The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1911-03-20
FOREST FIRES ARE
A NATIONAL PERIL
Problem in United States Be-
comes More Serious
With Each Year.
az JoNrHAN WINFIELD

reached the proportions Of a natlona.
peril.
Despite the vigilance of forest ey-
tons OF congress, the same enormous
toll IL oxacted by wind and flame ev.
cry summer. involving an enormous
drain upon our national resources.
Methods Of preventing and checking
the fires are improving rapidly, now
that the gravity of the situation is
realized. but the magnitude OF the
task is In some cases almost beyond
human capacity to cope with.
The huge losses In the northwest
crn states last summer on the forest
reserves caused the greatest appre.
hension to the officials of the Forest
Service. Striving to find Il remedy
they are now also probing into causes
and placing responsibility where IT be.
longs. Weather conditions. aided by
human carelessness and negligence,
tell the story. Nature, at certain per
iods Of the year. make conditions for
great, encompassing flame ideal In
the immense woodlands.
Nature Denies Rain.
First of all nature denies the forest
rain. For weeks at time not drop
Of moisture falls from the heavens,
and the trees become as dry and
parched as kindling wood. Then the
hot. scorching winds come to speed
the spark onward, and whip the flame
into fury wherever 1t appears. That
the spark will come. either from the
fire of some careless camper, or in
some other fashion, can be counted up
on. Forest experts in the field. dreL-
ing the fire as they do. recognize that
II Is inevitable in the long drought of
the mountain summers of the north
west. They can do little to prevent
forest fires: the main effort Is direct
ed toward checking them.
In spite of all the bitter experience
that has been gained from forest fires.
II Is frequently impossible to compel
private corporations and individuals to
take proper precautions against them.
Last summer timber was being cut
by lumbermen on a tract OF land ~
ing near the boundaries of "A national
forest In the Cascade mountains.
There was no question about their
ownership OF the land. and the United
Stataes merely made request that,
In view of the existing conditions, op.
crations be suspended until rainfall.
The lumber company curtly refused.
The forest was very dry. with the
needles. twigs and branches of the
fClled trees turning TO finder as fast
as they came down. Sparks were be
ing thrown far and wide by the lum.
bermens logging locomotives and don
key engines. the lumber Jacks were
smoking and an atmosphere of care
lessness and Indifference prevailed.
All this NJ the foot Of Il richly timber
cd slope belonging to the United Stat
csc government
Ttcn a Wind Comes.
Then Pacific east wind came, On
the eastern seaboard an east wind
means humidity; on the Pacific coast
Il brings ON it's crest all the heat and
dryncss of the Utah and Nevada des'
crts. The wind blew from the new
slashings straight up the mountain.
side toward Uncle SANS own wods.
Then flame came. and before the first
telephone message reached the forest
supervisor, thousand acres had been
swept away. For days the battle with
the fire ragged. When il was over. and
the government started to count the
cost. II was found that several hun.
dred thousand acres of young trees
had been ruined. and the loss in tim
Der had been about seven million feet.
The actual expenses of the freight.
ing were about $4,000. The full loss
incurred by both the United States and
the lumber companies was so vast
that its mere recital in dollars and
cents would be appalling.
No less than twenty fires in the
same forest reserve We're started by
sparks from passing locomotives.
Many of the forest fires might have
been prevented by the use of spark
arrestcrs. or by the use of ptroleum
as fuel.
There are many ways Of putting out
forest fires. On the Pacific coast last
summer &c were put out by the rang.
Crs without assistance, and before
they had spread far enough To do any
great harm. Any of these fires, had
they been left to eNtendwithout inter
fcrancc. would probably have started
great conflagration and done dam.
age beyond estimation. Ten Others
were fires of more Importance, SD that
the rangers had to have help. but they
too. were eXtinguished before having
done any appreciable harm. Others
were fires of stili greater magnitude.
How Rangers Fight.
The rangers fight around fires with
wet blankets. by shoveling dirt upon
the flames aud In other ways.
Throughout all the great forest re-
serves there are great alley-ways and
lanes cut through the thick of the
trcss, to arrest. II possible. the spread
of the fires.
Dynamite and water are used. the
former to create a clearing across
which II Is hoped that the flames will
not be able to pass.
All the forest reserves are under.
manned. They are not equipped as
they should be for efficient freight.
Ing. II proper measures had been TAX
en- by the Government ut the request
OF the Forest Service there is little
doubt that the recent great fires IN