The Twin Falls times. [volume] (Twin Falls, Idaho) 1905-1916, 1910-09-22

Timber Destroyed Enough to Build
Large City.


Expert cruisers in Spokane who are
now compiling reports from The burn
ed district in Iiano, Washington, Ore
gon and Montana, estimate that the re-
cent forest tirest destroyed or dam
aged more than $50 100000 feet OF
timber IN the four states.
Converted into merchantable lumber
1t Is estimated this timebr would have
supplied building material for the con-
struction Of from $4,000 to $4,000 four
and fiye-room cottages, or enough to
house the entire population of any city
In the four states named
To reduce this timber to CONNER
cial use would keep 400 sawmills in
the inland empire busy from five TO
six months, while at the present cost
OF cutting and marketing an army OF
skilled and ordinary laborers would
have received $7,500,o 900 in wages.
F. j. Davis, secretary of the Occur
d Alene Timber protective association
says that while the loss of life has not
been as large as the dispatches have
indicated, he estimates the timber loss
in that part of northern Idaho Is not
less than 50O,000,000 feet.
James P. McGoldrick, of Spokane,
president of the Western Pine Manu-
| facturers association, believes the fire
losses in Idaho have been greatly ex-
| aggerated, though he admits the sit
nation probably is the worst in the his
/ tory of the Pacific northwest.
| According to recent estimates, there
was 100000, 100000 feet of standing
timber in the inland empire forests,
Mr. McGoldrick said. THE lumber in
terests have been hit hard and the
losses are enormous, but / am of the
opinion that many OF the reports sent
out were gross exaggerations. OF
course, / do not believe this was In
territorial on the part of the newspaper
correspondents.
Officers of the Western Forestry and
Conservation association say 1t is inn
possible to ascertain the total loss at
present.
Plans are under way in Spokane tc
organize the lumber interests of Wash
/ ington, Idaho, Oregon, Montana and
California in a campaign to secure
adequate protection for the national
forest reservations in the northwest
ern and Pacific states, to avert re-
currence of the fires and destroyed
millions of dollars worth of standing
timber, owned by the government and
private interests, during the last &C
days.
Lumbermen in Spokane say that the
lank of proper precautions on the part
of the United States government tc
lprotect its own timberlands is largely
responsible for the spread of the re-
cent fires in northern Idaho.
] Delegates appointed in the north
western states will bring the plan tc
the attention of the National Conser-
walton congress at st. Paul, September
5 to 8, with view to securing the In
| dorsement of that organization, ant
in the meantime nothing will be lef
undone to appraise the chief executive
of the nation and the forestry ant
/ other departments of the necessity O.
protection against the ravages of for
est fires.
When the Western Pine Manufac
) turers' association at it's semi-annua
meeting in Spokane early in Angus
petitioned President Taft and the wa
department to station federal troops
in the national reserves during the DR.,
season, from May to October, 1t wa
believed the graveness of the situation
had been indicated, but the plan Q
: having the soldiers patrol the forest
was frowned upon by Major Genera
Leonard Wood, chief of staff, who say
the use of the troops for the purpose
suggested to be wholly impracticable
-Nampa Herald.