Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1912-05-17

comes from the Black Hills,
W where by means of lookout
on high peak, who locates in
/ cipient fires by means of map and
| telephones their exact location to va
rious ranger stations, hundreds of
thousands of acres of fine timber
lands are made immune from the
scourge that threatens the nations
lumber resources, says a writer in the
New York Tribune,
The national forests of the Black
Hills have been the scene of many
disastrous fires in recent years The
country is sparsely settled, and it Is
( difficult to get sufficient help to fight
fire that has gained any Roadway.
On that account the forest service has
been bending every energy to catch
/ fires in their incipiency,
The first step toward solving the fire
problem was the selection of a look
out station. A station was established
on Harvey peak, the highest point in
Harvey National forest, at an altitude
| OF 1912 feet above the sea level. The
peak itself is barren rock, from
which a clear view can be had on
every side. The approximate forest
area which can be seen from the look
out station is 100000 acres, and 1t is
estimated that the amount of stand
ing timber In this area is 1900, 000,-
600 feet. The radius of circle which
can be covered from any lookout sta
ton depends entirely upon the topog-
raphy OF the surrounding country,
the weather conditions and the condi-
ton of the atmosphere. Fires have
been definitely located from the Har-
ney lookout station twenty-five miles
distant. Some of the area thus COW
cred is In the Black hills forest and
some is outside national forest bound
aries.
Useful Maps and Phone System
Telephone connection is maintained
between the lookout station and vari-
GUS ranger stations in the national
forests In fact. without an adequate
system of telephone lines the lookout
station would be of little value. But
after sighting the smoke of distant
fire the lookout steps to the tele-
phone box on top of the barren peak
and is soon in communication with the
nearest ranger station.
To describe the exact location of a
fire, even when it Is sighted from the
peak, afforded a pretty problem. In
most cases the smoke from the fire
would not be visible to the rangers.
The rolling hills, covered with the
heavy growth of timber, effectually
shut off all signs of distant fires. 1t
would not do to depend entirely on
general instructions, as there are few,
! trails through the forest. The exact
location must be described II an effec-
tive fight was to be made against the
| fire.
The solution was worked out by pro-
viding the forest officials with maps.
On sighting a Are theaman at the look
out station figures out Its exact loca-
ton on the map of the forest. He
I then telephones the location to the
/ chief ranger, who is familiar with all
/ the roads and trails in the forest and
/ knows instantly how he can best reach
4 the fire.
! On receiving a fire warning from
the man at the lookout station, with
/ the map location of the blaze, the
fire fighting force departs for the
scene of the fire. armed with shovels,
axes and other fire fighting parapher-
nalia. The effectiveness of this plan
was shown last summer in unique
way. The lookout deserted column
of smoke arising from a certain part
of the forest and called up headquar-
ters. describing the location on the
i map The fire fighters were rushed
to the scene of the fire in wagons aud
found 1t in gully only few hundred
yards from ranch house. Yet so
well screened was the smoke from
those at the ranch house that it had
not been seen there, and the farmers
were amazed when fire fighting crew
descended on the ranch with the infor.
nation that fire threatened destruc-
ton almost at the very door of the
farmhouse
Great Saving at Small Cost.
Besides being connected with the Of
Ace of the former supervisor and with
the various ranger stations In the for
est, the Tarney forest lockout is also
connected with the ranger stations on
the Black hills forest, A shelter Is
constructed at the top OF the peak for
the use of the lookout, The guardian
Of this immense forest area lives a
lonely life but his wants are well pro-
si6red tor. He-has tent at the base