Rocky Ford enterprise., 1913-11-14
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for variable distances cleared. but in the
ordinary ground fire such work is usually too
slow and unnecessary.
The best tools used by a fre-fghting crew in
the mountains are axes, shovels and mattocks or
grub toes. the hoes being usually in greatest
proportion and most effective. Often one or two
crosscut saws are useful particularly where the
fire is travelling through ,ot of down timber
The axmen generally go first. clearing out and
cutting away the heavy stuff along the line: then
follow the grub hoe or mattock men. breaking
through the heavy sod and roots; and last the
shovel men, who clean out the trail. or as might
be stated. put the finishing touches the work
of the others The amount of work a gang of
men can do depends upon various circumstances.
such as the nature of the country, tools avail
able, etc, but roughly it might be said that a
gang of twenty men build mile of line
day.
Aside from few general principles there are
no set rules for fighting forest fres-in fact, 1t
is far from black-andwhite proposition. Rath-
er, 1t calls into play initiative and headwork,
and the result attained bears mute evidence of
the success or failure of the supervising officer.
although always it must be remembered that
that uncertain and uncomfortable factor the
WIND, can snatch victory from the hands of
SO quickly and easily to make it seem some
times veritable mockery of his efforts. And-
too. the unbelievable action of fire. even whel
apparently under control makes 1t absolutely
necessary that it be watched closely and con-
tinuously until there is not single remaining
vestigel of its existence.
Among the principal causes of forest fires are
locomotive sparks, lightning, camp fires left un-
extinguished. burning of slash in clearing land
logging operations principally from fire in the
resultant slash accumulated by the average log
ger in cutting over area There are minor
other ways. such incendiarism. ashes from
pipe. lighted cigar cigarette stub or lighted
match cast thoughtlessy aside. The first three
mentioned however, are the most general.
When fire has once assumed the proportions
Of a large top fire. it is generally inadvisable to
attempt TO check it; rather, 1t is good Judgment
to consider the safety of. the fire fighters them
selves. so that they may be in readiness to
attack the fire when it again leaves the tops of
the trees and assumes its slower progress along
the ground.
1t might be mentioned right here that forest
hres, with particular reference to ground fires
do not always destroy standing timber, but often
only the very small trees, brush and surface
cover or hrmus Potent timber, of course has
distinet value. and the destruction of a good
soil cover is decided detriment to the forest
but many trees such Douglas fir tamarack
and yellow pine. have d thick heavy bark which
forms good resistance to fire and will often
Withstand periodic ground fires for years. Other
trees with thin bark, OF course, succumb quite
readily.
In the report of the secretary of agriculture
embodied In the Yearbook OF the department of
agriculture for 1911 he states that the fires OF
the calendar year 1910 covered more than 3OOo-