Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1914-09-18
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soon became to feel she expresses it. that the
lookout is IAN ounce of prevention" Then there
are three daily reports to be sent to the district
headquarters in town, to prove that everything
is serene. and extra reports If they not, and
lastly little, very little, homework to do
Not very busy day, as judged by our modern
standards Of rush, but lookout's motto might
r.c'l be "Thev also serve who only stand and
wait" And there is always the great map spread
out at ones feet to study by new lights and
shadows while waiting, and the ever-busy phone
with its numerous calls which must be kept
within hearing, that cannot wander far.
That phone, Miss Daggett says with its grad
ually extending feelers made her feel exactly like
big spider in the center of a Web with the fires
for flies; and those fires were certainly treated
to exactly the speedy fate of the other unworthy
pests. Through all the days up to the close OF
the term on November g. when light put
end to all danger of fires. she felt an ever
growing sense of responsibility, which finally
came to be almost feeling Of propretorship.
sulting in the desire to punish anyone careless
enough to set fires in her "door-yard.S
The utter dependence on the telephone Yves
brought WILDLY to Miss Daggett'B mind one aft
ernoon soon after her arrival. when extra
heavy electrical storm, which broke close by,
caused one of the electrical arresters ON the out
side of the cabin to burn out. quite contrary to
precedent, and she was cut off from the world
until the next day. when someone from the office
came up In haste to find out the Gauge of the
silence and set things Alright They often Joke
now. she says. about expecting to find her hidden
under log for safety, but It wasn't quite fun
ny at the time.
There seems however. to be very little actual
danger from these storms in spite Of the fact
that they are very heavy and numerous at that
elevation. One soon becomes accustomed to the
racket. or. at least Miss Daggett did. But in the
damage these storms cause by starting fires lies
their chief interest to the lookout for 1t requires
quick eye to detect. in among the rage of fogs
which arise in their wake the small puff of smoke
which tells of some tree struck in burnable spot
Generally It shows at once but in one instance
there lapse of almost two weeks before the
fall of the smoldering top famed up enough smoke
to be
At night the new fires show up like tiny candle
flames, and are easily spotted against the dark
background Of the ridges but not easy to
exactly locate for an immediate report. Upon the
speed and accuracy of this report, however, de-
ponds the efficiency of the service, as was proved
by the summers record Of extra small acreage
burned in spite Of over forty fires reported.
To the electrical storms Miss Daggett adds, are
attributed most OF our present-day fires, as trav-
eler and citizen alike daily feeling more re-
sponsible for the preservation OF the riches be-
slowed by nature, and although some still hold
to the same views one oldtimer who made
the comment, when lightning fires we're being dis
cussed, that he guessed that was the Almfghtys
way OF clearing the forests, the general trend of
forest service. is doing excellent work in
erto wholesale clearing.