The Logan Republican. [volume] (Logan, Utah) 1902-1924, 1912-11-12

the magnitude of the task of pro-
tecting the national forests from fire.
First Principle Of Fire Fighting
What your city fire department
aims to do, and upon which its eff
cheney largely depends, Is to reach q
the first principle of successfully COM
batting any fire and is more neces-
sary in fighting a forest fire than in
fighting a fire In your city for the
reason that after forest fire Is
reached only the crudest appliances
can be brought to your aid What
your city fire department accomplish
es on well constructed streets, with
clear right of way and with the
aid of auto engines, chemicals auto
matte alarms. ETC., the forest service
fire fighters must endeavcr to accom-
| plish with horses over rough noun
tain trails and very often must go
afoot. Their equipment and subsis-
| tence supplies are only such as can
be transported on the backs of pack
horse or their own backs Chemicals
or water pumping engines IRE out of
the question, the securing of enough
water to quench the thirst of the men
being very often serious problem.
"Your city fire department reaches
most of your fires before they have
gained much roadway and evtinguish-
es them before much damage has
been done, and even VI y"r.cIimcs u
little too late, they conf 10 the f.e
| to some worthless sha,k or TO - Re
| one building whereas, without their
| work, the fire would spread and de-
stroy a large section of your city.
Likewise the forest service fire fight
ers put out thousands of fires every
year before they have had time to
reach alarming proportions or do Sc
rious damage, which II not attended
would work serious havoc and destruc
ton of property.
Risk To Human Life
Your city firemen risk their lives
amidst falling walls. smoke and
| flames. That forest service fire fight.
ers assume the same risk Is obvious
from the list of known fatalities. Fall
ing trees, smoke flames of forest fires
have exacted an average yearly toll
of 20 human lives during the past 50
years.
"The control of forest fires must
ever depend upon transportation and
| communication, and l am greatly
| pleased with the showing of prog
ress in tho six districts along these
lines. The season of 1911 was prob.
ably record season in the construc-
ton of fire protection improvements
on the national forests, and at the
close of that year we had extended
our telephone lines and trails until
the equivalent of 1 80 miles Of trails
and 04 miles of telephone lines to
each township of SO square miles had
been completed. This means that il
all the trails were laid off on straight
lines, running parallel to each other,
they would still be about 2S miles
apart, while the telephone lines, If
similarly located would be about 80
miles apart.
Even though this system of COM
munication is supplemented by roads
trails and telephone lines constructed
by communities and private enter
prises there still remains great parts
of the national forests insufficiently
protected. Ultimately not less than
the equivalent of 10 miles of trails
and six miles of telephone line, in
the average township, or about eight
times the present mileage will need
to be constructed before we can feel
that sufficient protection is assured Z.
During the field season just clos
ed, while we have made excellent pro
gress, we have not been able to ac
complih quite as much as we wish
in the extension OF our fire protect
i've organization. The uncertainty oil
our appropriation for permanent i'm
proyements this year, and its coming
to us late in the season as it did
considerably retarded our work, since
it is almost wholly confined to the
mountains where winter sets in ear
ly and lasts late in the spring thus
leaving a very short season at best
in which our improvement work may
be carried on.
Sixty Per Cent Preventable
over 60 per cent Of forests fires
are preventable; that is, they origi-
nate through some act OF man, eth.
er accidentally, carelessly, or wilful-
ly, and therefore l am particularly
well pleased with the reports brought
/ 1. -.