Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1921-10-20
Who Can Solve This Problem?

1 VI iOhSSt
experts, State officials and lumber
dealers are looking for a man who can
solve a problem that never before has
been brought up.
! A short time ago a windstorm came
in from the Pacific Ocean and raced
across the Olympic Peninsula in the
northwest section OF Washington. II
blew down virgin forests 80 miles
in width and rs miles in length; an
area almost as large as Connecticut II
was, by all odds, the worst timber
storm ever known. II is estimated
that many trees were more than 600
years OF age. Experts connected with
the United States Forest Service at
Washington say that at least eight
billion feet of lumber are contained
in the trees sent crashing 70 earth or
snarled together in a tangled mess
in the great waste left by the storm.
Government officials are perplexed
and worried. The swath of dead and
dying giants Of the forest will soon
become so dry that it will constitute
the greatest fire trap in the United
States. A lighted match or an earth
ward fash of lightning is likely TO
cause a conflagration that will make
the squirting Of an average volcano or
the burning Of Rome seem like break
fast fire in comparison. Such a fire
not only would destroy this tremendous
quantity OF timber, but would like
wise burn fifteen billion feet of beauti-
full standing forests to the north and
south.
Secretary of War Weeks has sent
three airp'anes to the scene to take
photographs and sketch maps to aid
in attempting to solve the situation.
1t is impossible for many of us
readily to grasp such immense quaint
thies as eight billion feet of lumber.
Here are few figures that will help in
grapsing the facts:
II these eight billion feet of lumber
were sawed to boards an inch in thick
ness there would be enough to Law a
board walk 60 feet wide around the
earth at the equator. There would be
enough planking to build tight fence
81 feet high around the United States
across the Canadian border, down
the Pacific Coast, across the Mexican
border, thence along the Gulf and At
lantic coasts to the far corner of Maine
III some young swain with the rest
lessness Of springtime in his blood had
a desire to visit the fair and beautiful
maid in the moon the lumter would
be sufficient for him to build n walk
thence six feet wide.
An Indian, who has been living in
the far Northwest for rcr, than sc
years, said the wind against the trees
reminded him Of scytha cutting grass
IN bayfield,. He viewa4 the storm.
from hilltop out of tie path Of the
storm.
IT never will be known jIst exactly
how fast the wind blew. The govern
ment weather stations at several
places were completely wrecked when
the wind as registering 40 miles an
hour. Shortly thereafter the veloc.
ity was greater. Very little rain fell
Not a single person was killed but
many animals lost their lives. Tina,
region abounds with elk, deer, Scar
and smaller animals, and unknown
thousands Of them we're crushed bv
the trees falling. 1t is feared tina.
many animals, hemmed in BY BARR.
caces OF urrooted trees, will SLOWLY
starve.
The greater part of the timber &c
hemlock and spruce, both Of which are
SUBJECT to rapid decay. Salvage
necessarily is matter of prompt
ness, il it can be effected at all The
nearest railroad is IS miles distant
Only three times before IN the his
tory OF the United States have wind
storms destroyed large QUANTITIES ~
timber, In 1875 strip of pire tim.
oer' 20 by 100 miles, in Eastern Texas
was blown down. In 1900 another
storm galloped across Texas blowing
down timber over country 30 nv 10
miles. This timber is not nearly 90
large as that in Washington and III,
'ootage therefore was small in COM
parison.
In 1888 storm swept over several
counties in Maine leaving hundreds .,
millions OF feet Of timber prostr,te
Comparatively little was salvaged.