The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1915-11-25
KEEPS LONELY VIGIL
Fire Guard Watches on Icy Peak
11,225 Feet Up.
Famous Guard, Elijah Coleman, Climbs
High Frozen Summit of Mount
Hood and Lives Alone to Help
Forest Service.

11,225 feet, his only protection against
the elements a light knockdown hut,
Elijah Coleman, mountaineer and
guide, maintains a lonely but con-
slant lookout for signs OF fire on the
Oregon National forest and a portion
OF the Columbia National forest, max
ing his observations from the snow
capped summit of the celebrated
Mount Hood in the Cascade range.
Coleman was chosen for this haz-
ardous lookout duty because of his
familiarity with conditions on Mount
Hood, which he assembled numerous
times in the capacity of guide.
The mountaineer had to pack his
food, fuel, hut and all other necessi-
ties on his own pack for the most
perilous part Of the journey. Several
trips were required. They were
packed on the backs of horses as
far as the animals could go, then
Coleman had to be his own pack mule
and bodyguard.
one point near the summit,
VIII crater of an extinct vol
cseaSy thlglAs a fumarole, or vol
canic opening, from which issue sui
phurous fumes and heat sufficient to
cook an egg. Unfortunately this point
is too far remote from the location of
the lookout's hut to be of practical
use to him
Coleman's means Of communication
with the outer and lower world is
through a copper cable nine miles in
length, which connects his hut with
the telephone system of the Oregon
National forest below. During the
six weeks which he has spent on the
top of Mount Hood, this lone look
out has reported 80 fires to the
fire-protection organizations below,
all in time to prevent any consider
able damage to the timber on Uncle
Sans preserves.
The station on this lofty peak has
been an unqualified success" to use
the language of forest service Off
Gals, in spite of the fact that it is
located away above the usual cloud
line. The plan to put a lookout sta
tion on Mount Hood was opposed by
some forest service officials on the
ground that at such an altitude the
lookout would frequently, if not con-
stantly, find the clouds below him and
his vision completely obscured.
In most regions of the West this
objection would hold good and the
higher peaks are not chosen for look
out stations. 1t appears, however,
that the atmospheric and meteoro-
logical conditions on Mount Hood are
different. Now government scien-
lists propose to make an investiga.
ton to determine the cause of this
difference.
On account of its location in the
very heart of the Cascade range,
overlooking one of the most pictur-
esque regions in the country as we'll
as enormous values in timber and
watershed covering, Mount Hood is
regarded as one of the most impor-
tant points of observation in the en-
tire national forest system. 1t over
looks the Bull Run watershed, from
which the city of Portland, Ore, gets
its domestic supply, practically the
entire Oregon National forest, a good
deal of the Columbia National for
est, and large part of the Columbia
river scenic highway, recently con-
structed at cost of $1,0O0,0OO.
The fact that this lofty lookout sta
ton has proved a complete sue
cess has attracted wide attention
among scientists. Experts of the
United States weather bureau are as
keenly interested as the forest service
officials to determine the reason why
and meteorological condi-
tions about Mount Hood are so diff
ferent from those surrounding most
Of the high peaks in that section of
the country.
II Coleman is suffering any incon-
venience from his arctic vigil miles
above civilization he has given no in
dication of it over the telephone which
connects him with his fellows on the
lower levels. To hear him tell it, he
Is having bully" time. Occasional
ly he knows the wind is blowing and
that 1t is decidedly frosty.
J