BOY SCOUTS OF MICHIGAN 583 



girls of the public schools of Michigan The boys will be taught the first aid 



which shall tell of the Michigan Forest methods of treating sunstroke, scalds 



Scouts or their work. frost bites, snake bites, poisoning 



One honor medal of gold shall be drowning, wounds of all kinds. They 



awarded to the boy and one to the girl will be taught how to build safe camp 



writing the best of the six stories, the fires and instructed in the necessity of 



stories to be selected by the head of the extinguishing them. They will be in- 



department. structed in how to cook in the woods, 



Regulation honor medals will be pre- how to extinguish a forest fire, the 

 sented by the field supervisor or an ai& methods in which forest fires run and 

 Hero medals and first honor medalFj how to avoid being overtaken and over- 

 will be conferred by the governor in come. They will be taught the art of 

 person or by a direct representative of back firing without damage to other 

 the executive. property, of building fire lanes and of 



In addition to this W. B. Mershon protecting property when fire bears 



one man in Michigan who perhaps down upon it. 



more than anybody else is interested in But his chief duty is to notify the 



the protection of the wild life of the proper authority of the advance of a 



State, has volunteered to provide fire. The chief township warden is 



medals for essays on the conservation the supervisor of that township and 



of bird life. any justice of the peace is also a fire 



There are still other ramifications warden in his township. The scout 

 since various organizations interested is asked to bear in mind that the State 

 in some particular branch of the work does not require nor ask him to risk 

 are planning to offer medals for essays his life or limb in service. It is the 

 or for actual work along the lines of scout's duty to care for life and prop- 

 protection of game, fish or tree and erty. His own life is held by the State 

 plant life. to be vastly more valuable than prop- 



The Lower Michigan Protective As- -erty and as valuable as that of any 



sociation is now being organized to other person. 



patrol forest lands and prevent fires If one or more scouts have knowl- 



Thomas B. Wyman, of Munising, is the edge of a forest fire it is the duty of 



expert in charge of the work and it the one having the first knowledge to 



is proposed to use the boys in con- dispatch a warning to a township war- 



nection. den. He is asked to make an intelligent 



report along these lines : 



HOW TO ORGANIZE. The kind of material in combustion. 



The approximate area of destruc- 



To secure a charter, to become an tion. 



enlisted company is an easy matter. It The probable area of destruction, 

 is provided only that five or more qual- The possible area of destruction, 

 ified applicants apply to the field super- The establishment of a fighting line, 

 visor or the head of the department and The means for fighting; water, sand 

 that one of the applicants chosen by his or earth, flails, brush or water soaked 

 school teacher and elected by a ma- sacks or blankets, fire lanes, etc. 

 jority vote of his company shall be cap- 

 tain of the organization. FIRST FIRE EXPERIENCE. 



The names of the companies shall be 



chosen from the names of distinguished Already Wolverine company, the 

 American soldiers, patrols, frontiers- first to be enlisted and under the corn- 

 men, Indian chieftains, or of some mand of Capt. Oscar Swanson, has been 

 American plant, tree or animal. through the mill. It was in the district 



The arms of the scouts are flails controlled by this company that a great 



buckets, mattocks, axes and shovels fire swept all before it last year. Un- 



The ammunition is dirt, sand and told damage was done and hundreds 



water. were left homeless and starving. Young 



