Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1920-01-04


work Of the forest service were secur10
and taken to the field for test OF their
efficiency. Ono set was placed In 80
sition at the Mud creek ranger stat1oo
near the Lolo Hot springs. Mont an4
the other at Beaver Ridge, in Idaho.
The airline distance between the Sta
tions was IL miles,
During the preliminary test Mr..
Adams had personal charge Of the Mud
was handled by Everett Cutting.
MI Adams assistant. With an en-
thusiasm born of abiding faith and
with a persistent energy these two
laughed at encouragement and ulti-
niateiy proved the practicability OF
wireless telephony in national forest
lire protection work.
"Antennae hung high on convenient
pines, storage batteries in place, all
ready, and from out the empty air the
Mud creek station herd the welcome
call. Hello, Mr.. Adams sent by Oper-
ator Cutting from Reaver Ridge, the
first telephone call ever transmitted by
the forest service by wireless telephone
in the administra tion OF the national
forests. The experiment was success-
ful. Wireless communication in pre-
viously INFESTED mountainous region
was an established fact.
The sets Were used during the fire
season of 1919 in reporting fires and
otherwise in the carving on Of the fire
campaign with eminently satisfactory
results As u consequence of demon
strated efficiency of wireless telephones
, In the fire protection game, these in
struments viii hereafter be part Of
the standard equipment Of the forest
service In connection with the admin
istrat.on OF the national forests.
ADVANTAGES OF WIRELESS
"A great advantage of the wireless
telephone in forest service work was
well illustrated last summer. On the
Clearwater national forest, fires Were
very destructive. over 30 miles OF
ordinary teieplione line was destroyed,
the trees from which the wire was
suspended, ana the wire itself in places
was melted, SO intense was the heat.
Where this occurred. quick telephone
communication was at an end and the
efficiency of the fire fighting orgaHA-
zation correspondiagly reduced. It
took over a week TO restore this conn
I munication.
! While the sending radius Of tho
set used was not great the receiving
| power was practically unlimited, and
wireless telegraph messages from many
| distant points We're picked up by the
| Mud Creek and Beaver Ridge stations.
Perhaps the la ter station was the first
place in the iIltermountain country to
know that Admiral Rodman's flagship
| safely passed through the Panama ca
| mol. for the forest service observer
there in the mountain wilderness pick
ed up the naval radio message an
/, nouncing that fact.
THUNDER MOUNTAIN AREA
THE Thunder mountain area in cen-
| trail Idaho became national forest land
| by the authority of special act OF
| the seth congress, dated Oct. 20, 1913.
! This act of congress was presented to
the president of the United States for
his approval on Oct. H. and not hav-
! ing been returned by him to the house
of congress il. which it originated
=; within the time prescribed by the con-
! stftution, has become law without
| the presidents approval. Steps will be
| Immediately taken by the forest SER
| vice to place this area OF approximately
! 1000 acres under the administra-
! ton. For administrative purposes. ap-
! proximately 600, 900 acres Of the Thun-
| der mountain region Will be added TO
!, the Idaho national forest as at present
constituted and approximately 100000
acres to tho Payettes forest.