The Celina Democrat. (Celina, O. [Ohio]) 1895-1921, 1911-08-11

Wk mention OF camp fire II
! ,&MNCl the forestl Civilization
"( has not taken from n
N the appreciation OF tn,
60 eanp fire's glow neal
~ bivouao or tent, but Il
0,%4 has too often removed
4ssS. us from the opportunity
G4SRTAs of enjoying this pleasure
To the increasingly
large number OF people
who do find 1t possible to spend the
summer and fall In the woods and
mountains a note of friendly warning
at this time may not be amiss. This
Is the season when each year thou.
sands of inexperienced and oftentlmes
careless people enter the forest to
camp and fish and wander, TO let their
minds and bodies grow. How many
Of these people realize what a menace
they are to that same forest which
they admire, and to the old trees which
they reverence?
Even old, experienced woodsmen are
not always careful with their camp
hres. Hunters who have been in the
woods for 20 years often leave smol-
dering embers when they break camp
This, Of course, is pure recklessness,
for these people know better. They
appreciate what consequences may fol-
low II the wind should fan the smol-
dering Goals. Usually, however, men
who have lived in the woods all their
lives or who frequent the forest re-
gions during a portion Of the year
are very careful where they build camp
fires and how they leave them.
The question of camp fires, like the
forest fires which may result from
them, must be handled differently in
different parts Of the country aad in
different kinds Of forest The differ
ence in the danger element is very ap-
parent between a fire started in the
sandy soil beneath a pine forest and
the deep dun beneath the spruce. Dur
Ing even the dry season it is perfectly
easy to clear away inflammable mate
rial and scoop out a hole in the sand
where a camp fire may be built with
comparative safety. In the spruce
forest 1t is different; greaa care must
be taken in the selection of the site
for fire, since It will be apt to creep
back beneath the surface and to gain
headway after all trace of It is sup
posed TO have been extinguished When
one digs a fire hole in a forest, such
as spruce or fir, 1t is necessary to dig
deep and find material that will not
smolder, or, better yet, select a site
along some stream or lake shore where
there is gravel or rocks.
Do not build large fires. They serve
no useful purpose. AS an old Indian
said: Indian he build Ieetle fire,
stay up close, keep wa-a-a-rm. White
man he build great fire, stand way
back, roast one side, freeze other" 1t
is too often true that campers, particu.
iarly those who are but slightly woods
wise, pile on the wood to their own dis
comfort and sometimes to their immi-
nent danger and that of the surround
Ing forest. OF course camp fires should
never be built against trees or stumps
where they are likely to smolder. 1t is
well to give thought to the fire some
little time before breaking camp. Do
not build up a hot fire only an hour
or so before leaving the locality. This
will save trouble in extinguishing the
last vestige fthe Goals and perhaps
save an extra bucket of water carried
from an inconVenient spot.
The question of camp fires leads lit
orally to the question of forest fires.
Nearly every one who has been in the
woods during the dry season, whether
1t be in Maine or in British Columbia,
has had the opportunity to prevent the
spread of some incipient forest fire.
Sometimes they are called upon to
take part in controlling a fire well un-
der headway. This kind of work 10
necessary. 1t may mean carrying wa
ter to pour upon smoldering fires in
Try peat in a spruce or tamarack
swamp; it may mean raking back the
leaves from a creeping surface fire in
IN oak thicket; it may mean digging a
.rench through the leaf mold and DUFF |
N a forest Of fir; very often it means
1eating out with boughs the flames ad-
through grass and needles be-
heath the pine; occasionally it means
he fighting of fierce crown fires when
| gale is blowing In the latter case,
If course, fighting from the side and |
narrowing in the front Of the fire is |
me way of making progress. Another
s to retreat to some favorable ridge,
water course, or other natural point |
II vantage, dig trenches, and back fire
/ strip across which the advancing
ire cannot travel
Practically every state has laws max
ng it a misdemeanor to leave camp
Tres unextinguished. In Colorado the
,enalty is $25 to S1O0 or Is to 60 days
In Maine the penalty
S $50. In Montana Persons starting
amp fires without taking sufficient
teps to prevent spreading OF them, or
ailing to extinguish them before leav-
ng, are guilty of misdemeanor and IL
bile to fine of $4,000 or one years