Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1914-05-06
An Idea of Forest
: Com. Blaine S. Viles
. Meeting With Much
: Approval
TWENTY TO Be PLACED IN DIFF
fERENT PARTS OF THE STATE

: For the protection from fire of the
kreat timber lands of Northern Maine,
Forest Commissioner Blaine ). Viies
has designed fire tower by means
of which a fire in any locality may be
located at once. This idea Of Mr..
Ailes is causing no small amount of
interest from people all over the State
and when the towers are finished and
placed in different sections of the
wooded country, Maine forests should
be well protected.
The height of the towers will range
from twelve to sixty feet, according
10 the location. the 60-foot towers
will have base of 16 feet. a house
xill be constructed on top of the tow
81 Which is feet square on the out
eide, having u windows, three on
pile. The houses will be six feet high
from the top of the floor to the top
az the roof plate, with a roof pitch of
30. degrees.
Z Each house will be provided with
Hiding table running diagonally across
fhe house The tables will be pro-
sided with an alidade and protractor
By which the direction of a fire may
be determined and definitely located
from any station The table will be OF
4 circular nature resting on trucks
Ynnning on track. The To-
cation of the fires will be deter
mined from a fixed point north. For
Instance, one tower may discover that
4 fire is in progress 81 degrees west
Of north, getting this first, by locat-
ing the blaze by means of the alidade
and then taking the number of degrees
any direction from north from the pro-
tractor. Another station may locate
the same fire in the same manner ana
from the position of the latter station
1t might be 27 degrees west of north.
wherever the lines running out from
each of the towers intersect, will be
determined the exact location of the
fire. Each of the stations Hlll be
provided with telephone and as soon
as a fire is discovered a call is sent in
20 the main station and q squad OF
men are at once sent to the scene.
The material for the towers will be
of medium o. II. steel. The houses
will be painted slate grey, and each
provided with a flag staff and flag.
The Waterman climbs the tower by
means of steel ladder running up the
trestle work, entering the house on
top by means of a trap door in the
floor The keeper or Waterman for
each tower will live in a camp close
by.
Twenty of the towers are already be-
ting constructed and are about COM
pIeted Some Of them have already
been shipped. The first tower to be
shipped and the most difficult one to
socate is that of the one which will
pc placed at Seven Islands. 1t is
thought that it will be necessary to
make three trips into Canada before
Il is finally located. It is to go by the
way of st. Jean and Port Joli, p. q.
This tower will be consigned to Albert
n. Currier. The second one will &c
20 David w. Campbell, End, Cherry
aeld. Me-; the third to F. II. Colby,
Skinner, Me; fourth to Ora fitzpatrick,
Hherman Station; fifth to f. II. Col
BY. Jackman; sixth to A. A. Berry
Bfeelow; seventh to C. c. Murphy
Eangeley; eighth TO J. NJ. Brown
Winterville Station; ninth to l.. P
Barney, Tarratine.
At the request of Mr.. viles, Archie
g. Noreross of this city employed by
the firm of f. E. Greenwood & Co.
civil engineers, constructed the model
fA-sr~..- as shown in the cut. 1t was
first thought that 1t would be best
TO have the house which rests on the
top of the tower of an octagonal
shape. but this idea was abandoned
and the square shaped one decided
upon.
The contract for constructing the
towers was awarded TO Isiah Crowel
OF Brooks, Me. Mr.. Crowell has thu
d. about complete and has constructed
them In a manner deserving Of greaf
credit A miniature model of the house
was made by Harry Hanks, locs
carpenter. The location Of the remain,
ing towers that have not been definite
y. fxed will be determined later. They
viii be placed however where they