The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1918-06-16
GIANT TASK IS AHEAD
IN A|RPLANE bU|LD|N c
GETTING OUT SPRUCE IN
NORTHWEST FORESTS
IS A PROBLEM.

washington, June IL JOIi -
Ryan, hnancier and copper mag
nate, has been saying nothing ever
since he took over direction OF air
craft production, but considerable
evidence has accumulated that
points towards definite accomplish
men say it would be most danger
GUS to neglect.
That is the production of airplanc
spruce.
War figures are all large, too large
for most people to digest but lum-
bermen say that Mr.. Ryan has de
manded l5,000000 feet month from
the Cascade forests and little things
like the drafting of 1000 men, the
planning OF logging railroads, and
the mobilization oil a rather large
existing industry for war produc-
tion, indicate that he intends to
get it.
The consoling fact is that if
American factories are late in max
ing planes, SO long as the raw ma
terial flow to France and England
is maintained, the allies will have
machines.
Calls Head of Division.
Mr.. Ryan's first move was to call
in Colonel Disque, head of the
spruce division, from Portland, Ore,
and thereafter something was start
ed. There had always been less
criticism of the spruce production
efforts than OF anything else that
had been done, largely because the
expected consumption OF the raw
material did not develop. About |
100000 feet of spruce was the by !
product of normal fir and other lum
Der cutting in the Northwest each
month. The allies were getting all
of that from the open markets, and
it was simple matter for the Amer
lean government to step IN and take
it all. 1t was also comparatively
simple to increase prices trifie, and
double the normal production.
But when it comes to running the
output up TO the mark Mr.. Ryan is
credited with setting task is pro
pared to even the inflated standards
of war work 1t is because OF the
peculiar qualities OF Sitka spruce
that it suStains the stresses OF high
speed airplanes better than any 9th
er substance the world knows, and
it is because oi its peculiar distrl-
button and habitat that the United
States is finding it a difficult task to
get enough OF it. 1t had but low
esteem as commercial wood in the
pre-war days, most OF it getting into
the waste piles OF saw mill yards,
though little of the best and thick |
est, specially prepared, went into
the sounding boards OF pianos.
Queerly enough Germany was al
ways a big buyer of that portion OF |
the product.
Is "Finicky."
Now that the world needs spruce,
a lot of Americans will have to buy
Liberty bonds and keep on doing it
just because the Stka
spruce has Il retiring disposition and
IS hnicky about the places where il ,
grows. 1t grows only when sur
by trees OF different spe-
lies, which habit the lumberman is
describing when he says that from
TO 10 per cent OF given timber
stand is the best that spruce shows.
I likes the Sea-fog from the Pacific
ocean, and grows to valuable size
,nly in scattered belts where the fog
omes regularly.
Lastly, only about IS or 40 per
ent of the wood in the trunk has
he strength, toughness and resili
ncy that airplane struts and sparS
equire. 1t fakes special machinery
nd special handling in hundreds OF
lills, small and large, to get out
his 5 per cent. -
1t isn't practical or possible, the -
imber operators find, to take out ~
he spruce unless surrounding trees Y3
re also removed. All the logs are
immense in size, and it takes rail
pads, motor trucks or donkey en-
inc cables to move them. Work
lg out the problem means that TO !
ct the 100000 feet OF airplane
bruce will require the handling OF
| least l000O0,OO0 feet OF other |
mber monthly. 1t will involve also !
roblems concerning the disposition, |
resent and future. of the unused |
+ and other timber that comes out
it'll the spruce |
But immense as the task is, there |
e signs that it is being done. Mr.. |
yam continues his refusal to talk
,out the method. And it only
kes 200 board feet OF spruce to
axe one airplane. |