Evening star., 1939-09-24
Virginia Has
First Warden
Blaze Finder
Airplanes Seen as
Especially Good
For Detection
By Mary Jane Brumley.

With Europe ablaze. most Amer
leans are returning devout thanks
for both the wide spaces of the At
lantic and the military and naval
forces that guard our shores. But
in so doing. they are prone to for
get momentarily the various peace
time armies whose quiet and unas-
suming performance of their duties
adds to the security and well-being
of every American citizen.
Take the United States Forest
Service, for example-that little
group whose untiring fight against
fire annually saves hundreds of lives
and countless thousands of dollars
worth of damage to Uncle Sans
timbered properties. These unas-
suming gentlemen in the forestry
green uniforms have no puny task
before them, certainly, what with
potential danger zones scattered
through 40 States and Alaska.
The ree-shrouded slopes cover
some 2OOO00,00O acres and encom-
pass alike pinion and juniper stands
of New Mexico, pine and fir forests
along the Canadian line in Montana
and Idaho, brush-covered mountains
of Southern California and great
conifers of the Olympics and Cas-
cades in Washington and Oregon.
Valuable Sitka spruce and hemlock
along Alaskas coastal mountains
draw their full measure of protec-
ton, just as do-comlng bit closer
home-the hardwoods of our own
Southern Appalachians. For three
of our 160-odd national forests
the jefferson and George Washing
ton in Virginia and the Moncnga-
hela in West Virginia-lie within
easy driving distance of Washing
ton.
All Types of Fighting.
Obviously, every type of fire-fght-
Ing problem is found along the bat
tie line of Uncle Sans woodlands
and Just as various methods must
be employed in solution. Forest Of
ficers are ever on the alert for newer
and better methods. New tech
niuues are being develop all the
time. In short, district rangers
must be jacks of all trades and mas
ters of most of them, says Donald
w. Beck, fire chief of local region Z
Mr.. Beck is we'll qualified to speak
having served several stlnts as dis
trict ranger himself.
Upon questioning. Mr.. Beck ad'
mitted modestly that Forest Serv-
ice technicians are usually more
than a match for the puzzlers thai
crop up in their daily rounds. Small
wonder Listening to his terse, ye1
informative statements, we saw
progressive steps toward grea1
goal, glimpsed briefly those day
and months and years OF patient
painstaking effort that-even WITT
severe fire weather conditions pre-
vailing-will keep this and succeed
ing years fire toll far below the all
time high of 1910.
"One of our real achievements,
Mr.. Beck stated, lis the development
of a 6-pound portable short-wav'
radio. which replaces the clumsy 40
FOUNDER of an earlier era"
These sets form a part of ever,
rangers equipment, We learn, ant
have proved invaluable at large fire
and in establishing communication
with remote points.
Towers have had turn at evolu
ton. too, it seems, and the 1889 edi
tions, connected by telephone ant
equipped with Osborne fire finders
and where necessary with radio
phones-are a far cry from the earl.
boxlike affairs which were oftel
perched atop rickety poles.
Haze meters and fire-dange