THE NORTH PLATTE SEMI-WEEKLY TRIBUNE.
!
HENiy HQWIAND
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........ ri c ;i" - w-.m-L3tsLZ-i.r)wirtr-U'jjjl-.ir- jouzjt -;-rr?rr .v-aw-.1;
JI uwo-lnBplrlng and terrible in mo very - &$&8$sSKil' & 'immPJim'vt
u thought of them. You may novor 2S''Jm&& riNPlJilfc
f lmvo traveled bou, on a mil way r Trt tfffiSW . $, xlfe&iSlllt'rA :r """L. L-. v
9 train. UiioukIi tho choking smoke, jfe. .. &fcMd5wtP S MtMkWg&MC-A &VPZf3rJ2&S?'lZ&?
yHBr You may novor lmvo hoon the light fmy&m (? :$$EWL WJl$i&
Zn t&B3hmm3 e&EtrMs$Zz!'
7. : . a... . t a ( -.-itaj-ci". ii ! j ! m in w. r.".i,wwirziyn' tin i i . i
vrw vo conio as near na tins to a l pi ib2ffsl$iEtp
V for0f,t 'r0 m words carry it feeling I MjjoBmK SSpalTI! nnffllljjffj
' ' yf of lutiRor and of tremendous might jBH8MBlfclyBraflMM
"-rri- '. r-fr- -..w-. --v-y f.Vflfl
jrft OltKST fires! There Is something
awo-lriBplring and terrible In Uio very
thought of them. You may novor
liavo traveled hourH, on a railway
train, thiough tho choking smoke.
You may novor have hoon the light
of ablalnB forent. Yet, though you
lmvo' not como as near an this to a
forost (Iro, the wordK carry it feeling
of dnngor and of tremendous might
for ovll
It la hard for the average layman to
realise how Arcs can nssumo Bttch magnitude In ter
ritory oupposod to ho under supervision of men np
jtomtod for tho particular purpose of preventing
flren. hut tho fnct Ib quite readily comprohonded by
thoao who have had occasion to travel tfirough
norno or tho romoto and lnaccosslblo regions within
the, national forcatH. Ah a mat-
tor or fact, tho lands withdrawn
mi national forests aro almost
cnltroly of a rugged, mountnln
Guu naturo. Necessarily, tliero
are largo anil comparatively
open portlonn Included, partic
ularly In tho range country, but
'Infdancca point lo the fact that
,tho sections nubject to tho most
imivoro flros are Invarlablj
.jUobo of tho moat rugged and
liucccHCtlblo naturo, made up or
lnh, sloop mountaluH,. covered
with a (louso forest and heavy
wuclt rhriiHli. Many places arc,
Id Iholr prosont condition, prnc
'tlcally hnponotrablo, Hud whllo
Alloy are: bolng oponod up aa rapidly as funds
will pormlt of trails bolng built, yet thoro Is so
much area, so many other dutloH aro roqulrod
ut I ho forest ouicora and tho funds mentioned
uro no limited and Inadequate that progress of
iuch work, whllp kooptug pace wlU tho nvnll
fihlo resourcea, la nocosnarlly slow.
itoforo enlarging upon conditions under which
4argo flros begin, It might bo well to montlon
pirlofly a row of tho foroat flro torma with which
tho layman frequently moots and may not un
derstand. forest flroa aro clnisiflod generally as crown
or lop fires IhoBO whoro tho llro travels through
Inn tops of tho troos with surprising rapidity and
wrkliiR dlaaHtrous roaultH; nnd ground or sur
face flros, whoro tho flro travols along tho
ground, consuming noil covora or huniUH, brush
ttnd llttor, noedilngo and often small trees, and.
consequently, doing llttlo or no damngo to mn
(turo Umber. Luckily, In most cases forest flroH
.htq ground flros and It la these thnt aro tho
jtnOHt quickly controlled. Yot u single top flro
can cnimo vantly nioro damage than u groat
number of ground flroa. Howovor, It la general'
y imdor unusual conditions that crown or top
Area occur such aB high wlndB, vory nuBhy or
nlooy country nnd severe drought, whon such
(Cotiditlonii can In an Incrodlbly short tlmo change,
i ctoopiug ground' flro Into a swooping crown
lIro, leaving n path of ruin nnd often doath In its
fivnko In hrlof, drought and wind aro tho two
dominant conditions favorable to severe flros.
;Tlio wltld In always tho most dreaded factor
during tho flro season, Us freaklshncaa nnd un
certainty upspttlug tho host or plans. So fierce
was tho wind nt tho tlmo or tho destructive flros
of 1910 that whole hillsides of tlmbor wero up
rooted and mon woro forced out of their saddles.
Tho Arc loaped across rlvora hair a milo wldo
U ftnglo bound, travollng nenrly a mllo a mln
Nile at UmoH and dnvourlng ovcrythlng In Kb
fift'lV Often wldo canyons wore tipanned ns by
n groat Jump, tho flro continuing on tho oppo
nlo sldo and loading tho canyon timber green
and unharmed. NumeroiiB lustancoa of tho nb
olulo froukluhnosH or tho flro could bo cited.
Had all tend to show Us vory uncertainly.
(u fighting a flro thorp Ih constructed around
,tho burning area what Is callod a flro lino or
tronch This coiiBlals or clearing away all debris
and brush, genorally for throe or four feet,
.though wider whon conditions allow or warrant
It, and exposing thu mineral soil for ono or two
out or wldor as necessary. An ordinary ground
flro. uufaiinod by a Htrong wind. WU die out on
reaching Uio ntrip of mineral soli, often as effoct
,imtly uh If the lino wero a stream of water.
.Whon tho flro la moving slowly and mon enn
itflnil the boat and Bnioko, It la alwayn doalrablo
. build tho tronch closo to tho fire bo as to
.firovont Its gaining motnontum aa It progresses;
,but whoro tho flro la travollng quite rapidly,
often the flro lino bus to ho plnood somo dla
tanco ftwny from the flro. and whore ndoquato
patrol or Buporvlalon Is aaaured tho buniod ma
terial on tho Inside of tho lino Is fired In order
to moot tho advancing flro and destroy tho in
flammable material In itu path Ilackflrlng, ijs
thlB is callod, Ih generally used onl In an
emergency nnd by experienced hands Often, of
court-n, whore tho flro la Hovero, strips of timber
row 72i3&?j&6WJJ2em?J7r3zzrM&9j&
for variable distances aro cleared, but In tho
ordinary 'ground flro such work is usually too
slow1 and unnecessary.
Tho bcs&'toolB usod by a flro-flghtlng crow In
tho lnountaltiB nre axes, ahovols and mattocks or
grub hooB, tho hoes being usually In grolitost
proportion and most effective. Often ono or two
crosscut BawB nro useful, particularly whore the
flro Is traveling through a lot of down timber.
Tho nxmen genorally go first, clearing out and
cutting away tho heavy Btuff rlopg the line; then
follow tho grub hoo or mattock men, breaking
through tho heavy sod and roots; and last tho
shovel mon, who clean out tho trail, or, aB might
bo Btated, put tho finishing touches on tho work
of tho others. Tho amount of work a gojig of
mon can do doponds upon various clrcumatancoa.
audi as tho naturo of tho country, toola avail
able, etc., but roughly it 'might bo Bald that a
gang of twenty mon enn build a mllo 'of lino a
day.
Aalde from a few general principles thoro aro
no sot rulea for lighting forest flros In fnct, It
fa far from a black-and-whlto proposition. Kath
or, it calls into play initiative and hendwork,
and tho re&ult attained boars mute evidence of
the aucooss or failure of tho supervising olllcnr, Bman flros had been put out by patrolmen 'and
000 acies of government timber
land and 800,000 arrea of pri
vate tlmbeiland within the na
tional foroat boundaries, nnd
inflicted damage to national
forest timber, Including young
growth, cstlmntcd at a llttlo
less than ?2G,000,000. The losa
in tlmbor destroyed or damaged
was bllghtly over C.G00.000.000
feet ... In lighting tho Urea,
apodal expenditures wero In
curred totaling over $1,000,000,
besides tho coat In time of tho
regular protective force." In
nddltlon to this, there was an
added toll of 74 human lives
lost in fighting the flros and a
large uumber injured, to say
nothing of many ranchers, set
tlers, prospectors, etc., who per
ished. Altogether, it certainly
puts tho Arc season of 1910
down as one of tho country's
great catastrophes, to bo listed
with tho great Hlnekly Are in
Minnesota In 1894, which did
such devastation.
One watchea quite breathless
ly a serious conflagration In a
city and admires the fearless and systematic
work of tho firemen fighting to aubduo tho
flames. Hero they aro but minutes away from
tho courco of tho Arc, with speedy conveyances
for reaching It and every posslblo, assistance of
human Ingenuity to control tho fire.
Compare this with tho many obstncles with
which the forest fire-fighter has to contend.
Sometimes ho Is more than a day's Journoy from
tho flro. Ho has a limited and often Inexperi
enced crow to liolp him. Ho must travel on foot
or on horseback, and he cannot lope along as
thoy do In tho city parka mountain trails aro
not made for loping horaes. lie must roly on
pnekhorses for convoying commissary supplies,
becauso It may mean many daya of hard work
ahead of him on tho burning area. Very often,
indeed, ho must blnzo his way a number of miles
through a tralllesa wilderness, carrying his bed
and grub on his hack, and through a country
whoro ovory ntep seems n greater impediment
to rapid progress; nnd whon ho reaches tho flro
It may bo of such proportions ns to appall a loss
aturdy naturo. ,
Tho rapidity with which flro can spread In tho
mountains la almost unbollovable. For Instance,
in iuiu, iiy tho mlddlo of August over 3.000
although always. It must be remembered that
that uncertain and uncontrollable factor, tho
wind, can snatch victory from tho hnnda of man
so quickly and easily hb to make It soom some
times u verltablo mockery of his offorta. And,
too, the unbi'llovnblo nction'of dre. oyon whon
apparently under control, makes It absolutely
necessary that It be watched closely nnd con
tinuously until thoro Is not a single remaining
vostlgo of Its existence.
Among tho principal causes of forest fires nre
locomotlvo aparka, lightning, ramp Hroa loft un
extinguished, burning of slash in clearing land,
logging operations-principally from flro In tho
resultant slaBh accumulated by tho average log
ger In cutting over an area. There nro minor ,
other wny, bucIi as Incendiarism, nahoB from a
pipe, a lighted olgar or clgorotte stub or lighted'
match cast thoughtlessly asldo. Tho first three
mentioned, howovor, nro tho most general.
Whon a flro baa onco asaumod tho proportions
of a largo top flro, It 1b generally Inadvisable to
attempt to chock it; rather, It Is good Judgment
to consldor the safety of tho flro lighters them
selves, so thnt they may bo In readiness to
attack tho llro whon It ugaln loaves tho tops of
tho trees and naaumes ltu slower progress along
tho ground.
It might be mentioned right hero that foroat
flros, with particular lororonco to ground Hron,
do not alwnyB destroy btandlng tlmbor, hut often
only tho vory small trc9s, brush and surface
cover or huinua. Potential tlmbor, of courso, has
a distinct valuo, and tho dOHtructlon of a Good,
soil cover Is a docldod detriment to tho forcBt,
but muny trees, kucIi ns Douglaa flr. tamarack
and yollow plno, lmvo a thick, heavy bark which
forms a good roslstnuco to flro and will often
withstand periodic ground fires for yeara Other
treoB with thin bnrk( of courao, succumb qulto
rondlly. s
In tho report or tho socrotnry of agriculture,,
embodied In tho Yearbook ,of tho dopnrtmont or
ngriculturo for 1911, ho BtateB that "tho Area of
tho calendar year 1910 covered moro than 3,000,-
over 90 largo ones had been brought under con
troi by crews of from 25 to 150 men. And yot.
when the cyclono of August 20 came, thnt work
was all undono so quickly as to mako one gasp,
with wondor and awe, AVIthln 48 hours a atrip
of country moro than 100 'miles long and more
thnn 25 nillca wldo had been burned over. And
Htlll the flro was advancing. Against all this an
army of moro than 3.000 mon fought persistently
and courageously and nlwnys In tho face of over
whelming odds, yet novor did thoy falter until
tho ralna camo.
In passing, It Is but fltting to give credit to tho
bravo mon, In tho government's employ, who
rlskod nnd lost their lives In earnest endeavors
to carry out their duties, and many aro the tales
of hoiolsm and unselfish devotion during thoso
stronuous times, whon mon tolled and sweated
shouldor to shoulder.
Mon can and will. In the courso of time, make
effort to reforest tho great devastated areas, but
tho scope of years to carry out bucIi work la
broad Indeod. Man's bnst work, now and for al
ways, lies in tho proventlon of a recurrence of
such calamities as hnve gone before. Through
legislation man can compol tho railroads to use
contrlvnnces to prevent sparks from leaving tho
onglnos; he can educato campers into tho neces
sity for their co-operation In extinguishing camp
flros (a truly llttlo thing, yet big In results) and
oxnot a severe penalty for failure to abido by the
law; ho can appropriate more money for Im
provement and protection work to plnco tho ror
osts under closer BuporvlaloA nnd mako thoin
moro accoBslblo, bo that tho flros caused by light
nlng, for Instance, can bo caught at thoir very
Inception; but mostl, ho must enlist tho co
oporatlon or nil his fellowmon to help in the
groat work of preserving and perpetuating tho
foreatB because thoy represent a source of wealth
nnd necesalty nnd beauty, not to any Btnglo indi
vidual, but ono in which overy member of our
great country Is, and always will bo, directly or
ItidIro"tly, n participant, even unto our children's
chlldron, ad infinitum.
fre range for chickens
Modern Wire Fencing, Which Has
Neat Appearance, Will Keep All
Fowls Out of the Gardens.
Tho old mothod of frco rango nood
not necessarily bo changed. The
fowls should not, however, bo allowed
to run ut will within tho garden or
in and about tho farm buildings
Nothing Is moro nggravatlng or" dis
gusting than to hnvo tho nlco veget
ables or beautiful flowers scratched
up, and tho doorstops, tho porch, tho
barn floor and tho farm machines
fouled with poultry dropplngo. Sep
arate tho poultry also from tho other
llvo stock of tho farm.
If the fowls aro to be kopt near tho
farm buildings, provide ample rango
Inclosed by modorn poultry wlro fenc
ing. Tho latter requires ordinarily
but a few posts, Is easily put up and
has a very neat appearance whon In
position.
Auothor wny of separating tho
fowls from tho ccntor of farm opera
tions is to placo tho henhouses at a
considerable distance from tho farm
stead, in n pasture whore the fowls
will havo absolute rango. Tho latter
plan may entail Bomo extra travel by
tho poultryman and there Is tho risk
In Bomo localities of depredations by
foxes, hawks or othor wild animals
or by thieves. Tho oung, strong
farmer boy may find advantago in
tho second or so-called "colony plan,"
while the houscwifo will probably
prefer the fenced Inclosuro near tho
farmhouse.
Thirdly, tho farmer is too careless
In tho way ho disposes of his poultry
products. He is ufaually content to
trade his eggs at tho nenrcst grocery
store whon by a llttlo extra effort ho
could gain a select private trado
which would pay far hotter. His
pure-bred stock of ono breed of fowls
In Jhelr well-kept house and capacious
grassy yards will bo a great adver
tisement' for his egg products, and
uniform clean appcaranco of tho eggs
In thoir attractive package will provo
an additional help In making sales.
Then, too, In disposing of his fowls
tho farmer often Bella tho birds alive
when by careTully dressing them on
tlio fnrm and selling to his customers
on orders ho could secure far hotter
prices.
PLAN FOR SCRATCHING SHED
Illustration Given of House for the
Benefit of Small Poultryman Wheru
Back Yard Is Used.
To give tho small poultryman (tho
back yard man especially) an Idea of
what is meant by using his Bmall
plcco of ground for a coop and scratch
ing shed, the accompanying picture is
printed. The plctuio la taken of a lay
ing houso usod by D. C. It. Hoff at
Noshantlc, N. J.
Such a design might bo used by a
man whoso piece of ground faced tho
'
Plan for a Scratching Shed.
BoutU at tho short sldo. That is If his
pieco of chlcljon ground was 10x18,
and tho 10-foot sides faced north and
south. If his coop propor was ten
feet wldo by eight feet deep he would
havo a 10x10 scratching pen. These
figures aro of courso taken haphaz
ard, and tho Idea would have to con
form with tho ground.
i mini i
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Push tho pullets along to rapid ma
turity. Tho comb Is tho chicken's health
Indicator.
Stimulate tho hens to cnt moro by
feeding a varloty of foods.
Start with PckinB they aro tho
handiest and niaturo early.
Never allow ducklings to get wet
until they havo a good coat of feath
ers. Tho nearer Bquaro you build a poul
try house, tho less tho cost of con
struction. Ducka aro pigs for food, and gobble
down protty nearly ovorythlug thai
comcB In their way. f
Pcklns do not need wator for uwlm
mlng, but thoy must havo plenty ol
absolutely clean drinking water.
0 '
Wo could not think of a moro Blm
plo or ofllclont method of Improving
tho egg supply of thla country thau
Ihe production of Infertile egga.
' t ii'nlj'i
.lor eye wr pnft and deep: lior graces
Wore sueli ,i nre vouchsafed to row,
She had one of tho falrost facoa
To which a rIiuI breoze over blew;
I sat behind hor nnd hor mother:
Tho curtain had not been raised;
Thev talked eo much, oeoh to the other,
That I was dazed. ,
The curtain finally ascended
Tho llRht3 jpon tho sttifjo were bright;
l'ho sceno was wonderfully splendid,
I viewed It with a lteen delight;
I trlod to learn Just what tho drama
ll!ns;Cd on, and what ltj moanlnK wa,
'Jut still they talked, shriand her mamma,
Without a pauce. '
Yhere were three acts, of that I'm certain,
Tho proeiam pointed the fact out:
The stur was called beforo the curtain.
I don't know what ho spolto about.
Ills speech may have bean French or
Russian, , "
It waa nil mennlnsless to me,
For thoy continued their discussion
Incessantly.
The only linos that I remember
Of thoso I heard that afternoon
Are theEe: "She left him Inst Septem
ber;" "They'll probably announce It soon;" ,
'Sho told mo not to tell you. oven," .
"My silk ones are full of holes;"
Ves, last nlBht, Just as ho w?a3 goln,"
131033 their toulst
MERE MATTERS OF OPINION.
Tho exccaslvely modest man ahould
bear in mind tho fact that tho shrink
ing violet generally gets plucked, i
Going from bad to worse: Giving up,
a pipe and taking to cigarettes
Many a man is accussed of being
hard-hearted when tho trouble 'Is en
tirely with his liver.
Generally whon you glvo a man his
duo he Is disappointed because you
figured so closely.
Wo admire a man who is willing to
sit back and let his wife do tho talk
ing. Ho would only mako a bad mat
ter worso by trying to butt in.
'" A Believer.
"I have just completed what I con
sider a wonderful play."
"What are you going to do with
It?"
"Put It away somewhere until I can'
become either famous enough or
notorious enough to induce some
manager to read it without letting It
go through tho usual courso of lying
on tho desks of clerks and secre
tailca year after year."
"Ah! I seo you contlnuo to believe
in mlraclea."
Distinctive.
"Well," asked the ambitious young
dramatist, "how did you HRo my play?
1 saw that you woro in tho audience
last night."
"Thoro waB ono thing about It that
Uruck mo aa being original and dis
tinctive," roplled tho critic.
"Ah I What waa that?"
"I noticed that the villain didn't
have a black mustache." '
Can You Blame Him?
"What's tho troublo, Mr. Rocking
nam? You look worried."
"I am," replied tho aged millionaire,
who had married a young woman. "A
deep dark suspicion has entered my
mind. My wife has 'compelled me ta
quit wearing rubbers,"
A Poor Promise.
"Do you seo any promise In my
play?" asked tho would-bo dramatist
"Yea," roplled thu manager, "1 do;
but it's tho kind of a promise a woman
makes when she tells her husband shs
will meet him at a curtain placo at
throo o'clock."
No Use Trying.
You can lead a mule to water,
But you cannot mako him drink It,
You can toll your wlfo you never
Flirt with any girl whatevor, ,
Hut you cannot make her think It.
Marvelous.
"Wo live In ago of marvols."
"I ahould say we did. A man came
around to my houso yesterday offering
to sell a $9 rug for $12.75 and give
with It u 50-ccnt glass bowl absolutely
frco Hut my wife didn't buy It."
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