Fort Mill times. [volume] (Fort Mill, S.C.) 1892-current, 1920-09-02
FIGHTING FOREST rlnEs.
Kansas City Star.

Great smokeclouds billow up from
the wooded slopes of the Western
| coast and. swirling and churning in
the heavy wind, drive away to the
| horizon where they merge into one
mighty thrall of gray and black.
stretching from British Columbia to
! bscuros The sky. on the mountain
.idcs the fog is occasionally broken
~ n bright flash and n pillow of
rmokc. acres i'm extent, bursts
through the dingy blanket and the
| flames strike some reach of under,
brush and forest. ki,rsd in the sum
| mer drought. tg
Nor is II only on tho coast that tho
fires which come at the end Of every
sGmmer are reaping their annual
harvest. In Idaho and Montana and
Ontario = everywhere that forests
| grow and the rains have stunned
men are fighting desperately to save
the timber and their farms and
homes.
| Many weeks ago they began to
| prepare for the battle they knew
must come unless Providence inter
| vcned. AS the timbHT dried in tho
| sun. forest rangers grow moro vigil
| liant Campers and hunters werc
| warned against building fires among
| the trees. Day after day airplancs
patrolled the wooded districts Of scv-
| oral States, watching for the wisps OF
| smoke that might Indicate the be-
| rinnnr OF the fire. Throughout nj!
| The timber States. mon were set to
| guard the little patches of shoulder
| n
| thosanl places. They did what they
| could do to quench them before they
shOuld burst into flare. Where the
| fire had already gnincd too great
| hcadway for that, they set about
| clearing safety zones about ii. I'M the
| hope that when tn" winds should
| inally fan IL into n h'nZc, II might hc
| restricted to n small area. And. If
| course there always vas the chanc"
| that the rains might come before the
wind.
| Week succeeded week, and still
| tho rains held off. wlilc occasional
| gusty days gave warning of the tim"
| when the wind should set in to blow
| in earnest and the forests should be
| come nm inferno. Thc other day ii
| came. and the smonldcring green
| wood of the undcrl,ush hurst into
clamcs. Armed with axes and buck
| It's and sacks the armies OF fire fight
crS set TO work. Farmers whose
| homes were mcnaccI Joined forces
| with the regular forest gua"d.', AMI
| wen from tho citics. and more cSp"-
| "ially. men from tho small lumber
| 'amns and villages IN tho path" OF
| the flames, took thrir stations under
| he din cCtion of the skilled fire fight .
RS In the government c'nrloy. while
| IirplancS SKINNED over tho trees
| ending down Ivy w''"iCSs reports of
| 'hc progress of tho flames.
FOR days now the Eight has boon
| cong on and the r.if$ have come
| My tn few widely separated spots.
| south PorcupinC, ont. was on" OF
| these. For As hours. without let up,
| non and women had been fighting an
| tpparCntly losing battle with tn"
! flames. AT times cmbCrs from tn"
| burning timber fell in the town onl
| set fire to the roofs of buildNlgS.
| These would scarcely he ~ Z when
| flames would begin to lick at tn,
| paint on the sides OF buildings at the
| Hdgcs OF the town. and cNcryhOdN
| would rush TO beat th"m back. II
| had ceased tn be merely u battle to
| ave propcrty---it WAS q fight for life
| Poles carrying electric power to IN,
| pumping station at the edge Of the
| ,own wCrC burned down and tn"
| rumps stopped. \ little squad of
| .oluntccrs fought their way through
| he fire to replace them aL rcStripG
| he cables that the water might not
| cease altogether to flow. And th"l,
| amC .thC rain. MOI .uch Il dr.Z2lC.
| mt n soaking rain such as tn" parch
| Il timbcrland dwcllCrs had been On
! YinS other States SO long. And tn"
| town was saved. In the neighhnr-
| hood of I<amloops l;ri;i~h Columbia,
| aiurC was not so kind. There fires
| which had been smouldcrinT sine"
august were fanrcd by heavy
| wind into 4 blazing front of many
| nilcs. which deticd the efforts of the
| fire fighters. Several ranches were
completely wiped out \ lumber camp
| "as destroyed, which. with its sawed
| lnmbcr. piled logs ana machinery.
| vas worth 100000. 80 intense was
| 'hc heat that the rails of railroads
| back into the timber were warped.
The fire warden of Washington or
/ !CrCd all saw mills ana other in
| iustrics employing coal engines in
| he forests in the state to close down
| md issued n warning to hunters and
| VaCationists to build no fires. He in
| .iructcd Il patrol of fire fighters to
| follow every locomotive travelling
| through tho timber lands OF the state
| and put out any fires set by sparks
| along the right of way.
| a great Conflagration near Wen
| ltchcc. Wash. at one time threatened
| % destroy Il billion feet OF timber.
| hut was brought under partial control
| md with cessation OF the wind II
| was thought it might be completely
| stamped out.
| And so IL is throughout all the
| timber States. only drcnching rains
| can bring permanent relief. but In
| The meantime thousands of men are