Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1914-12-03
THE JOB OF THE RANGER.
Mountain Life Alone in Deep Snow Nov
Requires Men of Drawn and Nerve.

washington, Nov. 2S.-Out In thu
snow-piled reaches of 100 federal for
est reserves, small army of fores
rangers, Uncle Sans most picturesqu,
employees, are burning brush, making
trails and building bridges, in ordel
that timber for the multifarious use,
of posterity may not perish from the
face of the earth.
Mounted in snow-shoes or skies, ane
clothed in corduroys and mackinaw
the forest ranger has settled down tt
his winter IS work. far back in the hills
miles from human eompanionship, with
no line Of communication but the atten
uated strand of telephone wire which he
himself has strung behind him. For the
forest ranger is kind of "hibernat
ing" animal that works while he hiber
mates. With the last danger of des
tructive forset fires gone with the ar
rival of the heavy SHOWS, he deserts his
lookout station and devotes his atten.
ton to the work of the winter, the
cleaning up of his range and the main
tenance of the trails he has wrought
through the forest.
The first SHOWS start the ranger out
to burn the brush piles left by the log.
ging crews that cut over sale areas
and free-use timber of his range. The
brush is left in piles until wet blanket
of snow insures against the Starting o,
forest fires from the blazing refuse.
Then it is burned with the snow on
hand as natures own fire extinguisher.
The ranger Furnishes up his snow
shoes or skies, and patches up his hand
or dog sled. A way over on the other
side Of his range he knows there is a
bridge that spans a mountain torrent,
which needs considerable strengthen
ing to stand the weight which the
breakup Of the winters ice and the
spring freshets will put upon it. So he
loads quarter of ton of bridge iron
on his sled, bitches up his dogs, should.
ers provision pack and closes up the
log cabin that he calls headquarters. h
may have to negotiate snow-choked
pass, seven or eight thousand feet in
altitude, where the wet heavy snow
clogs his snow shoes, and where he NAV
have to make three or four trips to haul
his pack over the crest When he ar.
rives at his destination he may find his
bridge buried under a ten-foot drift of
heavy snow which he will spend day
penetrating Through delays and heavy
travelling, he may find his supplies Civ
ing out, and by the time he has fought
his way through snow storm back to
he may have been lunch
ing for days on frozen raw bacon and
sleeping in sodden blankets undes a
sheltering tree.
Throuhout the long winter the ranger
is kept busy with just such Jobs as
these. Ten feet of snow NAV come
down from the mountains and bury his
cabin, and he must dig himself out and
take the trail. And he must keep ever.
astingly at it until the spring breakup
sends him securing to the high points
20 watch for the curl Of smoke that
Foretells the coming Of the forest fire.
Development of the winter work on
he ranges has removed the forest
anger from the patronage" classi.
ication in government jobs. Former.
y congressman were inclined to look
m the forest ranger place as a desir.
bile position for some constituent look.
ng for eight outdoor work. That
ime has passed, however, for the forest
anger must submit medical certificate
howing that he is able-bodied before he
appointed. As the forest service puts
/.
He must be able-bodied and cap
BILE Of enduring hardships and Of per.
orming severe labor under trying con.
itions; able to take care of himself
nd his horses in regions remote from
ettlement and supplies; and must be
bic to build trails and cabins and pack
a provisions without assistance. He
rust know something Of. surveying, es.
mating and scaling humber, and the
vestock business; and in addition to
his he should have general knowledge
farm ing and mining"
GET MINERAL EXHIBITS READY.