrol system did
not really become effective until the
telephone was introduced
AS the condition presents itself to-
day, forest ranger leaves his cabin
in some secluded valley to patrol the
territory allotted to him. His trails
are we'll kept, his telephone is in or
der, with call boxes arranged every
few miles along the path and fire
lanes, and at observation towers. He
reaches a spot where party of pros
pectors or others have been camping
and have left their camp fire without
extinguishing it. Since their depart
ure and prior to the appearance of
OF the ranger the fire has extended
alone and wait for the arrival of 9TH
carpet and assumed proportions too
great for him to handle alone, though
his efforts may be sufficient to check
the flames for short period. The
ranger can remain and fight the fire
|alone an dwait for the arrival of 9TH
er rangers who have been attracted
by the smoke or he can ride to the
nearest telephone box and send out
an emergency call. ..
Before the days of the telephone
the ranger, after discovering the blaze
was compelled to ride to the nearest
settlement, which might have been
one or two days ride, to obtain as.
sistance. During his absence the
fire would get beyond human control
and he and the men at his command
were practically helpless.
The use of the telephone on the for
est reserves is not suppositiOnal or
merely contingent matter. The Off
Gals of the forestry bureau contend
that it's trial has been practical and it
has proven by time to be invaluable
AS rapidly as it's appropriations will
allow, the government is extending
the use of the telephone further and
further into the forests. New tele-
phone systems are now being built
and others are projected for construc-
ton in the near future. The govern
ment officials are going about this
work with extreme care, utilizing ex.
listing telephone lines wherever pos
sible. The apparatus and other ma
terial: for the governments telephone
lines are being furnished by the
Western Electric Company, the larg-
est manufacturer of telephones in the
world. $685. >-s,s =. @"i ~; <tf
Clifford Pinchot, the ex-chief forest
er, sums up his opinion in these
words: ,1 >,- - s*sF3ast5s. - ,.-ess d!
IF forest is equipped with roads,
trails, telephone lines and a reason
able number of men for patrol there is
no more likelihood that great fires
will be able to get started than there
is that great CONGREGATIONS like the
Chicago fire will get started in city
with admodern fire department
The states Of New York, Massachu-
sets, New Hampshire and Maine
have their own systems Of protection
against forest fires, in all of which
the telephone figures as safeguard
measure. IT, is being used in under
ground mines with marked success