The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1898-11-11


state of Washington were probably
never in better shape than they are
just now. Year by year the heavy
timber of the Middle West is becoming
more completely exhausted, and
consequence the limitless resources of
the Pacific Northwest are assuming
greater relative importance Manufact-
urers of Michigan, Wisconsin and Min
nesota are conceding that they will
be compelled to look to this section
for their future supply of heavy timber,
and several of them during the last few
months have visited the Pacific coast
with view to putting in plants.
Unquestionably the close of this year
will witness the introduction of enlarg-
ed lumber and single operations in
this state. All the present lumber
and shingle firms will continue opera
tions at the old stands. Some Of
them will enlarge their plants. Sol
G. Simpson, president OF the Simpson
Logging Company, the largest concern
OF it's kind in the West, stated recently
to a Post-Intelligencer reporter that
he is preparing to put in an electric
light plant at his shingle camps tribu-
tary to the mill will be lighted from
the same plant.
In talking over the present lumber
season with number of representa-
tive lumbermen, one is impressed by
the fact that they all agree that dam
aging durin the present season from
forest fires has been less than for many
years past. Questioned as to the reas-
on for this, they also agree in ascribing
it solely to the weather, the heavy
dews and fogs of the summer, and the
early rains have acted as an effectual
barrier to the usual ravages OF those,
disastrous confagrations that have
annually devastated the timber belts
of the Cascades and of Western Wash
ington.
Sol G. Simpson, speaking on this
subject, said: "There are four causes
of sources from which these forest fires
originate, viz, the donkey engines of
the camps, the locomotives on the
railroads, the smouldering fires left by
hunters and campers, and the burning
done by ranchers in clearing. OF the
four regard the latter as the most
prolific. The donkey engines of the
camps threaten first of all the camps
themselves, and hence the loggers and
lumbermen are naturally interested
in avoiding such fires, orif they should
break out, in suppressing them prompt
| ly. The same may he said of the rail
roads, for whenever passing loco
motive sets fire to forest, the railway
company is more Immediately con-
cerned than anybody else in suppress
ing the fire. which threatens first OF
all to destroy railway property and i'm
pede railway traffic.
Gas to hunters and campers, do
not doubt there has been great deal
of wanton carelessness in leaving fires
smouldering in the woods. and | do
not doubt that great many fires have
resulted from this cause. At the same
time, think it has been exaggerated.
l think, as / have already said, that
the most fruitful cause of fires in the
clearings made by ranchers. When
they undertake to burn off piece of
ground, bear in mind, the greater the
area that is burned the better it suits
them.
GAS to the proportion of timber de-
stroyed by the average forest fi:e, that
depends very much on the locality
and the nature of the SOIL On level
and fertile ground, where there is a
good, heavy underground of green
stuff, the fire will make hardly any i'm
preston on the large timber On the
other hand, if the ground is hilly and
sloping, and the soil is poor, the flames
reach up to the large trees with far
more disastrous results"
w. A. Mcdonald, of Mosher & Nc
Donald, one of the largest logging
| firms In the. northwest, talked in very
much the same way as Mr. Simpson.
"The damage resulting from an ordin-
ary forest fire." said Mr.. Mcdonald,
sshas been very much overdrawn and
exaggerated. The facts are bad enough
| without being painted in any darker
colors than they really should be.
Most of the fires with which we have
had to contend in our camps through
a series of years have originated, I
should say, from the donkey engines,
and they hardly extend beyond the
limits OF the camp. The heavy green
timber OF our forests does not burn
easily, and, rule, the fire dies Of itself
when it reaches such belt of timber.
This, of course, applies to level ground,