The Raymer enterprise., 1913-11-13

they are being opened up as rapidly as funds
will permit OF trails being built. yet there Is SO
much area, so many other duties are required
OF the forest officers and the funds mentioned
are so limited and inadequate, that progress OF
such work. while keeping pace with the avail.
able resources, Is necessarily slow.
Before enarging upon conditions under which
large fires begin, 1t might be well to mention
briefly few OF the forest fire terms with which
the layman frequently meets and may not un-
derstand.
Forest fires classified generally crown
or top hres-those where the fire travels through
the tops OF the trees with surprising rapidty and
working disastrous results; and ground sur
face nres where the fire travels along the
ground. consuming soil covers or humus. brush
and litter, seedlings and often small trees and.
consequently. doing little or no damage to ma
ture timber. Luckily, In most cases forest fires
ground fires and II Is these that are the
most quickly controlled Yet a single top fire
can cause vastly more damage than n great
number OF ground fires, However, II Is general.
ly under unusual conditions that crown top
fires OCcur-such as high winds, very bushy or
steep country and severe drought, when such
conditions can in an incredibly short time change
a creeping ground fire Into n sweeping crown
fire, leaving path OF ruin and often death In its
wake, In brief, drought and wind are the two
dominant conditions favorable to severe fires.
The wind Ia always the most dreaded factor
during the fire season. its freakshness and un.
certainty upsetlng the best OF plans So fierce
was the wind at the time Of the destructive fires
OF 1910 that whole hillsides Of timber were up.
rooted and men were forced out Of their saddles.
The fire leaped across rivers half a mile wide
at single bound, travelling nearly mile min.
ute at times and dovouring everything in It's
path. Often wide canyons were spanned rs by
n great Jump, the FIRE continuing on the oppo.
site side and leaving the canyon timber green
and unharmed Numerous instances OF the ab.
soute freakIshness OF the fire could be cited.
md all tend to show It's very uncertainty
In Fighting fire there is constructed around
the burning area what Is called fire line or
trench. This consists OF clearing away all debris
and brush, generally for three or four feet
though wider when conditions allow or warrant
II. and exposing the mineral soil for one or two
feet or wider as necessary. An ordinary ground
hre. Unframed by strong wind, will die out on
reaching the strip OF mineral soil often ms effect
ually as II The line were n stream OF water
When the fire Is moving slowly and men can
stand the heat and smoke. II is always desirable
to build the trench close to the fire so as to
prevent It's gaining momentum as |. progresses;
but where the fire IL travelling quite rapidly,
often the fire line has to be placed some dis.
tance away from the fire. and where adequate
patrol or supervision is assured the burned ma.
terla on the inside OF the line is fred In order
TO meet the advancing fire and destroy the in.
fammable material in Its path. Backaring, as
this Is called. Is generally used only In an
emergency and by experienced hands. Often. Of
course, where the hre Is severe, strips Of timber