Officers who were out alone or handling large crews 

 of men. 



Our Logging Engineer, "Jim" Girard, had a mighty 

 close call on the North Fork of the Clearwater in. the 

 big blow-up of August 19. He was going down the 

 river and got caught between tw r o fires which came 

 together just above him after he had picked out a 

 place in the river under shelter of a large boulder. 

 When he saw the fire coming up the river it was at 

 least a half a mile away. He built up a sort of low 

 wall of rocks flanking this boulder, took off his stag 

 shirt, soaked it, and spread it over his head and face 



lolding it down against the wall he had built. He 



mid that the black clouds of smoke were rolling and 

 tumbling like a tornado, and that the gases at that 



iistance choked him and filled his lungs so quickly 

 that he felt that there would be little chance to sur- 



dve when the fire would actually pass. After taking 

 le precautions or making the preparations described, 

 he said the gases did not affect him and did not 

 seem to travel low down or just above the surface 

 of the water. 



AVTien the fire approached closely he said the noise 

 was terrific. Big trees two or three feet in diameter 

 were up-rooted and hurled or tossed about like tooth- 

 picks, for there was a real cyclonic wind with it. He 

 said that sheets of water were lifted from the stream 

 and carried along by the wind. It was pitch dark 

 and it must have been an awful experience. He said 

 he swore at that time he would never fight another 

 fire, if he got through alive. It was not very long 

 afterward that he was right into the thick of it again. 



27 



