heavy enough to hcl '. this anoke In the canyons in tro forn 

 of dead drift smoke. This vas on ideal season for a look- 

 out to r.a're a reputation seeing fires as tho smoke was 

 conotantly on tho nove, and !! a-. not quite BUTO but that 

 tro reccrclfl wade by lookout during th.'.o ceaeon is responsible 

 for a groat doal of the favor given lookouts by * great 

 many Forest officers, whicli I consider a very ur.f ortxmr.te 

 thinf., as I have learned by experience that a lookout is 

 absolutely helpless a good port of the tire Atzrln^ the -nont 

 dangoi'oua fire ooason, ec^ec'.ally Just after an electric 

 otorir. when the air i3 full ox" haze and bir.oke and so^etirr.es 

 foe, which rcakea it itr.ponslble for hiu to locate R-?all fires 

 in the heavy timber ar.d oanyono. 



During 1911 I had seven men bosidea myself, 

 of thene nen were given established routes to patrol, tho 



1 >r t"o ir.cn and myoslf followed practically the nare idea 

 :-j in forPftr yoara. One vmo stationed on lookout, t,V9 othor 

 t ..o going where the smoke looked the th.lckect, ao I did not 

 see ray way clear to get around tho oat-ibliaVtod facts ao learned 

 by experience in former years,- tr.at the only vey to find a 

 fire in a canyon full of ai^oke ie to go in there. A Ten can 

 not do this by riding a route de3irnatecL to hir. by rsov.ecne 

 olse, neither can he Jo it from a lookout. Junt follrwinr % 

 an electric atorn in July, we had an ideal chance to try out 

 oi'r i.isas, as the air vras very heavy anl the canyono filled 

 up with 3i7>oke almost iimr.ed lately after tho fog, caused by 

 the atorr-'., had risen. Tho lookout was coun^G'T out fro?" tho 

 start. The two patrol nen following up the old plan were the 

 first Pen to five fires. The five patrol men on th* new plan 

 wore the firut ran to four fires. ? jovon fires that had 



.it only the tree the liphtning atruok were rot oeen by 

 either patrol raen or lookout until they had gone out thera- 

 selveo. Later on in the seanon there were tines when the 

 whole plan Bested to hin^e on the lookout. 



Thf- leosons learned for t!*.o past six years are: 

 patrol iriun's Jisiriot Joining on t^ Forest boundary 

 should be ov.aller tiian those joining ot'ner n&;ic-er Piatricto. 

 Had or.ly two Inat year - theoe should tf- divided in* f:ree, 

 ar.i r.notl:er regular j:atrol nan added to tho force. Ad: : one 

 -ran to th> force of last year, anO. I believe they could 

 .ale the flro eituA-^ion any ordinary season. 



It was a great advantage to : : avfl tho foroo d.'.*'ided 

 into repi'.lar patrol tren, lookout^ and indt>7ercl-9^t patrol ~en 

 aa the Uldpendnt r.&trnl shifted itc "oight ^'hichover way 

 the circu^r;t&ncos warranted, doubling the force ar.'t ;--ort- 

 tires treblinr it. in that locality, leaving t.-e helwico of 

 th3 District still guarded by patrol an-* lookout. 



In jf^cocl clear rreathsr the lookout, relieves the 

 independent patrol ner. and the'- car. busy ther.aelvea at ot!ier 

 work. 



21. 



