Conservation Commission 149 



ranger should visit these points as frequently as is compatible with 

 the performance with his other duties. 



The ideal arrangement, however, is the establishment of regular 

 stations, erecting towers if necessary, and the assignment of men to 

 these stations during the dangerous periods of the year. The range 

 of vision from a station cannot be fairly judged by observations 

 made in absolutely clear weather. The hazy conditions of the at- 

 mosphere, in times of extreme drought and consequent great fire 

 danger, decrease the area which can be covered by a mountain sta- 

 tion. For this reason it is advisable to establish stations as near 

 together as financial resources and the presence of suitable locations 

 will permit. Furthermore, when two stations cover the same 

 country, if a fire springs up within two or three miles of one of 

 the stations, the observer on that station can go and fight the fire 

 as soon as he has reported it to the proper ranger and has advised 

 the observer on the other station that he will be absent from his 

 post. Such action will often result in a great saving of time in 

 attacking the fire. 



If it is not possible to operate as many stations as are advisable 

 throughout the entire fire season, those which the most important 

 may be maintained, while a series of secondary lookouts may bo 

 established to be operated only during the periods of unusual fire 

 danger. 



The most competent patrolman may not discover a fire in the 

 dense forest, but the observer on a mountain can easily detect any 

 smoke within a reasonable distance, and, it might be said, can ob- 

 serve at least one hundred thousand- acres in less than a minute, 

 while the patrolman can cover but a limited area by the most dili- 

 gent effort. 



Each observer should be furnished with field glasses, a topo- 

 graphic map of the area visible from the station, a compass (unless 

 the maps be oriented and fixed in place), an alidade, and when- 

 ever practicable, a range finder. Where the observer is well ac- 

 quainted with the country, but has small knowledge of the use of 

 instruments, the compass, alidade and range finder may be dis- 

 pensed with. 



