Year: 1876

the Flames.


The latest advices from the region swept
by the forest fires inform us that there is
little or no diminution in the destructive
ness Of the flames and that their progress
into new districts is alnrmingly rapid. 1t is
popularity common to all great fires that
they create their own winds by reason of the
local rarefcation of the atmosphere. The
continuous indraught Of air assists in extend
ing the area of destruction and lends in
tensity to the flames by supplying the oxy-
gen needed for their support. The heat is so
great in advance of the line Of fire that the
vegetation becomes charred and deprived
of its sap before the flames reach it,
and it is therefore prepared for rapid
combustion. Without an abundant rainfall
1t will be very difficult to arrest and extin-
guish these forest fires, especially on the
parched mountain slopes of Northern New
Jersey and Eastern Pennsylvania. For
tunately the coming weather changes will
have the effect of creating rain areas along
the line of the Ohio Valley eastward toward
the Atlantic coast and over the region in
which the burning forests lie. But certain
portions Of the fre-swept country will re-
ceive but little of the rainfall, being sit
uated to the eastward Of the northern por-
ton of the Allegheny Mountains.


Ranges of lofty hills which lie trans
versely to the tracks of areas Of low atmos-
pherc pressure exercise the same influence
on the movements Of the latter as the cushion
Of a billiard table has on the moving ball
that impinges upon it. The area of low
pressure with its marginal rains is DETECTED
from its direct course and forced to follow
that which gives it the readiest means of
resuming its eastward progress. The Allie
ghany range lies northeast and southwest,
so that storm centres striking it on the west
ern side are caused to move along parallel t.
its axis until the termination of the chain is
reached north of the Catskill Mountains,
whence the storm moves eastward into New
England. For this reason Albany may have
q season of copious rains while Newburg and
Poughkeepsie experience prolonged
drought. The regions now suffering from
the forest fires are particularly affected by
this Typographical influence on the weather
conditions, and it is really remarkable that
they have not long since been denuded of
their timber by such confagrations.


The attempts of the local residents at fight
ing the fires in on almost waterless region
will prove fruitless so long as the efforts
are confined to trying to extinguish the
flames directly. Those engaged in such q
work cannot approach near enough to arrest
the advance of the devouring fire. All post
and rail fences should be torn down and re-
moved and wide belt of forest cut down
about quarter of mile in advance of the
confagration. In telling the trees care
should be taken to cut them so that those
next the fire would fall with their tops
toward it, but all the others should fall the
other way-that is, present their butts to the
flames. BY this means wide space would
be created between the most combustible
parts of the trees and time would be given
to beat out the flames when they reached
the heavier portions. If possible the trees
felled in the centre of the clearing should
be hauled as far away from the exposed line
as possible With the large force composing
the army of fire fighters this work could be
easily accomplished in a single day. Tho
avenues of clearing so formed should be
kept open as permanent safeguards against
future forest fires