The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1914-03-05
CONGRESS WILL DECIDE
BULL RUN ISSUE

That congress is to be the battle
field in the fight for road across the
Bull Run forest reserve is practically
admitted by members of the road COM
mittee of the Commercial club. The
committee appeared recently before
the Portland city commissioners and.
the Portland Automobile club. urging
withdrawal of the will now before
congress to prohibit this road. Hood
River discovered two good friends in
the Commission, who have since been
active in our behalf, but the rest of
the Commission has been opposed to
the road, especially Commissioner
Daily, who has charge of the water de-
partment. DAILY has been bringing all
kinds of influence to bear upon con-
gress and is lei wing no stone unturned
to secure the passage of the bill.
Congressman Sinnott, in behalf of
the Commercial club, has been keeping
close watch on the situation in Wash
intgon and has thus far succeeded in
preventing any action. In the mean
while the Commercial club has been
bending every energy in getting in
touch with various congressman,
through friends in Hood River and
elsewhere, and there is fair chance
that the bill can be defeated when it
comes up for action.
The following Commercial club cor
respondence in regard to the Bull Run
reserve matter will be of interest at
this time, and is self explanatory.
"House of Representatives, Jan. %.
&c. N. Ravlin. Secretary Hood River
Commercial Club.
"Dear MIR. Ravln: had talk with
Senator Lane yesterday and told him
the result of my conference with your
board of directors during the recess
when | was home, and that you ex-
pected to confer with the Portland peo-
pie about the first of February with a
view of effecting compromise If pos
sible.
"The senator told me that he would
defer further actien on his bill for
reasonable time until you had an op-
portunity to meet with the Portland
people. Very truly yours.
N. j. Sinnott.
Under date of January 80 Congress-
man Sinnott wrote as follows to Secre-
tary Ravlin:
81 enclose herewith letter-brief in
behalf of the Bull Run Reserve Bill in
troduced by Senator Lane, which re-
ceived this morning from Commits
sioner DAILY of Portland.
"Will you look over the same and
write me fully in regard to matter
arming me with all possible facts with
which to refute the position taken in
Mr.. Daly's letter"
In his letter-brief Commissioner
DAILY laid great strees on the danger OF
fire If road was permitted through
| the Bull Run reserve. To refute this,
Chairman Clark of the road committee,
sent the following communication tc
T. II. Sherrard. forest supervisor of
the Oregon forest:
"Mr. DAILY, of the Portland city COM
mission, has recently made the state
ment that forest fires always follow
the opening of road through for
est
Are we not right in supposing that
the figures will bear out our contention
that such is not the case?
eff there is any truth in Mr.. Daly's
statement why is the Forestry Depart.
ment building roads in the various re.
serves? We believe, by these roads
you are better able to control fires,
both in combating confagration anc
in preventing it. We would like t.
know what reduction of fire losses has
been since the construction of these
roads.
1--WE contend that the present policy
of patrol system for the Bull Run re-
serve invites sure and certain disaster
to that reserve by means Of fire
Campers get into the reserve. regard
less of the patrol.
'If you can furnish US with this in
formation as soon as you can convent
emily do so. we will grealy appreciate
the favor"
To this Mr.. Sherrard replied as fol
lows:
ain reply to your letter of Februar,
4 will state. The contention that For
est fires always follow the opening oi
road through forest was, in {
great measure, true in the earlier days
before the modern sentiment against
1OreSL HreS, anu mOuefH UetnOuS o.
fire protection. 1t is not true nova
days. IL is true that the construction
of trails and roads in National forests
has helped very greatly to reduce the
number of large and destructive forest
fires. This is chiefly because improved
means of communication and transpor
tation has made it possible for patrol
men to reach fires promptly and to pu
them out while they are small.
"A compilation of U. S. Forest Ser
vice records for the last six years fo
the Oregon National forest, which GOV
ers the Cascade Mountains from th,
Columbia river souhtward to Noun
Jeffeison and the divide between tn,
Clackamas and Santiam rivers, and in
cludes the Bull Run reserve, show
that 48 per cent of all fires whicl
started during that period were cause,
by Lightning. II is certain that with
out trails and roads to facilitate hand
ling of men and supplies in fghtinI
these fires that great destruction o
the forest would have resulted"
Armed with these facts Secretar,
Ravlin took up the matter of replying
to Commissioner Daly's letter-brief a