ERIC OUTLOOK SYSTEM 



By F. B. Knapp 



''^~— ^UST as scientific fire fighting is 

 ff L taking the place of the cruder 

 ^^^ methods of ten years ago, so 

 outlook stations are being located in 

 many States throughout the country to 

 give quick and sure notice of fires in 

 their incipient stages. An inquiry, 

 however, brings out the fact that the 

 methods of locating the fires when dis- 

 covered are in general very rough. 



The writer has been working on this 

 problem for some years, and has found 

 great difficulty till lately in interesting 

 others in it. The answers, in response 

 to letters and a circular recently sent 

 out, indicate, however, that many of 

 those in charge of the suppression of 

 forest fires are now fully alive to the 

 importance of more systematic meth- 

 ods. 



All but five of the States with a 

 forest service have been heard from. 

 In many, the work is in its infancy or 

 very much restricted by lack of funds. 



Indiana represents four States where 

 the wooded areas are so small and the 

 houses so close together that no sys- 

 tematic means of discovering and locat- 

 ing fires is needed. Two replies came 

 about the same time ; one from the 

 mountains, approving the plan for com- 

 paratively level country; and the other 

 from the plains, considering it a fine 

 thing for mountainous districts. In 

 New Jersey the telephone is found suf- 

 ficient; and in Washington patrols and 

 telephone prove to be most effective, 

 because the atmosphere is obscured in 

 the dry season by smoke from land 

 which is being cleared. Most of the 

 other States, as well as some private 

 organizations, either have outlook sta- 

 tions established, are now installing 

 them, or are making plans and looking 

 forward to such a system as soon as 

 their legislatures give them the neces- 

 sary laws and money. 



The national forest service locates 

 fires from two stations by compass and 

 triangulation ; and will soon issue a 

 bulletin by Mr. D. W. Adams, on the 



location and control of forest fires. 

 New York has the most complete sys- 

 tem now in operation of any State; 

 using maps, which are, however, not 

 oriented, and triangulation. New 

 Hampshire has adopted the system de- 

 scribed below, and will be ready for its 

 use for the first time this spring ; while 

 other States are giving it a more tenta- 

 tive trial. 



My attention was called to a German 

 apparatus described in the Forestry 

 Quarterly, volume 2, p. 253. It was 

 designed and patented by Oberforster 

 Seitz; and divides the district into 90 

 radial parts, with a color and form 

 scheme for blocks which are hung out 

 in varying combinations to designate 

 the direction of the fire. Also fish 

 horns are used which carry two or 

 three miles. The area covered is with- 

 in a circle of less than two miles radius. 



The plan of the Eric Outlook Sys- 

 tem is to have main outlook stations 

 manned as near as practicable and not 

 more than twenty-five miles apart. 

 These are provided with an outlook 

 table, 26 inches or more in diameter, 

 fixed in position, with an orienter map 

 in the center, surrounded by a divided 

 azimuth circle, and a panorama of the 

 country giving names and distances. 

 An aledade, pivoted at the center, is 

 directed toward a fire, discovered by 

 the marked eye or field glasses ; and 

 a thread is thereby stretched across 

 the map, circle, and panorama to show 

 the line of sight. If the fire is in plain 

 view it is located by the panorama and 

 map. When the smoke rises between 

 two ridges it is determined within cer- 

 tain limits by the panorama and in di- 

 rection by the circle. When seen 

 vaguely, or over a ridge with a broad 

 unseen expanse beyond, the direction 

 is obtained by the circle, the exact lo- 

 cation to be determined by tying in 

 from another station or substation. 



Secondary stations, manned at times 

 of special danger, are located on inter- 

 mediate elevations and are supplied 



406 



