454 AMERICAN FORESTRY 



must be constantly on the watch for this, his arch enemj'. Perhaps some still, 

 hot day in Indian Summer, his route carries him to some high point where he 

 can overlook a vast stretch of forest. As he pauses at the highest peak his 

 quick eye detects what at first seems to be a thin rift of cloud far along the 

 side of the mountains. He leaves his horse and clambors to a higher vantage 

 point where he brings his field glass into play, for he must make sure whether 

 this is smoke or mist. Should he misjudge, the consequences might be untold 

 damage on one hand or a long, hard, useless ride on the other. When at 

 last he has satisfied himself that the enemy is really at hand, he hesitates 

 no longer. If he thinks he can cope with the situation alone he proceeds post 

 haste to the site of the fire, and perhaps he may succeed in beating it out 

 with his saddle blanket. Such fires are scarcely deemed worthy of mention 

 in the ranger's diary and report. 



But frequently it is not such an easy task, but one in which the ranger 

 requires aid. If a telephone line is close by he calls the supervisor or the 

 nearest ranger station for help, stating the location and extent of the fire. 

 It has been said that the rangers constitute the greatest fire department in 

 the world. But the ranger's equipment consists of no polished engines or 

 towering ladder — it is often nothing more than a mustang pony and a pine 

 bough or his saddle blanket. If the tire is a grass or surface fire in or near the 

 forest, it has been found by experience that it can be fought efl'ectively with 

 the aid of common garden sprinklers, followed by a beating with wet sacks 

 or blankets ; shovels, axes, and heavy hose are necessary to combat the fiercer 

 crown fires. A plan is now being adopted of placing boxes of tools such as 

 these at convenient places ready for use when a fire breaks out. Armed 

 with these tools, the fire fighters hasten to the fire and endeavor to check 

 it before it grows too formidable, by cutting a lane or guard in front of its 

 path across which it cannot leap. Sometimes backfiring is necessary, and then 

 the ranger fights fire with fire, so that the two fires meet and die out for 

 want of fuel. The common plan is to dig and scrape trenches around the fire, 

 forcing it to a narrower and narrower front, and taking advantage of streams, 

 trails, slopes, and other topographical features that may assist in checking the 

 onrush of the flames. Not always are the fire fighters successful in checking 

 the flames, but the men of the Forest Service have a remarkable record of 

 efficiency in this respect. The Report of the Forester for 1910, contains the 

 statement that of 3,138 fires reported, 2464 were extinguished by the rangers 

 alone, without additional expense or aid. 



A forest fire is a terrible menace. The lives of the rangers are constantly 

 threatened and work under more trying circumstances can hardly be imagined. 

 In the great fires of the Northwest last year, there were revealed heroes who 

 need not blush in the presence of any battle-tried veteran of history. The 

 story of Ranger Pulaski is typical. 



Edward C. Pulaski, of Wallace, Idaho, was the ranger in charge of a 

 gang of 40 fire fighters. When they found that the fire had gotten beyond their 

 control Pulaski started to lead them to a place of safety, placing them in 

 single file, himself in the lead. They had not gone far before they seemed to 

 be surrounded by fire. The men grew panicky. Pulaski, himself, says that 

 he saw columns of clear white flame spring up like will-o'-the-wisps, feeding 

 on nothing but air. The smoke was so dense that the men had to hold one 

 another to keep from getting lost. Their leader halted the apparently doomed 

 men, soaked a gunuy sack with water and dashed off through the fire and 

 smoke to look for a way of escape. The men gave up hope, convinced that 

 he would never return. But he did return and finally led them to an aban- 

 doned mine tunnel into which he ordered them. It seemed like condemning the 



