Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-03-15
FOR A FOREST RESERVE
Proposed Purchase Of Two Mil
lion Acres in the South.
IN THE APPALACHIAN RANGE
Would Check the Floods That Now
Cause Damage.
WASHING AWAY OF THE SOIL
Increase In Value Of the Land-Ex-
pediency of Immediate
Legislation.
WASHING AWAY OF THE soI1
By WILLIAM z. CURTIS.
Special Correspondence Of The Star and the Chicago
Record-H Herald.

Special Correspondence Of The Star and the Chicago
|. Record Herald.
ASHEyILIE, N c., March II. 1905.
meeting of much Importance to the
group OF states whose boundaries focus
here was held the other day at Char
lotte to take measures to revive In Con-
gress bill that was passed by the Sem
ate and reported faEorably by the House
committee on agriculture In 1902. to appro-
pirate $4,000. 600 to purchase 100000 acres
or more of land in the Appalachian noun
tains for a national park and forest re-
serve. The plan Is hobby of Secretary
Wilson's, and has been earnestly pressed
upon Congress by President Roosevelt, both
from the standpoint of the naturalist and
the political economist. 1t is OF supreme
Importance to the southern states, but, un-
fortunately, the people do not recognize
that fact and there has been no unity of
action among them to secure the appropria
ton. In 1902 all association for the pur-
pose of promoting the measure was organ
lied at Asheville, with Rutherford B.
Hayes. the youngest son of the late Presi-
dent of the United States. as president, and
DR. C. P. Amber. one of the leading physi-
clans of Ashevilie, and formerly of Ohio, as
secretary This association has not been
showing much activity lately, but has
Weakened up again and invited the gov
errors of the five states interested, their
representatives In Congress, the great man
ufacturing interests in the south and pub
lie-spirited people generally to get to-
gether and do something at this session to
save the forests the mountain springs the
rivulets and the rivers of this great nat
ural Sanitarum, which has been fifty
called The Sapphire Country" and The
Land of the Sky.
Highest Peaks East of the Rockies.
The proposed forest reserve and national
park includes the highest peaks and the
greatest mountain ranges east of the
Rockies, and they are covered with the
most extensive hardwood forests on the
continent. The atmosphere is pure and
stimulating as that of the mountains of Col
orado or the Adirondacks, Notwithstanding
the fact that the rainfall is the heaviest of
any section in the United States except that
along the coast of Puget sound. AS many
as eight inches have fallen in eleven hours,
thirtyone inches in one month, and 100
inches in that year. The soil, when de-
prived Of the protection of the forest, is
rapidly washed from the mountain sides, to
bury the fertile lowlands. to block up the
rivers and to fill up the harbors of the
coast. 1t is asserted that more good soil is
now washed from the cleared mountain
sides during single heavy rain than dur
ing centuries when the mountains were COW
cred with timber
The rivers which are born In these noun
tdliAS hoh III all uiTecEiOUS ana through
every state in the south, and are not only
important for navigation. but offer enor-
nous possibilities in the Way Of water power
for transportation, lighting and manufac-
turing
1t is estimated that nine of the streams
already furnish about 100000 horsepower
for manufacturing purposes, but are capa
bic OF furnishing several million horse
power, which, at the ordinary value of $40
per horsepower per year, are too valuable
heritage to be lost. The preservation OF
this reservoir of energy, however, for the
use of future generations, depends entirely
upon the protection Of forests. This one
economic reason ought to influence Con-
gress to take measures to preserve the
sources OF power. and one would think that
the senators and representatives of the
southern states would have enough fore
sight to secure the passage of the law be-
fore 1t Is too late. The investment of ten
millions of dollars now will preserve hun
dreds of millions of dollars worth of power
for the next generation. Nor Is 1t money
wasted. The lands which II Is proposed to
buy will always be of great value, and the
price at which they are bought and sold
today Is three and In many cases four times
greater than 1t was three years ago.