Oxford eagle. (Oxford, Lafayette Co., Miss.) 1876-current, 1911-08-03

~ OF enjoying this pleasure
To the increasingiy
large number OF people
who do ind II possible To spend the
summer and fall In the woods and
mountains note Of friendly warning
Al this time may not be amisa This
10 the season when each year thou.
sands OF inexperienced and oftentImes
careless people enter the forest 10
camp and nsh 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 reverenceg
Even old. experienced woodsmen are
not always careful with their camp
nres. Hunters who have been in the
woods for 20 years often leave smol.
dering embers when they break camp
This. OF course. is pure recklcssness.
Tor these people know better. They
appreciate what consequences may fol
low II the wind should fan the smol
dering Goals. Usually. however. mon
who have lived In the woods all their
iives or who frequent the forest re-
sions during 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
dinerent parts of the country and In
different kinds OF forest. The differ
ence In the danger element is very an
parent between a fire started in the
sandy soil beneath pine forest and
tho deep dun beneath the spruce Dur.
ing even the dry season II is perfectly
easy to clear away infiammable mate
rial and scoop out hole In the sand
where a camp IRE may be built with
comparative safety. In the spruce
forest II Is different; great care must
be taken In tho selection Of the site
for nre. since II will be apt to creep
back beneath the surface and to gain
headWay after all trace Of Il Is sup
posed TO have been extinguished. When
one digs n FIRE hole in n forest. such
A spruce or fr. II is necessary TO dig
deep and find material that will not
smolder. or. better yet. select 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 leetle Are
stay up close. keep wa-aa,rm White
man he build great IRE. stand wny
back. roast one side. freeze other" II
Is too often true that campers. particu
larry those who are but slightly woods.
wise. pile on the wood to their own dis.
comfort and sometimes 10 their lmml.
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. II is
well TO give thought To the fire some
little time before breaking camp. Do
not build up hot fire only an hour
or so before leaving the locality. This
VIII save trouble In extlnguishlng the
last vestige o fthe Goals and perhaps
save an extra bucket of water carried
from an inconyenlent spot.
The question OF camp fires leads lii.
orally to the question OF forest fires.
Nearly every one who has been In the
woods during the dry season. whether
II 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 is
necessary. II may mean carrying wa
ter to pour upon snioldering fires In
dry peat In spruce or tamnrack
swamp: II may mean raking back the
leaves from II creeping surface fire n
an oak thicket: II may mean digging a
trench through the leaf mold and dun
In . forest OF FIR: very often II means
beating out with boughs the flames ad
vancing through grass and needles be-
meath the pine; occasionally Il means
the fighting of fierce crown fires when
gale is blowing. In the latter case.
OF course. fighting from the side and
narrowing in the front OF the fire Is
one way OF making progress. Another
Is to retreat to some favorable ridge,
water course. or other natural point
OF vantage. dig trenches. and back fire
strip across which the advancing
fire cannot travel.
Practically every state has laws max
ing II misdemeanor to leave camp
fires unextinguished. In Colorado the
penalty is s25 to 800. or Is to so days
imprisonment sh Maine the penalty
Is $50 In Montana Persons starting
camp fires without taking sufficient
steps to prevent spreading of them. or
falling to extinguish them before leav-
ing. are guilty Of misdemeanor and H.
able TO a fine of $4,000 or one years.
imprisonment"