Omaha daily bee., 1917-09-12
The Forest Fire Menace
By Frederic j. Hdsktn

Washington. Sept. 9-Reports reaching the
headquarters Of the forest Service here show that
the northwest is having one of the worst fire sea-
sons in years. Millions of feet of spruce which
is the best wood for making airplanes, are de-
stroyed or threatened. Meanwhile the forest serv-
ice has suspended important constructive work to
fight fires In Montana and northern Idaho the
fire fighting army has numbered 1000 men and it
is costing $l5,C00 day to keep it in the field. At
that it is merely preventing the spread of the dam
age to some extent. Nothing but the fall rains
can put the fires out.
Not only national forests, but great areas OF
privately y-owned timber are involved in these fires.
In fact, they are the greatest menace for during
the last fifteen years the forest service has built
up system Of FIRE fighting that keeps the num-
Der OF fires originating upon the reserves down to
surprisingly small number and a small figure
for damages.
In the matter Of fires prevention is of the first
importance and the finding of fires before they
have attained dangerous size is second, but at the
same time there must be organization and
method ready for the great fire that gets beyond
control
Every year the forest service is extending the
network OF roads, trails and telephone lines and
every additional mile of these means of communi-
cation is mile OF fire protection. For by means
of them warning can be given and the fire reached
Along many of the trails are tool boxes containing
the axes, mattocks and other tools necessary for
States property and no one molests them. The
tool box" is now landmark often referred to
throughout the forest reserves.
Even more important than roads and trails is
a fair and reasonable attitude on the part of the
people who live on and about the forests and in
this matter too, there is great and rapid improve
ment. In many parts of the west the forest serv-
ice has encountered hostility. 1t has varied all
the way from open attacks on forestry officers and
the deliberate setting of fires to disregard Of FIRE
wa rnf fBeys and az, 1of1
Everywhere now this attitude is passing and
only in a few OF the most remote regions does the
forest service have to contend with vandalism or
open hostility.
Naturally when it comes to fighting big fire
the kind and amount of cooperation that the
service gets from the people is the deciding fac
tor in the struggle. The chief difficulty, of course
is in organizing large force on short notice. The
officers OF the Taos national forest in New Mex
ico are particularly fortunate in this regard. On
the edge Of the national forest is the pueblo and
reservation OF the Taos Indians. In addition to
rich farm and pasture lands they own splendid
timbered canyon which cuts right into the national
forest. The forest service has an agreement with
these Indians by which they are to fight all fires
in the forest in return for the protection given
their timber lands by the government
When fire breaks out on the Taos forest the
supervisor merely sends to the war chief of the
pueblo (who is still elected every year, although
the pueblo has not been at war for two genera
tions) and tells him how many men are needed
The war chief shouts an order from the roof OF
the pueblo and within few minutes that number
OF Indians mounted on their fleet ponies are off
for the scene of the fire.
The king pin of the fire fighting system is the
fire guard. During the seasons of danger he lives
as near as possible to the top of some high peak
from which the fainest tnge of smoke may be
seen on any part of his Jurisdiction He has one
Of the loneliest jobs in the world.
The most important equipment of the fire
guard Is fiap of the forest, which is fastened
so that the directions upon the map are actually
those OF the compass. Fastened to the point from
which the guard is making his observation is
needle moving like compass needle upon pivot
When the guard sights fire he carefully aims
this needle at it, then telephones to another guard
or ranger station. This second man will also take
line on the smoke and will communicate it to
the first man. By simple process of triangula-
ton (Which you can figure out for yourselD either
Of them can now mark the exact location of the
fire upon the map This information is telephoned
to headquarters and men and tools are rushed to
the spot.
Railroads start great many fires in spite OF
their best efforts not to do so and ncendiares no
doubt start few. The blame for most of others
falls upon the camper. Consequently every ef-
fort is made to incucate in him all appreciation
of the need for care. The old forest fire warn
ings" recting the terrific penalties that are Wis
tied upon those who start fires are now seldom
seen. They didn't do much good because of the
difficulty of ever proving who started fire. The
camper is now appealed to upon his honor as
gentleman, a sportsman and lover of the out
doors to behave himself. He is requested not
only to put out his camphres, but to burn his
trash, observe the game law and not catch more
fish than he needs to eat The fact is impressed
upon him that there are two kinds of campers,
that he is the right kind, OF course, and must act
accordingly.