Evening star., 1935-08-04

cabin. BY the use Of radio this In
formation was relayed and resulted
soon afterward in his arrest"
A RELATIVELY new use for planes
in fire combat Is the transporting
OF fire-fighting tools and supplies and
dropping them whenever needed upon
the control fire lines. From time to
time inventors and various CONNER
cial interests have advocated the
placement Of chemicals from the air
as an effective means Of combating
forest fires. Some years ago the idea
was tested carefully at Mather Field,
Calf. Pilots Potter and Hess carried
on series Of experiments involving
attempts to extinguish small fires by
dropping chemicals on them from air
planes. Flying low, Hess threw down
several gallons Of liquids. Two bot
ties hit within 8 feet of their goal,
the liquids scattering over it literally.
But the fire burned merrily on. Fairly
conclusively the tests showed the
feasibility Of approaching pretty close
to small fires via the plane method
and, what is perhaps more important
still, that present-day extinguishers
are hardly powerful enough TO smother
fires in the open.
| A well known manufacturer now
claims to have developed q new type
! of fire-fghting equipment which
shoots out carbonic acid gas in such
form as TO create extremely low tenn
peratures which condense atmospheric
moisture and simultaneously exude so
much gas that the flames are thereby
smothered. Under a 900-pound pres
sure the gas Is put into small tanks
weighing about 40 pounds and suit
able for handling by the average man.
Large tanks holding about four
charges are announced to be used as
supply units. 1t Is claimed for the
| idea that it enables q man to get
unusually close to blazing pile of
slash. Foresters point out, however,
that it would not extinguish fires
as efficiently as does water, because
the gas tends 10 evaporate and COM
bine with the air to such an extent
that its effectiveness would be lost.
Moreover, in handling the gas 1t is
necessary for the operator to be ex-
| ceedingly careful. The material comes
out at so low temperature that,
ironically enough, there Is imminent
danger from freezingl
| Some years ago q London paper
carried an article to the effect that
M. Turpin, inventor of melinite, had
laid before the French minister of
war and agriculture comprehensive
plan for fighting forest fires from
airplanes. He proposed that the CEN
ter of the conflagration should be
attacked with various chemicals or
combinations of them.
Soon the United States Forest Serv-
ice was besieged with queries on the
subject from well-meaning persons.
They wanted to know why the Forest
Service could not devise such o plan.
Very much to the point was the
official reply of the service: "Theo-
retically it ought to be possible to
suppress q forest fire by using one
of the liquid combinations which
form q heavier-than-a gas that
would exclude the oxygen and stop
the fire. The trouble with this Is
that, In addition to the prohibitive
weight Of the necessary volume Of
chemical extinguisher, the gas itself
will float away If there Is the slight
est slope in the ground.
"The center of the confiagration
Is the least Of our concerns. The
critical point Of every forest fire is
its outer margins. No effort is ever
made to extinguish forests already
ablaze. Every energy Is directed toward
preventing its further advance either
by direct attack on its margins, where
this is practicable, or by clearing all
combustible material from q narrow
path Of the fire and holding it within
limits until it dies down for lack
of fuel to continue. An attack on
the center would appear to be utterly
futile. Unless, of course, the fire.
fighter has suficient means and ma
terials to overpower the confiagration
completely"