Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1912-11-28
THE WATCH AGAINST
;, BLAzES IN FOREST

BY Nelson G.. Morton, in the Boston
TranSCriut


BY Nelson G. Morton, in the Boston
Transcript.
The hill came first in view. then the
box, then the man. None of the three
was very large, although the hill had
title of mountain. The box was on
the tip-top point Of the hill. but 1t
aspired to higher things, so it had
mounted itself on steel stills. The man
was sauntering about the open pasture.
making Jabs with a spade at the little
hummocks that dotted the slope. The
hill was Fay Mountain, in the town of
Westboro, Worcester county. Massa-
chusetts. The box was a forest fire
observation tower. The mar was the
forest fire observer.
The discovery was accidental. OF
course l knew that the commonwealth
of Massachusetts had established fire
observation towers at various points,
but 1 was unfamiliar with their exact
location. My curiosity had been piQued
by the fact that a hill of which the
elevation was marked on the road map
as a trife more than 700 feet was called
a mountain, while the further fact that
II was considerably higher thar any
other point for some distance around
promised q good view. So l trolleyed
from Boston to Westboro, and, guided
by the road-map made my way on foot
from the village to the hill.
From the highway l noticed a small
tower-llke structure on the summit.
but at that distance 1 could not make
out whether 1T was an observatory or
Il standplpe. 1t was not until after l
had drunk from the spring which 1 dis
covered half way up the hill thai l
made sure that the tower was an UNI
painted wooden box. with roof and
windows. held in mid-air by slender
steel legs and further secured from
pa hN high winds Inv ctool ool1o,
stretched from the corners of the mini
allure mouse to trees and posts nearby.
Then Its nature dawned on me.
After 1 had exchanged greetings with
the man he explained that he was try
ing to grade a portion of the pasture
a bit, so that people could drive up to
che, summit from the lane which ended
It III pasture wall.
In q Lookout Perch.
Like to come up?" he inquired hos
pitably.
l promptly accepted the invitation
and followed him UP the perpendicular
steel ladder-a 3O-foot climb, not alto
getner easy In the strong west wind
that was blowing-and through the
trap-door. When he had let the door
down to make more floor space l saw
that he had a cosy and BILE
room. Along m side was an impro-
vised couch. covered With bagging. In
"a W. AbOI 0$OOu u " IlOd lOS. U uS0 ON
cool days. A telephone was attached
to one wall. and beside it hung a pair
of binoculars.
But the most striking feature of the
little room was a square table which
filled the center. On the table was
spread a large map. protected by a
glass covering. The greater portion of
the map was included within a cir
Gle of which the circumference was
drawn IN red. A closer examination
revealed the fact that this was a map
CT a section of Massachusetts approxi-
matelN so miles square. and that the
center of the circle was Fay Noun
tain. Attached to this center was a
pointer lying across the top of the
glass and forming the diameter of the
circle.
THAT shows explained the OBJ
server. the territory I'm responsible
for. Every fire that breaks out in the
woods within Is miles of here have
10 report to the fire warden living
nearest TO the place. This tower is
lass. and with the glasses l can make
out pretty close to where any fire is as
soon as l see the smoke. Most of the
wardens in The different towns have
telephones in their houses and usually
| can get them started pretty quick. so
that u fire doesn't have Il chance TO
make very great Roadway before the
warden S.ts some men on the scene to
fight it unless there happens to be a
high wind.
Sometimes 1 see smoke rising from
a Joint tlat seems to be just beyond
mj district. That's where the ma
comes in. The stat. is divided. so far
as stations haze been established, into
these 30 ,:.ile Wide circles. The OBJ
server in the tower at the center of
each district has ono. Of these maps
covering his own district, and also one
OF the sc others"
He uni oiled u MAJ attached to one of
the walls and displayed Il diagram Of
the state covered With continuous red
Giro les.
"Yon see" lie went on. when 1 see a
fire like, that and don't feel sure lust
: whose territory it's in, | talks thc point
er on NY district map and turn it un-
TIL 1t points in the direction of the
smoke. Now on this state map you'll
notice those long red lines going from
the center of eac circle in every di-
rection and extending through the cir
cies next to it on every side. Those
lines. see. are repeated on the table
a and all are numbered.
Now SUPPOSE. for example. / see a
fire way over beyond that hill. That's
near where my circle touches the dis
trirt covered by the man on top OF
Wachusett mountain, which you see off
there to the Isft. / set my pointer to-
ward the hill and it lies almost direct
~ on line No. Is. Then l call up the
observer on Wachusett and tell him
the line l see the smoke on. He turns
his pointer toward the, fire and it lies
on line No. 4 OF his district map. Then