ARREST FIRE LAW VIOLATORS 



571 



they were still half a mile from the 

 peak, a terrific explosion occurred and 

 they had to run to escape the shower 

 of stones. 



This eruption was brief and Abbey 

 resolved to take another chance, which 

 he did. He found the crater greatly 

 enlarged and the roof of the lookout 

 house punctured with rocks. One had 

 fallen upon a rafter but instead of 

 smashing things it had merely sliced its 

 way through the timber. 



The explosion of June 1-ith seriously 

 injured two sightseers who were caught 

 in the rain of rocks. 



Eruptions still continued at intervals 

 and the peak is regarded as unsafe for 

 visitors and untenable as a lookout. 



The lookout cabin on Mount Lassen 

 was one of the most interesting in Cali- 

 fornia even before its destruction. 



It was carefully designed by former 

 Supervisor Kling. Xo one part was 

 larger or heavier than could be packed 

 on a man's back and by an ingenious 



method of joints the house when set 

 up in the shop in Red Bluff was as 

 stable and rigid as a fort and the house 

 was then taken apart and the pieces 

 transported as far as possible up the 

 mountain by wagon. The pack horses 

 were used as far as they could go ; 

 finally giving way to the most primitive 

 means of transportation men's backs. 



The house was 1-i'x li' and was pro- 

 vided with every appliance needed by 

 the lookout man in the performance of 

 his duties. Instead of one or few 

 windows, it had a ribbon of glass ex- 

 tending clear around the building, af- 

 fording a practically uninterrupted view 

 for the man inside. 



Forest Supervisor Rushing has taken 

 steps to equip for lookout purposes 

 another peak in lieu of Lassen. The 

 point is Brokeoff Mountain, a few miles 

 distant. 



At last accounts the crater measured 

 i KIII feet by 150. Xo flames or lava 

 have been seen at anv time. 



ARREST FIRE LAW VIOLATORS 



TWO convictions in Washington 

 for burning slash without per- 

 mit from a fire warden, damage 

 amounting to perhaps $5,000 to 

 logs and logging equipment in the same 

 State through fires in slashings, but no 

 loss of green timber, is the Pacific 

 Northwest record for June, the first 

 month of the 1914 forest fire season, 

 according to bulletins received from 

 several States by the Western Forestry 

 and Conservation Association. 



All protective agencies were placed 

 on the alert at the close of June by the 

 prospect of a drying interior wind, but 

 the new forecast service especially for 

 forest fire conditions which is supplied 

 by the United States Weather Bureau 

 soon reassured them that the threaten- 

 ing high pressure in western Canada 

 had split into two areas and the danger 

 was for a time averted. Xevertheless, 

 all patrol forces are being rapidly re- 

 cruited for the season and about 2,000 



men will be on duty in a few days in 

 Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Mon- 

 tana. About 500 patrolmen are em- 

 ployed in these States by the timber 

 owners' protective associations, nearly 

 ^00 by the States and the Government 

 jointly outside the national forests, and 

 the others by the Forest Service within 

 the national forests. The British Co- 

 lumbia Government also has 225 men 

 on duty. 



July hazard to be guarded against, 

 other than from camp fires, was chiefly 

 in slash burning to clear land and rights 

 of way and in leaving fires thus started 

 to smoulder in logs and stumps to break 

 out later when the inevitable hot and 

 windy weather arrives. Forest officers 

 announce that State laws regarding 

 burning without permit and precaution 

 will be enforced rigidly and also warn 

 summer camping parties to be ex- 

 tremely careful with camp fires. 



