NOTES 



Olympic Peninsula Visited by a Disastrous Cyclone 



A terrific cyclone swept the forests of the Olympic Peninsula in the 

 State of Washington on January 20. The tornado blew down timber 

 estimated at five to eight billion board feet, in a strip 75 miles long and 

 30 miles wide; one billion board feet of which is within the Olympic 

 National Forest. If the loss is as great as announced, and latest reports 

 tend to increase rather than to diminish the extent of the catastrophe, 

 this is the greatest disaster ever recorded in the annals of forestry or 

 lumbering. A wind velocity of ]33 miles per hour was recorded at the 

 North Head Station of the Weather Bureau, near the mouth of the 

 Columbia River, which was partly destroyed by the storm. The 

 observer at this station estimates that after his instruments were 

 wrecked the wind increased in strength to 150 miles per hour. The 

 highest wind velocity ever recorded previous to this date on the Pacific 

 Coast, was 144 miles per hour at the Port Mendocino Station in Cali- 

 fornia in ISSn. 



The windthrown timber, according to the reports, lies in a tangled 

 mass over an area of 2,2o0 square miles, is largely western hemlock 

 and spruce, both of which are subject to rapid decay. Transportation 

 is lacking for much of this region, and it is doubtful if any considerable 

 proportion of the timber can be salvaged unless prompt action is taken. 

 The stand was exceedingly heavy. Where the full force of the wind 

 was felt practically every tree was thrown down, and all roads, trails, 

 and telephone lines were completely obliterated. Much of this destruc- 

 tion is on land owned by private individuals and large timber companies. 



If fire should ever gain headway in this devastated area, the most 

 stupendous conflagration e\er known in tliis country would result. The 

 topography is very broken and the blow-downs are in part at least 

 known to be "spott},"" with much fine timber uninjured. Fire would 

 not onlv destroy all these islands of timber but would seriously endanger 

 a vast surrounding stand. Fifteen billion feet is exposed in the adjoin- 

 ing part of the Olympic Forest, besides large amounts on State and 

 private lands. The destruction would be likely to exceed even that of 

 1910, tlie most appalling fire season ever encountered bv the Forest 

 Service, when over four million acres of National Forest land were 



443 



