FOREST FIRES 139 



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 Maine, New Hamp- 

 shire, Massachusetts, and New York and will be followed in 

 Vermont and possibly Connecticut. At each station is a small 

 building in which the watchman Hves during the fire season. 

 The station is equipped with a map of the surrounding country, 

 a pair of field glasses, and a compass, and is connected by tele- 

 phone with the fire warden. Upon discovery of a fire the watch- 

 man 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. An idea of the cost of such 

 a station may be had from a report of the state forester of New 

 Hampshire concerning the Mount Kearsarge station. The total 

 cost of this station was as follows: 



Wire and telephone equipment $96 



Labor of installing same (including superintendence) 140 



Eight- by twelve-foot house (material, labor, and equipment) 70 



Traverse table and field glasses 33 



$339 



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 is very low. A system of fire patrols is, there- 

 fore, much better in very dry and dangerous seasons, although 

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

 that can be overlooked from a fire station in clear weather. 

 There are various methods of patrolling according to the nature 

 of the country and the kind of fire danger. 



A very efficient method of patrolHng 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 



