The gazette-times. [volume] (Heppner, Or.) 1912-1925, 1917-08-02
Precautions Against Fire

OCCurs
Precautions Against Fire
Dry grass along the roadsides and
in the pasture fields is serious menace
to a ripe crop of grain. A spark from
. match or passing train or emitted
from the exhaust of an automobile en-.
gine, or lighted cigarette or cigar
stub thrown carelessly aside, can easily
start fire which, with surroundings
favoring its spreading, will result in
incaleulable loss and destroy a quan'
tity of grain sufficient to furnish an
entire community with food. Where
conditions permit, burrows should be
plowed between the grass and the grain,
If this is not possible, the grass should
be moved close enough to afford
check to the spreading Of fire.
A New Hazard.
A comparatively new danger to grain
fields is white-hot carbon discharged
from the exhausts of tractors when
pulling uphill or through heavy part
of the crop. Every exhaust should be
protected by fine wire screen, which
should be renewed at least once a
month"; as the heat becomes so intense
as to quichly destroy its effectiveness.
When the grain has been threshea
and piled in the field, it should be pro.
tected by sufficient number of fur.
rows to prevent its destruction from the
burning of stubble.
Danger From Threshers.
The time of one of the great dangers
to grain and grain fields in the North
west is during the threshing season
and is caused by careless methods in
threshing and piling the threshed grain
too near to the straw stacks Every
threshing machine by the very reason
Of its operations collects certain
ly inflammable and subject to explo
sion, and the farmer should insist that
before threshing machine commences
operations on his settings the machine
be thoroughly cleaned out, flucs exam.
ined and water tanks kept full. Ii
possible, the straw stacks should be re-
moved every night, but where this is
not possible then under no circum-
stances should the threshed grain be
piled so close to the thresher or the
straw stacks that the burning of either
would endanger the grain. Every
threshing machine owner or operator
should be required to have good sized
chemical tank with its equipment to
Immediately extingush small fires.
If not sufficiently cured, and whether
baled or loose, hay will generate gases
which are susceptible of spontaneous
combustion unless the barn is suffi.
ciently ventilated to carry eff these
gases. Every particule of dry grass
and all litter and rubbish should be
removed from barnyards and from all
buildings on the farm. Under no cir
cumstances should smoking or the use
of matches be permitted around tarn
buildings, while candles or any othe'
open flame should be strictly prohib
tied and only closed lanterns or elec
tric pocket flashlights allowed in oil
around barns carrying any quantity OF
hay.
Fighting Fires.
The great difference between the
trained fire department and the volun.
teer organization is the fact that an
experienced fireman knows exactly
what to do in answering an alarm of
fire and has his apparatus and equip
ment in such condition as to give the
best service in the shortest possible
time. Even a volunteer organization,
however, is better than none at all, and
the farmers in every community should
Immediately organize and secure fire
fighting apparatus for the purpose of
FIRE protection and to extinguish any
fire that may happen in their section.
Every such community should select
the necessary number of men to act as
chiefs and to take charge of the forces
fighting a fire. These chiefs could ar
range for certain signals and alarms to
be given to denote fire in any locality,
and also where shovels, wet sacks, chem
ical. extinguishers and other apparatus
and utensils are to be obtained at the
shortest notice
Water in many cases is not available,
but a chemical fire extinguisher, with
which each farmer should be provided,
will accomplish more in putting out a
fire which has not assumed large pro.
portions, than any other means.
Where the district will permit, an
automobile m motor truck can be
equipped with chemical tanks, and these
will prove more effective than river
water improperly or nnskillfully ap.
Piled. In several sections Of the State
this has already been done, and these
machines, SO equipped, have demon,
strated great efficiency.
! The vital Hour.
This is the hour of patriotism, in
which the entire strength of the Ma
ton is needed to ward off the danger
which threatens our home and country,
Never in history has the grave question
of the waste and loss arising from
preventabIe fires assumed such serious
Importance as at the present time
Every pound of fruit, and every ounce
of foodstuffs saved from the ravages
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