Evening star., 1926-06-06

with virgin forests of magnificent
spruce, hemlock and cedar.
The larger islands are over 100
miles long. and many of the smaller
are less than an acre, but all are
heavily timbered. Scores OF glaciers
abound in this part of Alaska. among
the most noted of which is the Taku
Glacier. which reaches tidewater to
deposit masses of clearest ice In all
colors of the spectrum and !s visible
to the passing ocean liners.
Westward of Kodiak Island is the
famous volcano Mount katmi. which
was in eruption in 1912. and also
there is the Valley of a Thousand
Smokes near it's summit. which is
spoken of as one of the natural won
ders of the world. and is now a part
of the national park system OF the
United States.
Unfortunately. the precipitation in
much Of the part to be mapped is very
great. and it will be entirely a ques-
ton of luck as to the good weather 10
he encountered by the aviators this
Summer Several years ago. during
"a trip over the lava fields. B. l.. john
son of the Geological Survey was
handicapped by a season in which
exactly so inches of rain fell in a
That was. of course. somewhat un.
usual. but it is one of the reasons
that the district still remains unchart-
ed in the interior. for as member
of the Forestry Service tersely put It,
for every inch that the timber cruiser
climbs up a mountainside he slips
back about ten.
A CCORDING to T. w. Norcross.
"A chief engineer, Of the Forestry
Service, that department is tremen-
dously interested in the expedition.
I'VE have cruised through the Ton
gass Forest" he explained. land have
an approximate idea of the stand of
timber there, but in addition there Is
a vast area that we know nothing
about.
What we are hoping for is that
there will be a clear picture that will
show new and untapped lakes and
reservoirs that may be valuable for
water development.
through that section of Alaska, for as
soon as you leave the water and start
climbing upward the soil gets very
wet and deep, as the air is thick with
precipitation That is why the For
estry Service is looking forward to
this Photographic survey by the Navy
with such hopes. as it Is believed that
the maps will be made from an eleva-
ton of ten or twelve thousand feet.
which will in any event delineate the
details of lakes. shore line and rivers.
IF these pictures are successful,
the survey will probably be requested
to hy at a lower elevation. which
would mean that the aviatOrs would
need to fly 16 times more in order
to cover a density 16 times greater
for a map of 4 inches to the mile.
THE larger scale photographs made
aerially will illustrate the indentations
of timber spaces for plans of admins
tration work in the Forest Service.
It would probably take as a conserva-
tive estimate three or more likely four
years to fly so enormous an area. as
the Tongass Forest has stand OF
timber of 7S,5OO, 100000 feet.
This is chiefly hemlock and spruce.
the former predominating to approx
mately 80 per cent or even 80 per cent
of the whole, and as spruce Is far
more valuable for paper pulp produc-
tion. it Is the duty of the forester to
regulate the cut SO that when the new
growth comes in there will be a
heavier growth of spruce than of hem
lock.
"The time is fast approaching when
it will be necessary to tap the un-
touched resources of Alaska timber, as
the paper situation in the United
States grows daily more acute. The
important detail is cheap transporta-
ton and cheap means of manufactur-
ING the min. which means, of course,
by water power.
more than that, power plants
should be located at tidewater level,
SO that each river can be RATED
right to the pulp mill, which in most
cases is adjacent to the power plant.
Sometimes, when the latte" has only
five to ten thousand horseo:iv',r. it is
transmitted to another pulp mil far.
ther UP the line, where the Juice
from both Is utilized by means or eiec-
trical transmission.
.'Thus we have discovered mum.
her of desirable sites, but we are un-
able to use them. as they lack storage
water mower. and so we are plnn1ng
great hopes on the Navy survey, as
+ NAV disclose hitherto unknown and
valuable upland lakes and basins.
Mr.. Sargent said, before he left for
the coast, that he was hoping to be
permitted actually to do some flying
with the expedition, and since he
knows Alaska as the experienced New
Yorker ks.ows his Broadway or Fifth
avenue. having explored the greater
mart of it since his first trip in 1898,
he should make a valuable guide.
It is hoped that every bureau that
can he aided in any way by the survey
to be made will seek such benefits. and
II is probable that, later in the year.
when the results of this first trip are
hooked over, a more definite plan of
cooperation and assistance will be
plotted.
Meantime, all the bureaus plan to
afford aid as required, by local men
in the field, II requested by the Navy,
h,,t the latter are in complete charge
and deserve full credit for this daring
J ,Ax