144 A MANUAL OF FORESTRY 



them at once before they have time to spread. Watchmen in 

 lookout stations or patrolling in dangerous localities are necessary 

 in order to give notice immediately on the discovery of fire. A 

 definite policy of establishing lookout stations on the summits of 

 prominent mountains has been inaugurated in the New England 

 States and in New York. Massachusetts, for example, is 

 thoroughly covered by a network of 28 stations. 



Lookout stations range from costly steel towers 100 feet high 

 down to inexpensive wooden shelters. They are connected by 

 telephone with the nearest fire warden. At each station there 

 should be a watchman constantly on duty during the fire season. 

 His equipment should include at the least a good map of the 

 surrounding country, field glasses and compass. Much more 

 elaborate outfits are often provided. Upon discovery of a fire 

 the watchman gets the compass bearing and the closest possible 

 location of the fire. This is telephoned down to the warden and 

 a crew is at once sent to extinguish the fire. 



While a watchman located in one of these fire stations can 

 overlook a large area, 50,000 to 200,000 acres according to the 

 topography, in clear weather, the efficiency of such stations in 

 smoky weather may be very low. The lookouts should be 

 supplemented by a system of fire patrols, although one patrol- 

 man can of necessity protect only a small portion of the area 

 that can be overlooked from a fire station. There are various 

 methods of patrolling according to the nature of the country 

 and the kind of fire danger. 



A very efficient method of patrolling railroads is to follow every 

 train on a hand car or motor. As there is most danger from 

 freights the patrolman should follow directly after these, if it is 

 impossible to follow all trains. Following as closely as this the 

 patrolman will discover fires while they are still so small that 

 he can extinguish them alone. 



In a well-watered country where there is special danger from 

 campers and fisherman, as in northern Maine, a patrol of the 

 streams by boat or canoe is easiest and most efficient. The 

 patrolman takes the names and addresses of all campers, and in 



