The Cordova daily times., 1917-09-18
THOUSAND FIGHT FOREST FIRES
 NORTHWEST
(By Associated Press)


 SPOKANE, Sept IT. An army numbering thousands of man has been recruited and sent afield throughout the northwest during the last several weeks to combat the menace of fores; fires, unusually serious this season be- cause of the lack of rain.
 Recruiting stations have been open ed on an hours notice in cities most handy to the front and entire com panies of 50, 100 or 900 men have been enlisted all aaSt post-haste to the first line of defense. Mostly they are trained men for their work ,- lumberjacks accustomed to the strenuous life in the open that forest fire fighting necessitates.
 In district No. 1, of the United States forestry reserve, composing parts of Montana, Idaho, North and South Dakota and eastern Washington are included 14,3S7,OOO acres of tim ber besides grazing lands for a total of 22,273,077 acres. This is distri- buted over 26 forest reserves.
 Most of the problems incident to provisioning and equipping a military army must be met for this great force of fire-fighters, and they are worked out, in advance, with all the exacti- tude that characterizes modern war fare. Besides the recruiting service, there is the commissary; there are the fire scouts, stationed on commanding observation points; there are the field telephones, and when the wires fail, the heliograph and the wigwag sys- tenn of communication.
 The primary consideration. forestry officials, say, is the prevention of forest fires.
 To get to the fires in their infancy lookouts are stationed by the forestry service on the mountain peaks over looking large areas. Day and night they sweep the horizon with their field glasses, watching for the thin curl of smoke. The location of these they "spot" on intricate maps. kept ready to hand and then telephone the forest station nearest the blaze From the forest stations the advance guards are thrown out smoke ehasers," whose duty it is to locate the fire.
 That more timber Is not destroyed during a season such as the present one is due largely to the activities of these smoke patrols. If the "smoke chaser" is able to extinguish the blaze he does so, and If not, he tele- phones for endorsements.
 If the fire has gained considerable headway before the fighters can be mobilized. the strategic problem be- comes one of heading it off at the nearest possible point.
 Sometimes. when water is available a hose and force pump can be uti lized When the fire is off the ground, "D"N'Si III SiStH tlluDeF, lHlS method cannot be employed successfully. In that case enough trees must be felled to clear space 50 to 75 feet in width.
 If the fire is in dead timber trench some 50 feet in width is dug after all timber has been cleared, and every. thing combustible is turned under the ground.
 There is usually lull in every fire. forestry officials say usually at night, when the wind dies down. Fighters have learned to avail themselves of every such cessation of the activities Of the flames, to construct a barrier which the blaze cannot surmount.
 Fire fighters are paid at the rate of S3 day, and cooks s5. c. c. Wilhite, executive clerk and paymaster of fire fighters for the first distric., esti- mates that in the last ten years he has paid out about $1,000,o00. -/--
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