1906 



FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION 



465 



five miles of Government telephone 

 lines on the Pikes Peak Forest Re- 

 serve in Colorado. Construction on 

 this line was begun as soon as the ap- 

 propriation became available at the 

 beginning of the present fiscal' year. 



The comparatively low cost of such 

 lines, owing to the presence of poles 

 on the ground, and even the use of 

 standing trees, is one of the things 

 which will contribute to their exten- 

 sion. 



Supplementing the proposed Gov- 

 ernment telephone lines are a number 

 of private lines constructed under 

 permit from the Forester, who grants 

 a right of way across a forest reserve 

 only on condition that the forest offi- 

 cers shall be allowed free use of the 

 line for official business. So far there 

 have been permits granted to nineteen 

 individuals or companies for an ag- 

 gregate of more than 140 miles of line, 

 which may be used for the protection 

 of the forests in several different lo- 

 calities. 



Upon the success of the Govern- 

 ment lines under construction will de- 

 pend an extensive adoption of tele- 

 phone systems on all reserves, though 

 it is already established and under- 

 stood that their use is attended with 

 excellent results. It is probable that 

 in winter these lines will suffer con- 

 siderable damage, but as this is the 

 time when there is likely to be no de- 

 mand for their use no serious difficul- 

 ties will be experienced. In the spring 

 a few days' labor will put them in or- 

 der. 



The details to be considered in lay- 

 ing out these forest lines will vary 

 more or less in different localities, but 

 in general will be determined partially 

 by the contour of the country, and per- 

 haps to a larger extent by the location 

 of trails used by the rangers or forest 

 patrol. Wherever possible the line 

 should be carried within a reasonable 

 distance of high places in the reserve, 

 which may be made to serve as look- 

 out points from which the smoke from 



any fire may be quickly detected. The 

 ranger thus provided with facilities 

 for reporting the fire may not only 

 make its presence known, but even in 

 some cases cause a considerable force 

 of men to approach it from the near- 

 est point where they may be found, se- 

 curing an immense advantage over the 

 transmission of calls for assistance by 

 messengers on foot or mounted on 

 horseback. Although it is conceiva- 

 ble that each man might be equipped 

 with a telephone box adapted to make 

 connection with the line the practical 

 conditions of forest patrol are such as 

 to make it inadvisable for a ranger 

 to be burdened with any unnecessary 

 weight. This makes it desirable to 

 provide call boxes at selected points 

 along the line. It is far more easy ior 

 a man to walk a mile or two on the 

 occasion when he does need to use the 

 line than to be day after day weighted 

 with a telephone box, ringer and bat- 

 teries which will save only a few min- 

 utes of time. 



If for no other reason than the use 

 in connection with fire patrols, the tel- 

 ephone becomes a necessary adjunct 

 to forestry, where there are large 

 tracts of woodland. As the ease with 

 which these forests may be reached by 

 campers and sportmen is increased, 

 owing to improvements in transpor- 

 tation facilities, it seems to be a regret- 

 table fact that the risk of fire is much 

 increased. This risk will grow larger 

 as time goes on, and it seems desira- 

 ble to take the most thorough precau- 

 tions to diminish the danger which is 

 known to exist. The use of the tele- 

 phone seems to be not only an effective 

 method of promoting such protection, 

 but it is economical and admirably 

 suited to the practical conditions of 

 forestry. It is for these reasons that 

 private' holdings no less than public 

 reserves should have their fire lanes, 

 patrol trails and lookout points ; they 

 should have call boxes along the 

 trails, and the rangers or patrolmen 

 should be given instructions in the use 

 of the telephone to get direct commun- 



