32 



Canadian Forestry Journal, junuar'^, 1920 



At any rate the best results are obtained if 

 highways are made to go to their destination by 

 the easiest route and grade, irrespective of geom- 

 etry and points of the compass, just as railways 

 are. 



Yours faithfully, 



Francis W. Caulfeild. 

 London, England. 



SIGNALLING IN THE FOREST. 



To Canadian Forestry Journal, The question 

 of forest communication has not been given 

 that careful consideration by the government 

 that it rightfully deserves. 



I have studied the question of forest com- 

 munication very carefully, and consider that the 

 communicatio n of a forest area is the basis 

 upon which the successful fighting of forest fires 

 rests. 



The chief means of communication in forest 

 areas to-day is by telephone, a costly and not 

 altogether satisfactory method. This one means 

 of communication requires constant supervision 

 to keep it open, as one finds there is always 

 danger of windfalls and fires breaking the line, 

 and in the case of the latter the situation is 

 certainly a serious one. The means of com- 

 munication I would suggest for large forest areas 

 during the summer are as follows: 



(I) HELIOGRAPH. 



Range up to 65 miles with a 5-inch mirror. 



Weight complete with stand, 18 pounds. 



This instrument could be carried by ranger 

 over the roughest country, and communication 

 established in a few minutes from high ground 

 in the vicinity. 



(2) LAMP ELECTRIC SIGNAL. 



This type was used in the army and proved 

 to be an exceptionally rapid and clear means 

 of signalling. 



Range up to 6 miles during day time and 15 

 to 20 miles at night. 



Voltage 12. 



Weight complete with stand 18 pounds. 



Life of battery 80 hours of intermittent sig- 

 nalling. 



Life of battery making ordinary signals from 

 one month to six weeks. 



PIGEONS. 



Each ranger to carry say two pigeons 

 (changed periodically) which have been trained 



to "home" to a central loft, preferably situated 

 in or near a settlement. 



The ranger would carry one or two birds 

 with him during his trips. (Special baskets 

 are made for the purpose of transporting liom- 

 ing pigeons, and can be carried on the back.) 

 In the case of a fire one or both birds could 

 be released according to the seriousness or 

 otherwise of the fire, the released bird or birds 

 carrying a message to the central loft giving 

 the location, extent, etc., of the fire. 



The ranger remains on the spot doing what 

 he can to get the fire under control, instead of 

 having to leave the scene to return for help, 

 thereby losing very valuable time. Pigeons 

 were found to be very reliable message carriers 

 in France, and will give satisfactory results un- 

 der all conditions, provided they are properly 

 housed and trained. 



WIRELESS. 



This means of communication is rather more 

 complicated than the others enumerated, and 

 requires special training on the part of the 

 operators. 



In accessable regions small portable sets 

 could be used to advantage, with a sending 

 range of 20 miles and an unlimited receiving 

 range. (The receiving range depends upon 

 the wave length of the sending station.) 



Small sets situated in the northern portion 

 of Manitoba or Saskatchewan should be able 

 to pick up signals sent by the wireless station 

 at The Pas, but would not, of course, be able 

 to transmit messages to this station. 



The visual and carrier pigeon means of com- 

 munication would undoubtedly give a far larger 

 field of operation to the ranger, he would not be 

 tied down to one particular place from which 

 he could communicate to the outside. 



There are many specially trained visual sig- 

 nallers in Canada to-day, who with additional 

 training in forest ranger duties should become 

 useful servants of the Crown. I hope your 

 many readers may find something of interest 

 in this letter. I may say that I instructed in 

 all these means of signalling in France, and have 

 great confidence in them. 



Yours very truly, 

 G. R. ScoBY, 

 Lale Instructor Canadian Corps Signal 

 School in France. 

 c/o Domininn Bank, Winnipeg. 



