The Holbrook news., 1912-07-26

comes from the Black Hills,
 where by means of a 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
 a fire that has gained any headway. 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 Harney peak, the highest point in Harney National forest, at an altitude of 7,242 feet above the sea level. The peak itself is a 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 it is estimated that the amount of stand ing timber in this area is 100000 900 feet. The radius of a 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 liar ney lookout station twenty-five miles distant Some of the area thus GOV 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- ous 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 a 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. It 14 fO On general instructions, as there are few trails through the forest The exact | location must be described if 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 fire the man at the look | out station figures out its exact loca- ton on the map of the forest. He 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 the fire.
 On receiving a fire warning from the man at the lookout station, with the map location of the blaze, the Ire uSHllnS lOTCS uSpdIIS TUT lhC scene of the fire, armed with shovels, axes and other fire fighting parapher- nalia. The effectiveness of this plan was shown last summer in a 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 map. The fire fighters were rushed to the scene of the fire in wagons and found it in a gully only few hundred yards from a 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 a fire fighting crew descended on the ranch with the infor- nation that a fire threatened destruc- ton almost at the very door of the 
 Great Saving at Small Cost.
 Besides being connected with the of flee of the former supervisor and with the various ranger stations in the for est, the Tarney forest lookout 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 onely life, but his wants are we'll pro ( 5idAd for. He has a tent at the base