The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1918-08-19
QUANTITY PRODUCTION OF SPRUCE
FOR AIRPLANES HAS Been SECURED

The frames of air plane wings, all !
erons, fms, rudders, elevators, and
stabilizers, the struts, landing gear,
fuselage, flooring, engine bed, after
deck and seats are made of wood
and preferably of spruce. This Is
because spruce is the toughest Of soft
woods for its weight, and possesses
tremendous shock aborbing quanti-
ties. Furthermore, it does not splint-
er when hit by a missile. Sitka
spruce, white spruce, and red spruce
are used. the Bureau of Aircraft Pro-
duction announces.
About $50 pieces of spruce are re-
quired in a single airplane, but not
all of them are individually different;
the wing beams are practically of sim
liar dimensions, and the struts vary
only in size according to the strains
put upon them.
Practically all the available spruce
is in the United States and along the
western coast of British Columbia. In
our country it grows close to the Pa
cifc coast on the western slopes OF
the Cascade Range in the states OF
Washington and Oregon. The stand
of Sitka spruce, which is the best
airplane stock in these two states, Is
estimated at 1,000,000,000 feet, but
less than half of it is near enough
to transportation facilities or In
dense enough stands to be CONNER
cialized. The total spruce shipped
for the first three months of 1913 was
over 100000 feet but the United
States government and the allies re-
uuired moro. than three times that
quantity in that time, showing that
we were not up to requirements IN
March.
The vast total of II 900, 900, 900 feet
standing, however, is not all available
for airplane construction, and never
will be, because only small per cent.
of the spruce is suitable for such use.
It is stated that about 10 per cent. OF
good spruce log is available for air
plane stock.
With the first demands for spruce,
confusion arose. Shipments were
handled by brokers on orders secur-
ed through representatives of the al
lied governments. No organization
existed, of course, and competition
was keen. The lumber was shipped
as commercial freight and it took
from As to so days to get it to points
east of Chicago. A poor grade of I'M
selected spruce was being shipped
One airplane company claimed thai
in June, 1917, it bought 1000 feet OF
spruce to obtain 1877 feet of airplane
material. Hours were long ano
uages were high. The whole indus
trv was disrupted by strikes and 1. w
w. agitators. With our own re-
ouirements to meet and the vital needs
of the allies at stake something had
to be done.
On September 7, 1917, under author
ization of the national defense act, or
ders were placed in the name of the
Secretary of War with the western
spruce mills, which required them tc
give preference to government or
ders.
Col. Brice P. Disque, Signal Corps
was detailed to investigate the situa-
ton, He organized a volunteer log
cling army of experienced men as par
of the Signal Corps to supplement
civilian labor in the logging camps
Government aircraft lumber, upon the
application for troop labor. All lum
Der camp and mill conditions were
supervised; food, housing, and trans
portation of employees were regulated
A basic eight-hour day for six days {
week, with time and a half for over
time, was established at all camps
and a standard wage scale for eacl
occupation was adopted for civilians
and soldiers. There are now abou
5000 troops engaged in this work.
One of the most important feature
of the work of the Signal Corps II
the Northwest was the organization
of the Loyal Legion of Loggers by Col
Disque. The territory of Oregon an
Washington was subdivided into seve
districts and a commissioned office
from the Spruce Division was detaile
to establish local chapters at ever
camp and mill working on spruce an
flr. 1t was big undertaking, and in
cluded a sanitary survey of camps an
men, some of whom were a bit sus
picious of the attention given then
AS a result there are today somethin
like $4,000 members, all volunteer
An eight-page bulletin Is circulated
and special entertainments, with me
ton pictures, are sent from camp