98 THE BOOK OF FORESTRY 



that in beating out the flames no burning leaves, etc., are 

 thrown ahead of the fire to start a new blaze. Where the 

 soil is sandy as on Long Island, New York, and on Cape 

 Cod in Massachusetts, shovels and rakes are excellent 

 fire-fighting tools, and the fire is controlled by throwing 

 sand upon it. Certain towns in Massachusetts have 

 regular fire wagons with portable fire extinguishers. 

 These, of course, can be used only on level country 

 and where more water can be obtained to recharge 

 the extinguishers. It is claimed that one of these 

 portable extinguishers will put out two hundred feet of 

 blazing scrub oak. 



Whatever type of fire is fought, men should always 

 be left to guard it until it is known to be out positively. 

 Some of the most disastrous fires known have resulted 

 from blazes that were thought to be under control and 

 afterward started up again. Even though entirely 

 surrounded by a fire line or trench a smoldering stub 

 or log may be fanned into flame by the next morning's 

 breeze. The breeze increases, the flames roar up some 

 tinder-dry old snag, and finally, a brand is carried over 

 the fire line and a new fire starts. In some cases where 

 the soil and duff are extremely dry, it may be necessary 

 to keep several men patrolling the fire line for weeks, 

 but this is far cheaper and better than bringing out a 

 hundred men to fight the fire all over again. 



As stated in the early part of this chapter a large 

 portion of this enormous fire damage could be avoided, 

 for a majority of the fires are set through carelessness. 

 The most frequent causes are the following: sportsmen, 

 by carelessly throwing down a match or lighted cigar, 

 or by failing to put out their camp fires; settlers, 

 by clearing fields and permitting the brush fires to get 

 away from them, and railroad engines, by throwing out 



