The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-10-18
Lnmbermsn Well Satisfied With
Present Conditions.
DAMAGE ef FOREST FIRES
During Pre.en, Season IL Has Been
Less Than for Many Years Pasf-
Weather Largely Responsfbfe-A
Michigan Lumb~rmnn Comes
some Large Laundering Camps.

The genera lumber interests @, t5e
state OF " ashington were probably never
81 better shape than they are just now.
Year b. year the heavy timber % the Md
de W sat IL becoming more completely es-
hauste3 and As consequence the Emit
less resourcez az tise Pacific Northwest are
assuming greater relative importance
Manufactures %. Michigan, Wisconsin,
aid Minnesota are connecting that they
Will be compelled TO look 10 this SECTION
for their future supply % heavy timber
and several Of them during the last few
meatl.ss have visited the Pacific coast with
II view 10 putting In plants
Among these l. r q. Atkiasan. OF At
k.nson. Mich. VINO is the owner or three
or four rnius In that state. Mr. Atkinson
arrived IN Sea ttle last Friday, and has
already met several % me prominent iain-
bernan Of cais section. 5aturGay uiofh-
ing he to.k the boat for Biakeiey ana
spent tbs forenoon IN looking over the Dig
mills located al tha. point. returning 70
Ssa.ils, in the afternoon THIS week ne
will took over some of tins large lumber
CAMP IN the s{ate. With the caution or
thi. true man OF business, ar. Athlhson
state tina. he Aas made n0 posi1.N" ar
rangeIneats for locating a plant IN fh'S
state but at the same time ne concedes
that his mills IN Michigan are forced 10
work with such small lumber that he Is
lock ing towarl Ills coast as ms sutsfe
hae3s Of supply and Will probably estab-
fish a plant somewhere III the state OF
Washington.
The ShIngla mills Of the state are begin
ming 10 close down, no, because OF an
prafitabie business. bat simply because me
natural close OF the season has about oeeh
reached.
PROFESSIONALLY the close OF chis year
will witness }ile Introduction OF enlarged
lumser and sAiagle operations in shls stale.
AL the present lumber and shiagie firms
wai continue operations al the oid stalIs
Some of them WI enlarge their plants
S0l g. simpson. president Of me simpson
Logging company, tne largest concern OF
its kind In the West. stated yesterday TO
a Post Ihtellgencsr reporter that he IS
preparing 10 pat In an electric hght plant
a. his sh.ngle mill 80 Mason county, and
that the neshbor;ug shingte camps trib~
usary 10 the mill Will be l5gnted from the
s1Bae plant.
Forest Fires Are Less.
IN talking over the present lumber sea-
son with "A number of representative ium-
befmen. one Is impressed by the fact that
they all agree that damage during the
present season from forest fires has been
less than for many years past. Questioned
as 10 the reason for Tits, they also agree
In sscribing 1t solely to the weather the
heavy dews and fogs of the summer. and
the early rains have acted az an eHectuaI
barrier TO the ualal ravagas OF those dis
astrous confiagrations that have Annually
devastated the tiubsr 2slts OF the Cas-
cades md OF Western Washington.
Sol q simpson speaking on this sub
ject. said: There are four causes of
sources from which these forest fires orig
inat~. w. the donkey engines Of the
camps. the locomotives on the railroads.
the smouiderlng fires left 10y hunters and
campers. and the hucnin., done by ranch
ers In clearing. OF the four regard the
In al ~ I1s.-ta E.AV
engines Of .hr camps threaten first Of ali
the camps Themselves. and hence the log
gers and lumbermen are naturally inter
esfed IN avoiding such HrNs, or IL they
should break out. in suppressing them
pramptly. The same may be SAID of the
railroads, for whenever a passing loco
Tnoure sets IRE TO forest. the railway
company : more Immediately concerned
than anybody else IN supervising me fire.
which threatens first Of al % destroy rail-
way property ana impede railway traffic.
As 20 hunters ana campe -. | do not
doubt thar There has been great deal of
wanton csrel,ssntss in leaving fires smoul-
dergng In tae oo1@. and do not doubt
that n great many frs htve resulted from
;hts cause. A. the sam" time, think ii
has been exaggerated. ! think "a I have
already said. tat the most fruitful cause
or Ares is the CicaFngs made Icy ranch
erS " hen they undertake 80 burn of Il
piece of ground, bear in mind, the greater
the area ghat IS burned the better 1t suits
them
Is - iAe proportion OF ttipitF destroy
I'd by the average forest fire thtt depends
Very uurh On the locality and the mature
- TIL sni On isve sud fertile ground.
whcfe fbtfe rs q good heavy under Sr9wtn
any .npfessioa an ths large timber ON
tbs other hand. y TIRE ground IS ls.iiv sut
slofing and the so,i IS poor. lhe flames
zach up - he 'arsa ,tees with far more
w. 4 Mcdonald OF Mosher Il Mcdonald.
ons 30 t1e largest lcs-g'lis firms ia the
Northwest, ielkea in Wy mach the same
seia - atr Si9upsan Tho dar1ta-n result
ing frugu ~ ordinary forest ire Sati NJ
Mcdonald has hee.r very n1urh over
drawn ana "x4EsVtate3. rhc facts are
bad c1ouHh without h~inE painted - any
darker coolers tnar thVy really should te
Most - tho areS with which we have had
IL contend IN UUv camps through a series
Of years hsve ortstnste~i. should say.
extend beyond the Ha13ts Of THE camp. TIE
heavy green timber - o4r forests does
NOT burn easily, aad, as rule 'he Ere
dies - ttsetf WAen Il fCac3lrs such A belt
OF timber This ~ course applies - 9evei
ground whore tl}e soil is good. t}n mount
aia slopes. oF "a sers tise soil IS saaiv AMI
The ereuna tbere Is Frequently covered
Wa dry sui 4nda tua1ah's moss which
avfs as good fnel - ,rnife the |arge
~ 4fpe+ fsr 80 the trunks"
NF ~ tUofts1a 3va Nr Sisna~sr agreed
that w't.' a Nt% Forrest firc once got under
fau hesiwsy there wav Nts, coe ming -
hc fo"r vifh g.. ana thAE wsS - l,s il
e,np4,., lasnArct1S ~ yri~s,' s8.a Mr. ssasf,-
So aat W. hsvs rev. attempted to
fist Forrest a.. Il wau;s B., = to
aNe}- of eaur~,. ot'r nren hsve --gg,rs.Sxcs
aad es'tos-st- re-. nam .er~ ar sncn at-< tt
tNr tar--t. fr@ hHt 'fr- .s- "4r-r- Est-
ere. .#.t t.ta.r t4sf -w o< sr-o-r th-
de- ~ "fr .a7 i-ne";s >a.! s-2; caeok