Anadarko daily democrat. [volume] (Anadarko, Oklahoma) 1908-191?, 1910-09-27

forest service all the government for
est reserves are posted with warn.
ings These warnings are printed In
English. Italian, French and Spanish.
They warn against carelessness and
describe tho penalties. The four Ian
guages are used because many Italians
are at work on the railroads and more
Mexlcans are adrift all over the west.
Watch for lneiplent Fires.
All over tho forest reserves are
lookout stations. In the fiat country
they consist Of platforms in the tops
Of high trees. approached by ladders.
If 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 It is possible the telephone Is
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
Picts OF Scotland. the system the
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 fire 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 a 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 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
! small fire and a blanket serves the
purpose of Uncle Sans forest guar.
dians. The small fire is started Then
wet grass or earth is used to deaden
IT and make the smoke heavy. over
The fire a blanket is thrown to hold
the smoke down. When the blanket
is released solid puff of smoke goo0
skyward. Again the blanket is ap-
piled and quickly removed. Up goes
another pun OF smoke.
other methods are the heliograph-
windmill with small mirrors at
} tached to its wheels. which flash the
= signal of a fire. and. in some cases.
the flag 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-
tlon Chief Forester Graves says It 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 is 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 high peak, and
there pitching his camp. keep guard
over a 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 abls
bodied men, well intentioned but lg-
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 It were a den OF snakes.
and beat It out Dirt, II II is loose.
may be dug up and thrown on the
flre.
Sometimes water Is absolutely nee
: essary. often II has TO be brought
from distance, and must be used
: economically. A little water is thrown
. on the ground to deaden the fire. and
3 then beating begins. The forest
: guards know that the most effective
+ way to use water Is by means OF
e hand sprays. These little pumps throw
a water from twenty to thirty feet, and
| by them the water can be placed
: where 1t will do the most good.
Where It is possible chemicals are
o used, but they are not feasible in the
/ remote places. II the fire cannot be
o checked quickly light trenches are
dug ahead of It in its direct line OF
s march and the fight is made over
Z these trenches.
Q SO much for the ordinary surface
n fires. They are handled with com
/, parative ease II caught in time. The
d great danger lies in what are known
as crown fires. They are the fires
; which move along the tops of the
g trees.