The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1917-10-11
our FOREST FIRES
Work OF Uncle Sam In Preventing
and Fighting Them.
RIGID RULES FOR CAMPERS.
The Permit System Has Been a Big
Factor In Checking the Destruction OF
Trees-How the Alert Rangers Dis,
cover and Locate a Blaze.

Trees-How the Alert Rangers Dis.
cover and Locate a Blaze.
Eternal vigilance IS the watchword
Of the forest service Of the United
States in preventing aud fighting for
est fires. August and September are
rated the critical time when forest
fires are most numerous and disas-
tr0uS, These are the drIcst months OF
the year on the Pacific slope. and in
/ consequence the grass ana brush in
the forests are finder dry and offer the
least resistance TO fire.
Throughout the dry season. which
begins about April and extends through
the early part of November, accord
ing TO the latitude Of the differ
cnt states. the forest service of the
department Of agriculture increases its
working forces until il has a host of
men throughout the ranges ever on the
alert for fires. These additional forces
augment the regular range force, which,
is on duty the year round.
High up on some lonely peak. far
4 AlVAll tut NtuACl vi Wv hlshA iOh, CtuibS
IA high watchtower that daily is the
post OF a forest ranger, who. with pow
erful binoculars and telescope, Is on the
lookout for the thin. tellta'e banner OF
vapor that tells its own story of the
fight ahead to the watcher. On other
peaks there are similar watchtowers,
aud the watchers here, too. may mark
! the rising column OF smudge from afar.
All report to a central station, where
the fire is accurately located.
At each walchtower there Is a cir
cular map of the district within the
view Of that particular tower. BY tri-
angulation on this map the watcher
notes the direction of the fire from his
tower. The other watchtowers do the
same. and all report to the central sta
ton these various directions. Where
the triangulation lines meet on the
great map of the central station there
the fire Is. 1t is a simple and yet a
most effective method. The fire locat-
ed. the fighting forces of the district
are modified and the battle begins.
1t may be short, and it may last for
weeks, but it is fought zone the less
relentlessly. --s~~fyLMEcxz
Stretching in every direction from
the central ranger stations are miles
, q telephone and telegraph wires that
are Used in time of danger to mobilize
the fire fighting army. Once the call
has been made they come from every
direction prepared to combat the com
mo enemy. Frequently these fires
occur within a short distance from
small villages and towns, and then the
problem becomes more complex, in that
the homes, once aflame, are extinguish-
ed with greater difficulty. .sa~-~>
Besides the use Of the telephone and
telegraph, the forest rangers also use
the Photograph. with which they are
able to send flashes of sunlight maiiy
miles TO bring aid. These are where
telephone and telegraph lines are not
yet available At centrally located de-
pots are caches Of dynamite that are
also used for signaling purposes. At
these depOts are stored materials for
tire fighting purposes and highly spe-
cialized apparatus.
Rigid rules have been laid down for
persons camping In the woods. and the
fire permit system has lessened the
number OF fires very appreciably. The
greatest loss zones from the npgIi-
gent pleasure seekers. who drop light
ed matches In the grass aud low
brush. The fire permit cards can be
obtained either at the genera! office or
of any ranger, and there is no expense
attached to it. The good accomplish
ed by this arrangement appears in the
fact hat when a fire breaks out IL il
possible to know who had a permit TO
build a fire i'm that territory. for a
close record is kept Of the permits is
sued.
The fire permit card authorizes the
holder TO build camp fires on the ma
tional forest land between certain
dates. provided the following require
ments are complied with: To build
small fires only, to build fires in the
open and not against a tree or log or
within twenty feet of standing brush.
to scrape away all leaves and trash
from around the fire. never to leave a
fire unattended, ever for a short time.
without first extinguishing It,; to ex-
tinguisb fires first use water. then
cover with dirt; bonfires are not al
lowed. 1t is further provided that
when camp Is moved the ground must
be left in a clean and sanitary condi
tion.-New York Tribune.