856 Canadian Forestry Journal, December, ipi6 



The Heliograph in Forest Fire 



Detection 



Experiments Conducted on Mattagami Pulp and Paper 

 Company's Limits Appear to Demonstrate 



Its Usefulness 



The heliograph as a signalling in- ments would be helpless . This was 



s-trument has been used by military en- not found to be the case. Even with 



gineers for a great many years, but it a heavy haze, the flashes penetrated to 



remained for the Mattagami Pulp and a distance of ten miles and over. In 



Paper Company of Smooth Rock Falls, rainy weather of course the fire ranger 



Ont., to adapt it to forest protection would have less urgent need to signal, 



purposes. For use at night, electric flash lamps 



The success of the heliograph is were employed, and for short distances 



vouched for by the rangers on the com- worked very well. The same code of 



pany's limits and by Mr. R. O. Sweezy, "dots and dashes" was used. To over- 



a well-known Forest Engineer, who come the handicap of night signalling, 



worked out the company's fire protec- a new powerful battery lamp has been 



tion plans. Mr. Sweezy's experience manufactured in the United States, 



as professor of engineering at the Royal which is said to give a flash visible at 



Military College, Kingston, brought thirty to fifty miles. This lamp will 



him first into touch with the heliograph probably be tried out next summer on 



which was used in instructional work the Mattagami limits, 



with the cadets. While the heliograph has its limita- 



In mappmg out the patrol routes, lo- ^^^^^^ ^^^^^ ^^^ ^^^^ witnessed the ex- 

 cations for lookout towers ,etc., it was pgriments in forest signalling last sum- 

 found necessary to devise a signal sys- ^^^ declare that its usefulness warrants 

 tem other than telephones and wire- ^ ^j^^^ adoption. An instrument 

 less. The company s imits comprise ^.^^^ ^^-^^^^ ^^^^^ ^^^^^ ^5q -^^ normal 

 about 1,300 square miles, mostly de- ^j^^^^ ^^^ ^^^ advanced by about $20 

 void of roads. To construct telephone recently. It is not cumbersome or 

 lines, particularly during war time ^^ ^nd can be stowed away in a 

 with materials endrmously enhanced ^^^^ ^^^^ ^^^j^^^ Learning the code 

 in cost, was considered inadvisable. ^^^^ ^^^ ^^^^^^ difficult, and practice 

 Mr. Sweezy experimented with a few ^^^ ^ ^^^^ ^^ ^^^ j^ ^^j^ ^^ ^^ ^^^_ 

 heliographs and succeeded m teaching ^j^^^ 



some of his rangers enough of the ' . , • t, ^u 



buiiic ^^ s ^^ +„r^+r^ ^rioKU The country m which the experiment 



Morse code in a week or two to enable ^-jj ^ a-cc ^.-h 



, ^^ n 1 _^^ ^„^^ 4-^ r,-nA frr^m was tricd docs ttot differ materially 



them to flash messages to and trom ^ r .^u r-i u u x -nt ^.u 



,1 1 ^ .. c^ ,,r^ii A\A +Vi^ from the rest of the Claybelt of North- 



the lookout towers. So well did the Ontario and Ouebec-relativelv flat 



plan work that more instruments were ern Ontario and Quebec relatively Hat 



purchased and placed on other sections country witli sufficient rising land to 



^f the limits. 'The heliograph as is P[;;;trCirJr^^^^^^^^^^ 



commonly known, operates by the use clear survey tor great distances 



of two mirrors one of which is attached The use of the heliograph will be as- 



to a kev By operating this key on sisted by telephone lines constructed 



the "do'^ts and dashes" system of the along the main roads and telephone ex- 



teleo-raphic code the flash of reflected tension will keep pace with the com- 



sunfight can be controlled at will. pany's woods operations. Rangers on 



It IS a general impression that with- the canoe routes will likely be provided 



out brilliant sunlight these instru- with heliographs next season. 



