The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-07-18

rifles and high power artillery, but
nevertheless "a struggle which 10 often
waged to the death. The foe against
which it Is carried on 10 the forest
Are.
from July I to November the
national forests are exposed to danger
from this source. In the past nu-
merous fires have gained Roadway in
the national forests, and II has been
the work OF weeks and even months
to get them under control. They have
destroyed timber and other property
worth millions. The loss Of life has
been large.
The fire fighters have often accom-
plished wonders with the implements
and at their command, but
until recently they were o trained
to fight fires on scientific principles.
Then. too. the causes Of forest fires,
the way in which they spread and the
best methods Of stopping them and
preventing them. had not been thor
oughly studied. Often they were sim
ply allowed to burn themselves out.
Nowadays the national forests are pro-
tected from fire as carefully as a city
is guarded from the same danger.
The danger and the great loss result
ms from forest fires made It impera-
tive that preventive measures should
be adopted. and the Government ex-
perts carried On extensive investiga-
tons OF h subject. Men were first
sent into the national forests to seek
out the causes OF the fires and to
discover a method of minimizing the
danger. Then came the first measures
Of protection. These have been i'm
proved to such an extent that the
fighters are n % longer handicapped in
their work The fire break now turns
back the flames. from telephone sta
tons watchers give early warning OF
the outbreak Of a fire and trained
fighters have been organized into such
capable bodies hat few forest fires
are allowed TO gain much Roadway.
One OF the things discovered by the
experts sent into the forests was that
the elements themselves had a great
deal to do with the forest fires. Dur
ing the summer months the woods
become dry and an easy prey to the
flames.
Then II was recognized that camp
ers and hunters were often careless
with fires. pipes and their cigarettes.
sometimes starting fires which caused
losses Of hundreds of thousands Of
dollars. To obviate this cause the Gov
eminent started a campaign of educa-
ton regarding forest fires. People liv-
ing in the wooded areas were taught
methods Of fire prevention and were
organized into volunteer bodies for hre
fighting. The most recen creation
II tho Arn nnrtrnI uN.utnnN stnAAV Atrnnt
supervision of the Government and its
corps Of rangers.
The Government now has an or
ganized force OF three thousand fire
fighters. They are on h job every
day in the year and they know where
to find $4,000 volunteers when needed.
The volunteers nay Oe called out on
short notice and are to be depended
upon at a crisis.
Tools used in fighting forest fires are
stored away in thousands Of places in
the national forests and each fire
fighter knows exactly where these
tools are located; he could And them
in the dark In case OF necessity. Emer-
gency supplies are hidden away in the
woods against the time of need. Roads
have been built and are being built
through the forests. telephone lines are
being constructed to out OF the way
places INC fire breaks are everywhere.
II has taken the Government years to
perfect this system. and at the present
time it comes about as close TO being
a system without a hitch as possible.
The second step taken after h edu-
cation of the persons living in the
wooded areas in matters OF fire pre-
yention was that OF organization and
training. This was found all impOr-
tant. Having only been in the forestry
business for the past decade, the Gov
m found the first steps in fire
prevention a matter of experiment. and
these rave been improved upon as
each year passed. Mistakes were made
at first, as in all matters OF this ma
ture, but these were remedied. There
were few men In America a decade ago
who knew a great deal about forestry.
Many of these acquired their training
abroad and impaired their knowledge
to others upon returning to this coun-
try. 1t was the plan to perfect an or
ganization which would be able to care
for all of the Governments forests
from Maine to Florida and from
H'aShd W 1dllIOIIid.
The original plan has reached
such a state hat all of the Govern
ment's forest preserves have beer
mapped for the single purpose OF fire
lighting. Study and hard work. 1t Ia
asserted, have at last put an end to
the danger of a repetition OF h great
fires which formerly destroyed much
valuable timber. The forester fights
his enemy, fire, much after the same
plan that a German OIL an English
Colonel follows in leading his regiment
into the thick OF the fray. Those
who have made a study Of fire fght-
ing in the forests say there is a great
similarity between controlling a fire
OF this sort and checking q hostile
drive on a battlefield.
Even military methods are utilized
In a modified form. Fire fighters OF
The forests use practically the same
means Of communication as armies
In the held-telephones, the telegraph
and mirror signals. Bodies of men
form a Airing line; they dig trenches
az hre breaks, and retreats n ad-
vances are made much on the same
order az on the battlefield. The dia-
uict forester has officers under hl-i,
and a commlssary department sees
MAJ tho fighters are taken care
y a regards food ana drink Even
me wounded are cared for much as
they are in time Of a Sometimes
The battles rage for weeks, new fight
tfE tnlta. 49, -- - LrAn vuthn