Albuquerque morning journal., 1921-05-09


fires? You have no hose carts,
engines, chemical wagons-not
even water---do you? Surely that
box of rakes. axes, saws, and hoes
is of no help in putting out a for
est fire? ?" A fair camper threw
down this barrage, OF questions
around the forest ranger, who had
paused to greet a group of mixers
along the trail out a mile from the
hig camp grounds on the forks of
the stream below his station.
BY the side of the trail at this
point large steel box bolted Sc
curely to a huge pine tree was the
center and cause Of the discussion.
The box had legend painted on it
reading: ~. S. Forest Service
Fire Tool Cache---In Case Of Fire,
Break the Seals" A pine tree on Il
shield completed the design.
The ranger was old to the service
and this district, one heavily used
each year by campers, summer
home residents and transient fish
ermen. had been under his super
vision for many years. The danger
from forest fires was great because
Of the many new comers each year.
His work of preaching and teach
ing care with fires was never-end-
ing but new convert to forest
protection was his reward for time
spent in advising the novice In the
woods, no matter how long it took
or how many questions there were
to answer. And this question that
the khaki-clad girl had asked was
an old. old story to him.
In the eyes of the other members
of her party. he saw the same ques-
ton asked Here was an audience.
He decided to delay his trip down
the river long enough to help a
few more folks understand this
fire game.
Suppose we all hold down this
log over here while explain"
Turning his horse into some tall
grass, the ranger joined the half
dozen young folks perched on a big
down tree and, sitting on his heels
before them, told the tale all for
est rangers have told for years past
and still tell to many new seek
crs after forest lore each year.
How They DO II.
First of all" said the ranger,
"the problem of fighting forest
fires is quite simple. What do you
folks do each night when YOU start
camp fire down at the Forks?
Gather pine needles, those juicy,
pitchy, pine cones, dry wood, grass
perhaps and touch a match to it
and whooC! TIP it goes! Just like
oil You don't put on green stuff
you don't pick wet pieces Of wood
out of the creek.
Now, IL all that stuff which is SO
plentiful in the woods, serves 70
make a fire, what do you suppose
woods and destroying things aud
raising cain? Just this,
we try to remove all such stuff that
fire feeds upon. We discourage a
forest fire by taking away the food
on which it lives.
at is simple in principle, but not
always so easy in practice. AS for
instance, when a big wind comes
up and some careless camper, down
along the river, goes away and
leaves his camp fire burning and
an ember blows into the pine need
les near by and the spark becomes
a little flame and tho little flame
a roaring sea of fire sweeping UP
those beautiful trees all
around the Forks camping ground;
and the fire goes so fast it outruns
a man on horseback, licks up all
the tents and homes down there
and in one jump goes up the slope
Of Badly half mile at n flash
your camp is safe, but 1t might
happen. Always remember that
many a happy vacation has ended
like that.
'As | was saying. the problem
Of removing the fuel before the
path of the forestt fire varies with
Dry seasons. a high
wind. the steepness of the slope;
.lrey are the factors, as you would
say in school.
The Non-Water Method.
"You are we'll acquainted with
he city fire department and its
work; we'll they put OUT fires by
them with water re-
iucing the temperature below the
burning point by cooling the blaz-
ng structure. Those are problems
If physics that you all know. No
water is available for this method
n tho woods. so, as l said. we take
he stuff away from in front of
Ire and II naturally stops when
here is nothing to feed upon.
with no wind and under nor
nal conditions, by taking a rake
md clearing a trail foot wide
through the pine needles on this
lat we could keep a fire from
and in a short time put
t out Now, if the fire were to get
nto this log we are sitting upon, 1t
would smolder for days, perhaps,
lfter we had corraled the fire on
he flat and the needles and twigs
Dn the ground were totally out.
That log would be a danger point
is long as a spark remained, for,
wind coming up might carry
spark over our little fire line and
t we were not here to put it ont
1T once, we would have to fight our
ire over.
Remove the Fuel.
SO in the case of burning logs,
We smother the fire by shoveling on
lirt, and, shortly, the air being cut
,ff, the fire goes out. II that stand
ng dead tree over there were to
,atch up along it's trunk, it would
)e sawed down either after the fire
m the ground had been entirely
or while 1t was still un-
If necessary, to keep il
rom throwing sparks across the
inc. In brief, that is the way fires
ire fought; trail is cleared ahead
If them to remove fuel and when
he fire burns up to the cleared
Irea. it, normally stops, When
ire is moving fast, it is often neces-
AIRY to get long distance ahead of
sometimes several miles--to en-
lble a line sufficiently wide to be
L 4 % H..