The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-04-18
WORK OF UNCLE SAM PREVENTING
 FIRES IN WOODS

Eternal vigilance is the watchword States in preventing and fighting for est fires. August and September are rated the critical times when forest fires are most numerous and disas- trous. These are the driest months of the year on the Pacific slope, and in consequence the grass and 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, according to the latitude of the diff ferent states, the forest service of the department of agriculture increases its working forces until it 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 from the centers of civilization, stands high watchtower that daily is the post of forest ranger, who, with powerful binoculars and tele- scope, is on the lookout for the thin, telltale banner of vapor that tells it's own story of the fight ahead to the watcher. On other peaks there are similar watchtowers, and the watch CTS, here, too, may mark the rising column of smudge from afar. All re- port to a central station, where the fire is accurately located.
 At each watchtower there is cir cular map of the district within the ] uiavv Inf n ovfio 1oy, tr.; 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 cen- tral station these various directions. Where the triangulation lines meet on the great map of the central station there the fire is. It is a simple and yet a most effective method. The fire located, the fighting forces of the dis trict are mobiliZed and the battle be- gins. It may be short, and it may last for weeks, but it is fought none the less relentlessly.
 Stretching in every direction from the central ranger stations are miles of telephone and telegraph wires that are used in time of danger to mobi- lize the fire fighting army. Once the call has been made they come from every direction prepared to combat the common enemy. Frequently these fires occur within a short distance from small villages and towns, and then the problem becomes more com plex, in that the homes, once aflame, are extinguished with greater diff cu1ty.
 Besides the use of the telephone and telegraph, the forest rangers also use the heliograph, with which they are able to send flashes of sunlight many 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 fire 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 come from the neg ligent pleasure seekers, who drop 1 lighted matches in the grass and low
 brush. The fire permit cards can be obtained either at the general office or of any ranger, and there is no ex- pense attached to it. The good ac-
 complished by this arrangement ap- pears in the fact that when a fire | breaks out it is possible to know who had a permit to build fire in that 1 territory, for close record is kept l of the permits issued.
 1 The fire permit card authorizes the holder to build camp fires on the na- tional forest land between certain dates. provided the following require | nents are compiled with: To build
 small fires only, to build fires in the l 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
 fire unattended, even for a short
 time, without first extinguishing it.; ] to extinguish fires first use water.
 then cover with dirt; bonfires are not
 allowed. It is further provided that
 when camp is moved the ground must
 be left in a clean and sanitary condi- l tion.--New York Tribune.