Eight :: :: THE SEVENTH AXXUAL REPORT OF THE 



Report of the Chief Fire Warden for 1914 



To the Trustees of the Washington Forest Fire Association. 

 Gentlemen : 



I herewith submit the seventh annual report of the Chief Fire 

 Warden of the Washington Forest Fire Association, covering the 

 season of 1914. 



General Review 



That the forest fire season of 1914 was the driest ever recorded 

 is the report of Mr. Geo. N. Salisbury, Section Director of the 

 U. S. Weather Bureau Office located at this point. In a summary 

 of weather conditions he has this to say for the different months of 

 the season: "May, as a whole, was a remarkably warm and dry month. 

 As an indirect effect of long continued dry weather, forest fires broke 

 out during the third week in some of the Western counties. This was 

 remarkably early for such an occurrence, as usually there is little fire 

 hazard in the forests until after the middle of June or later. 



"June was, in general, below the average in temperature and 

 above the average in the amount of precipitation, but it could hardly 

 be characterized as either a cool or a w r et month, as the deficiency in 

 temperature was comparatively slight, and the excess of precipitation 

 was mostly due to heavy showers on one or two days, while the total 

 number of days with rain was only about the average. 



"July. Everywhere west of the Cascades the month was unusually 

 dry. At seven stations in this division no rain fell. The number of 

 clear days was unusually large. Numerous forest fires caused the 

 atmosphere to become smoky towards the close of the month. 



"August. The month was not greatly different from the average 

 August in temperature, but was the driest August on record for the 

 State of Washington since the establishment of the climatological serv- 

 ice in 1890. Out of 122 stations, fairly w r ell distributed over the state, 

 68 reported the absence of appreciable rainfall, while at 40 stations no 

 rain whatever occurred. The drought continued throughout the most 

 of the state, since the 26th of June, and there is no authentic record 

 of so prolonged and severe a dry spell in Washington during the last 

 30 years. The soil was, in consequence, dried out to a greater extent 

 than it has been in any season for 18 years or more. Roads became 

 excessively dusty, pastures and meadows dried up, and gardens suffered 

 from lack of moisture. On many days the air was filled w r ith smoke 

 from incipient forest fires, but constant watchfulness and fire-fighting 

 by th eforces employed prevented any disastrous conflagration." 



