THE EYES OF THE FOREST 



463 



stalled, so that prompt reports on the discovery of fires 

 could be made. 



In those days it was the common practice for the look- 

 out man to live in his observatory, either going out- 

 doors or up on the roof to make observations. It was not 

 long, however, before it was found that high peaks and 

 lofty towers and trees were very prone to attract light- 

 ning during storms. A number of lookout stations were 

 struck by heavy bolts, the interior of the buildings 

 wrecked, 

 ind the observ- 

 ers rendered 

 u n c onscious. 

 Though no 

 serious a c c i- 

 dents resulted, 

 forest officers 

 were quick to 

 recognize the 

 fact that look- 

 outs must be 

 protected from 

 lightning, 

 and that it was 

 much safer to 

 have the ob- 

 server live else- 

 where than on 

 top of a peak. 



Errors re- 

 sulting from 

 rough maps 

 and crude in- 

 struments used 

 in locating 

 fires, the neces- 

 sity of going 

 outside the 

 lookout house 

 to make obser- 

 vations, the 

 difficulty of se- 

 curing men 

 properly quali- 

 fied for the job 

 o f observer 

 and many 

 other factors 

 detrimental to 

 the success of 

 this method of 



fire detection, finally led the Forest Service to make a 

 careful investigation of all phases of the lookout prob- 

 lem. The results of these investigations, which cov- 

 ered a period of several years, finally caused the adop- 

 tion of uniform standards for lookout stations in va- 

 rious parts of the country, and form the basis on which 

 all new National Forest lookouts are now established. 



The standard forest fire lookout of the West, to- 



HEKE AN EXOKMOUS TREE IS UTILIZED AS A LOOKOUT STATION 



This is another of the early types of lookout, on the Shasta National Forest in California. 

 The observatory is in the top of a giant tree. For comparative purposes note the man stand- 

 ing by the flag. 



day, 'is a square one-room structure with hip-roof, vary- 

 ing in size from 10x10 to 14x14 feet, set on a stone or 

 concrete foundation or bolted to the rocks, and held in 

 position by stout guys-wires. The four sides of the 

 house, including the door, are made up of large glass 

 windows set with the lower sash three feet above the 

 floor, which allows an unobstructed view in all direc- 

 tions. Lightning protection is afiforded by an "electric 

 screen" overhead, or by heavy wires running from the 



peak of the 

 roof down all 

 four corners 

 into the 

 ground. A tele- 

 phone line con- 

 nects the look- 

 out with the 

 super visor's 

 headquar- 

 ters and the 

 various ranger 

 stations of the 

 forest and also 

 with the near- 

 est commercial 

 exchange. 

 Heavy wooden 

 shutters p r o- 

 tect the glass 

 windows dur 

 ing storms; 

 and the build- 

 ing is attrac- 

 tively painted 

 inside and out. 

 The furnish- 

 ings of such an 

 observatory, or 

 "crow's - nest" 

 as it is usually 

 called, consist 

 of a heavy 

 wooden table 

 oriented by 

 transit survey 

 an,d securely 

 bolted to the 

 floor, on which 

 rests the fire 

 finder; a high 

 revolving office 

 chair which permits the observer to view the entire circle 

 of the horizon without getting up ; a desk telephone with 

 a head-piece receiver ; low cupboards under the windows 

 for maps and forms; a bench for visitors, and a wood or 

 oil stove with which to heat the room during cold 

 weather. A drawer in the table holds paper, ink, pen, 

 and pencils and the official diary, while a pair of high- 

 powered field glasses are kept on top of the table ready 



