The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1919-12-30
WIRELESS PHONES
IN FOREST SERVICE
BURNING OF POLES DOES NOT
AFFECT THIS MODE OF CON-
MUNICATION

MISSOULA, Mont-The wireless
telephone, as result OF seasons
| try-out, during which the handicaps
of packing" instruments over a 30
mile mountainous trail, the perils of
passing through a forest fire, and
numerous other tests were applied,
has been pronounced success for
forest service work by officials OF the
service, according to an announce
ment from district headquarters here.
Hereafter, the announcement says,
wireless telephone instruments are to
be part of the standard equipment of
the forest service.
AT the direction of Chief Forester
William 8. Graves, tests of this plan
OF communication were initiated in
this district last season by r. B.
Adams, telephone engineer, who was
assisted by Everett Cutting. United
States signal corps standard sets were
selected for the experiment, and one |
was placed in position, after most in
terminable difficulties, at the Mud |
Creek ranger station, near the Lolo /
Hot Springs, Mont, and another at
Beaver Ridge, Ida
While the air line distance between
the two stations is but IL miles, the
distance by trail is 80 miles, much of
1t almost impossible even with pack
animals. At last, however, after mis-
haps that included pack horses off the
trail, packs displaced and rolling down
sides, and batteries and
equipment all but lost, the antennae
were hung high on convenient pines.
THE sets were used during the fire
season of 1919 in reporting fires and
otherwise in the carrying on of the
ire campaign with eminently salts
actory results says-the forest sery-
ce statement.
The real test came during the de-
'tructive forest fires in the Clearwater (
'orest in northern Idaho. ID
over 80 miles of ordinary telephone !
Inc was destroyed" the statement
avs. The trees from which the wire I
vas suspended were burned. Tele-
none communication was thus ended \
nd the efficiency of the fire fighting /
rgan1zation correspondingly reduced. /
took over week to restore this {
communication" S
In marked contrast was the effect G
I fires sweeping near wireless sta
ons. With the flames dangerously e
ear the Beaver Ridge station, the OBJ r
rator promptly transferred the en- p
re equipment to hastily construct t.
l log raft which he put afloat On p
earby lake, navigated to a safe dis e
lnce from shore and awaited the "
asslng of the fire. After the front G.
al passed he returned to shore, set 7
his equipment and within an hour O.
as making report of the cause of
le interruption to communication.
while the sending radius of the
is used was not great, the receiving
'Wer was practically unlimited, the
atement says, and wireless tele- &c
aph messages from many distant Il
lnts were picked up. Perhaps the re
'aver Ridge station was the first :,
ace in the inter-mountain territory. n'
is stated, to know that Admiral tn
'dman's flagship had safely passed
rough the Panama canal. The for ar
service observer, there in the n,
'untain wilderness, picked up the -
val radio message announcing that Pc
It. CO
Equipment of the experimental sta til
as necessarily was rather crude in
ne respects. Field tents, with kero- -.
e lanterns for Illumination at night, ed
Orded the only protection against Ca
hot sun and the sometimes hotter TO,
I'd, bearing the breath of the for ~.
fires 'n'
he chief practical difficulty en- OF
inferred in the operation of the sets, PIT
8 declared, was the trouble exper- lar
ced in obtaining sufficient power. h.
Or numerous experiments 270 dry
teries, in series, were employed to ing
1ish the requisite power. Gasoline ten
ines, windmills, or various forms sta
hydro-electric power development rac
possibilities in this connection, 1t q.
sserted, depending on local condi- sis'
8.