Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-12-01

destined to receive a great shock from the
report Of Special Ranger Ira E. Spencer,
just received by Commissioner of Forestry
d. B. Shelter. The ranger gives the appall-
ing information that not less than 5000
100000 feet Of green timber were destroyed
In the southern part of the Rainier reserve
alone. He reports that fire to have made a
cleaner sweep than any slashing ever made,
and concludes his report with the sugges-
ton that the burned timber of this vast
area Is all dead, even where it is not con-
sumed. He suggests that In the interest
Of economy the burned trees might be al
lowed to be logged, as otherwise worms
Will take the cedar and the burned fir will
check into werthlessness in a very short
period OF time. One part of the report says
Il never saw SO much destruction of tim
Der in my life. The f1re-or one part of 1t
seems to have started In the Wind river
and l think, there has been more than one
fire started, for there seem to be separate
and distinct fire channels, as it were, that
have no appearance of connection with each
other The fire burned clear to the west
boundary OF the reserve. as also to the
north boundary, say for two miles up the
north fork of the Lewes river, and then
there Is a strip of timber four or five miles
wide along the north boundary Of the re-
serve, and, with, the exception of few
spots, the balance is all or nearly all killed
man Is perfectly safe in estimating the
destruction on the reserve at 5000, 900 COO
feet besides the younger growth. You
must see 1t to FULLY appreciate 1t and COM
prehend the great destruction"
The report tells, as illustrating the COM
pleteness of the destruction, that the writer
could find neither spear of grass nor green
leaf to feed to his horse in making the
journey, and that he was forced to carry
enough with him to feed his horse and him
self for the several days it took him to
cross over from the southern boundary to
the northern boundary. Nothing green was
encountered on the journey across this
western end of reserve which 1t was
hoped was going to act as a river preserver
"a giant reservoir for water-by reason Of
Its timber, till the end Of time.
Speaking Of the causes which led to the
great conflagration, the forest ranger says:
Now as to the origin of the fire. 1t Is
hard to say positively. but Of this we can
be certain. A fire was burning over on
Wind river for two or three weeks before
this fire broke out, and when this east
wind came the old fire was all ready to re-
viye. Again. do not think any fire
did all the damage. In fact. I am quite
sure there were three different fires that
subsequently converged or drew together
here. 1t Is thought one of the three fires
came down through the Klicktat pass. but
I am not prepared to corroborate that state
ment. But one branch on Wind river, one
on Star mountain, and one over toward
Mount st. Helens I think Is quite certain.
And, then again. think that some of the
parties that suffered in the fire undertook
to back fire. against the fire coming toward
them. and their own fires got away from
them because of the great wind created In
advance Of the onrushing fiames.''
The writer concludes with the informa-
ton that 1t is altogether impossible to
measure the exact loss. The fire was too
vast for anything but an estimate by town
ships, and this he has made with the re-
suits given above.
The matter of selling the burned timber
not totally destroyed was submitted to a
local mill man. He gives II out that In
three years flre-killed cedar Is worthless
from worms while fir becomes worthless
in the same period of time from ever-deep-
ening checks which quickly reach to the
hearts of. the trees. The suggestion of the
ranger that whatever can be picked up
from the conflagration now by the sale of
timber Is a, clear gain will be incorporated
into the report to be made Of the fire.
Whether or not 1t Will be acted upon re-
mains to be seen.
The commissioner of forestry declares
that to make a detailed report Of the track
of the fire, such the department would
like, would require a force OF men six
months. His advices from other sources
show the, area burned to have been too
thoroughly devastated to permit of more
than a partial report just at present, such
as that Of the ranger above.