The Madison journal. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1888-current, 1913-11-15

.ney are being opened up rapidly as funds
VIII 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 enlarging upon conditions under which
arge fires begin, it might be well to mention
briefly few of the forest fire terms with which
The layman frequently meets and may not I'M
derstand.
Forest fires are classified generally as crown
Or top fres-those where the fire travels through
the tops Of the trees with surprising rapidity and
working disastrous results: and ground or sur
face fires. where the fire travels along the
ground, consuming soil covers or humus. brush
and litter, seedlings and often small trees and.
consequently doing little damage to ma
ture timber. Luckily, in most cases forest fires
are ground fires and it is these that are the
most quickly controlled. Yet single top fire
can vastly more damage than a great
number Of ground fires. However, 1t is general
ly under unusual conditions that crown or top
nres occur-such as high winds. very bushy or
steep country and severe drought, when such
conditions can in an incredibly short time change
creeping ground fire into a 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 sewers fires
The wind is always the most dreaded factor
during the fire season, its freakishness and un-
certainty upsetting the best of plans So fierce
was the wind at the time of the destructive fires
OF 1910 that whole hillsdes Of timber were up
rooted and men were forced out Of their saddles
The nre leaped across rivers half a mile wide
at single bound. travelling nearly a mile a min
ute at times and devouring everything in its
pain. OFTEN wide canyons we're spanned as by
great jump. the fire continuing on the oppo-
site side and leaving the canyon timber green
and unframed. Numerous instances of the abb
solute freakishness Of the fire could be cited
and all tend to show its very uncertainty
IN nghtingra 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
IL, and exposing the mineral soil for one or two
Feet or wider as necessary. An ordinary ground
nre, unnamed by strong wind will die out on
reaching the strip Of mineral SOIL often as effect
ually as II the line were a stream of water
When the fire is moving slowly and men can
stand the heat and smoke, II is always desirable
10 ou1id the trench close to the fire SO as to
prevent Its gaining momentum as 1t progresses:
but where the fire is travelling quite rapidlv
often the fire line has to be placed some dis.
tahce away from the fire. and where ADEQUATE
patrol or supervision Is assured the burned ma.
teriai on the inside Of the line is fired in order
to meet the advancing fire and destroy the in
nammable material In its path. Backflring. as
THIS Is called. is generally used only in an
emergency and by experienced hands Often. OF
course. where the fire is severe strips Of timber