Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1921-03-16
PLANES To MAKE
SURVEY OF AREA
SWEPT BY STORM
An Effort Will Be Made to
Determine Accurately the
Damage Done to Timber
BY January Tornado.
CRy The AssocIated Press.l

! Seattle. Wash. March l5.---Air-
| planes soon will be circling over
| the Olympic peninsula, a vast
stretch of wild timbered country In
| the far northwestern corner of
! Washington, in an effort to de-
termine accurately the damage
wrought by a seventy minutes tor
nado which on January 20 caused
what officials say was the greatest
! timber disaster in the history of
the country.
Eight billion feet of lumber was
splintered or crashed to the ground
by the storm, according to esti-
mates made by state officials. gov
eminent foresters and lumbermen
who visited the Olympic country
with Governor l.. +. Hart after the
storm. The financial loss, they
say, may be estimated at between
100000 and $4,000, 900.
State Land Commissioner Carl
Savidge. a member of the COVER
nor's party. estimated that 26 per
cent of the trees on state holdings
had fallen.
Great Fire Menace.
Timber remaining on the penfn-
sula constitutes the greatest fire
menace in the United States today,
Mr.. Savidge declared in a report
One cigarette stub. he said. might
be enough to start a fire that would
sweep the area. IF a fire comes"
he said, the damage that has al
ready been done will be puny and
insignificant beside that which
will result"
Pl"ns for salvaging the fallen
timber and that left standing
await the result of the airplane
survey before completion. The
federal government has been asked
to provide a means of entry into
the district and state officials ex.
pect that some use will be made of
the railroad by the United States
Spruce corporation during the war,
running from Port Angelus on the
edge of the storm area, into the in
terror of the peninsula, Present
plans contemplate giving Governor
Louis +. Hart wide latitude in di-
recting the work of fire prevention
and opening uD roads and trails.
Proposals for burning over the en-
tire area in the early spring while
brush and foliage are wet thus re-
moving the menace of dying un-
dergrowths have been discussed.
No Lives Were Lost.
No lives were lost in the storm,
although a number of the settlers
had almost miraculous escapes.
Many barns and dwellings were de-
stroyed and between twenty and
thirty families rendered homeless.
Horses and cattle were killed. A
power plant at Forks. in the cen
ter of the storm area. was RACED,
and six houses in the Indian village
of La Push, near the Pacific ocean,
were blown away. Settlers have
taken a measure of comfort from
the statement that any two of the |
giant trees uprooted would more |
than furnish enough lumber to re- |
place every building damaged by |
the wind.
OF $50 miles of rangers trail and |
$50 miles of telephone line, not Il
trace remains. The Olympic high
way, a scenic route, was blocked |
for miles by uIrooted trees. Roads |
and trails were obliterated by trees
piled many feet high in the most
open places.
Reports reaching State Game
Commissioner L. II. Darwin indi- /
Gated that the destruction of elk,
thousands OF which roamed the
protected by the law,
was not as great as was first re-
ported. Hundreds of them were
by fallen trees block
ing their trails. however, Mr.. Oar
win said. and unless way is found
to release them they may starve to
death