The Ordway new era., 1910-09-23


est reserves are posted with warn
ings. These warnings are printed In
English. Italian. French and Spanish.
They warn against carelessness ana
describe tho penalties. The four lam
guages are used because many Italians
are at work on the railroads and more
Mexicans are adrift all over the west.
Watch for ineIpient Fires.
All over the forest reserves are
lookout stations. In the fat country
they consist OF platforms in the tops
of high trees. approached by ladders.
II there are no tall trees towers are
erected. In the mountainous coun-
try any high peak or crag will do.
From these lookouts the keen eyed
rangers and guards. provided with the
best long distance glasses, keep a
constant watch over the territory as
signed to them. From one to another
they signal In various ways. Where.
ever 1t ia possible the telephone ID
used. In the wilder regions more
primitive methods must need be EN-.
ployed.
Among the most effective is the old
fire system. the system used by the
IlClb VI oCotlhuUs luo oyoSoh sAS
white men Of Europe found the red
men of America using when they first
struck the shores of the western hem.
isphere.
At time when IRE signals are not
| needed the rangers and guards build
little brush piles all over their terri.
tory. Placed about 100 feet apart,
they are ready to burn at moments
| notice. A regular code of signals pre-
walls. The number Of brush fires burn.
ing at the same time conveys the sig
nal. One fire means a forest fire on
the west Of a certain mountain. Two
fires mean one to the east. and so on.
| Where there are no brush fire sig.
nails the simple Indian system OF q
] small fire and a blanket serves the
purpose Of Uncle Sans forest guar.
dams. The small IRE is started. Then
wet grass or earth is used to deaden
It and make the smoke heavy. Over
the FIRE a blanket IL thrown to hold
the smoke down. When the blanket
is released solid pun of smoke goes
skyward. Again the blanket is ap-
piled and quickly removed. Up goes
another pun Of smoke.
| Other methods are the heliograph-
a windmill with small mirrors at
tached to its wheels. which fash the
signal of q IRE. and. in some cases.
the nag system Of the army signal
corps.
| Best OF all. however. is the tele-
phone. Since 1906 the forest service
has built 1850 miles OF telephone line.
and is extending >them as rapidly as
congress appropriates the money.
In a report on the forest fire ques.
ton, Chief Forester Graves says 1t is
impossible to give a specific rule for
| the number Of men required to pro-
tect tracts Of different sizes. although
he supports Mr.. Pinchot in saying that
the forest service ia undermanned.
In some cases a single man has to
watch a tract OF 1000 acres. More
men are required in fiat regions. as in
the mountain regions a single man
may. by climbing to a high peak. and
over vast territory.
| The fire fighting crews Of the for.
est service are we'll organized. One
man is always in charge. All know
their business. The first rule Is to
get there as quickly as possible. Then
organization counts. A we'll organized
small crew can do more work in an
hour than an ordinary gang Of able
bodied men, we'll intentioned but ig-
norant, could accomplish in twenty
four.
| Hand-to-Hand Conflict.
| In most cases the battle between
the rangers and the fire is a hand-to-
hand conflict. Using coats. slickers.
| gunny-sacks. or whatever they have.
| Uncle Sans guardians go after the
| fire as though 1t we're a den Of snakes.
and beat it out. Dirt, If 1t Is loose.
may be dug up and thrown on the
| fire.
| Sometimes water ID absolutely nee.
essary. Often it has to be brough;
from a distance. and must be used
| economically. A little water is thrown
, on the ground to deaden the fire. and
then beating begins. The forest
guards know that the most effective
way to use water is by means OF
hand sprays. These little pumps throw
water from twenty to thirty feet. and
by them the water can be placed
where 1t will do the most good.
Where 1t is possible chemicals are
used, but they are not feasible in the
remote places. If the fire cannot be
checked quickly light trenches are
dug ahead of 1t in its direct line of
march and the fight 'is made over
| these trenches.
So much for the ordinary surface
fires. They are handled with com
parative ease II caught in time. The
great danger lies in what are known
as crown fires. They are the fires
which move along the tops Of the
trees.