The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1935-08-01
Superior National Forest
Radio Address over WEBC
by RAY u. HARMON, Supervisor
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

on one forest with one brief lightning
storm of half an hour. Lightning
storms unaccompanied by rain cause
one of our principal problems and one
over which we have little, if any, con-
troll.
Other causes of fires are almost en-
tirely man-made. We have the land
clearer who permits his slash fire to
get away-the logger who burns his
slash and does not control it-fires re-
sulting from railroad locomotives and
a most appalling number of fires that
are started as a result of careleSsness
of individuals, either in throwing cigar
cites, matches, cigars, pipe ashes, or in
leaving their campfires while frequent
ing the timbered areas.
Lightning fires on the Superior Ma
tional Forest are not common, although
we may have seasons when no light
ming fires spread over the forest, repre-
senting perhaps 20@o of the total num-
Der of fires on the forest that year
These so-called man-caused fires can
most easily be controlled by not per-
Knitting them to start. In an effort to
educate the public with care of fire in
the woods, many educational programs
have been inStigated by the United
States Forest Service and an intensive
signing plan has been carried out on
practically all national forests, where
these signs have been erected at
strategic points, cautioning the tourist
the camper and the smoker against
carelessness with his fire while in the
woods. Statistical information kept
over a period of years on this forest in
dictates that annually we may expect Sc
fires classified as follows:
Is lightning; Is smokers; Is campers;
6 brush burning; 2 incendiary and
miscellaneous.
The human race is naturally careless.
The American people are no exception
to this rule, and, recognizing this fac
tor, we realize that annually we may
expect certain number of man-caused
fires, as well as the lightning fires.
1t has therefore been necessary for us
to develop on the Superior National
Forest a protective organization especi-
ally adapted to detecting and controll-
ing forest fires.
Before it is possible to control a fire
that has started, it becomes necessary
to determine that such fire exists and
where it may be within the forest. High
intervisible hills were selected within
the boundaries, and upon eighteen of
these high hills were constructed steel
lookout towers ranging from 80 to 100
feet in height. During the summer fire
season, each tower is manned by a
well-trained lookout thoroughly &C.
quainted with the country under his
supervision and fully informed of his
duty. These men occupy the lookoutS
daily from 800 A. M. to 600 P. M and
during the more hazardous periods are
,on the towers earlier in the morning
and much later in the evening. Each
lookout has map of his immediate
territory with the tower identified by a
pin surrounded by protractor or a
large circle graduated from O to $780,:
an alidade swinging from the pin, and
when sighted on the smoke gives radio
reading which is reported to the dis
patcher, generally in the rangers Office
Thus readings from various lookouts,
when applied to compost similar map
in the rangers office, locates the fire
through simple system of triangula-
ton. In order for the lookout to re-
port the fire to the main Office, it has