Conservation Commission 161 



expensive, and difficult to transport without the aid of wagons. 

 This renders their use impracticable in the more inaccessible 

 forest regions. 



Whipping 

 In fighting surface fires, effective work may be accomplished 

 with brush or small branches by whipping the burning leaves at 

 the edge of the fire back into the burned area. This may be done 

 even more effectively with pieces of sacking or burlap soaked in 

 water. In attacking a fire in this manner, particular care must 

 be taken to sweep the burning material back into the fire area, 

 for otherwise this whipping would serve rather to aid the spread 

 of the fire than to check it. 



Sand 



A plentiful supply of sand is nearly as good as a supply of 

 water, especially if the fire fighting crew is equipped with shovels. 

 A shovelful of sand is tremendously effective in putting out a fire. 

 Loam is not so valuable for this purpose as pure sand, but it may 

 be used in a pinch. 



"Fire Trains" 



A so-called fire train, consisting of a locomotive and one or two 

 freight cars to carry water, tools and men, may be used to good 

 advantage in fighting forest fires along the line of a railroad. The 

 area which can be covered by this method depends upon the length 

 of the hose with which the train is equipped. Water is carried on 

 the cars, and a pump operated by the locomotive provides the 

 power necessary to force the water through the hose. Even though 

 the hose and pumping apparatus be omitted from the equipment, 

 a train of this sort will often be of great value to transport men 

 and tools to a fire. 



Some railroads have supplemented the fire trains by placing 

 barrels of water along the right of way on heavy grades where, on 

 account of the forced draught of the locomotive when passing up 

 grade, there is a likelihood of fires starting. 



Backfiring 

 A crown fire always starts from a surface fire or a ground fire 

 and is accompanied in its progress by these fires. It will die out 

 when there is no inflammable material on the ground to f-'ed the 



