THE RACE FOR AIRPLANE SPRUCE AND SHIP TIMBERS 



527 



impenetrable except as cut into with axes. Engineers 

 in the winter surveying actually had to scramble on 

 top of the brush, eight feet above the ground, to recon- 

 noiter the line. It was so wet they had to keep fires 

 alive to dry their instruments every little while. 



Five million feet of lumber are being bought for the 

 trestles, bridges, and ties. Very little of this is cut 

 locally it must be taken in by rail from Williamette 

 Valley or by boat from Astoria. The piling for trestles 

 is unloaded into the open sea near the place needed for 

 the railroad, and then is captured by the soldiers and 

 hauled in. 



Dual control of the soldier workers presented a prob- 

 lem. The contractors of necessity had to direct the 

 operations, for they were the experienced men. Few 

 of the soldiers had any experience either in railroading 

 nr logging. There are clerks, farmers, bootblacks, 

 ^-second degree Masons, language teachers, masters 

 Americans all, lamenting the fact that they were 

 not France, but appreciating that spruce had to be 

 cut to win the 

 war. 



The contrac- 

 tor's job was 

 to use this un- 

 trained aggre- 

 gation of men 

 in construction 

 work, much of 

 which was 

 skilled, and in 

 logging work, 

 which involved 

 even more 

 skill. The 

 officers' prob-. 

 1 e m s were 

 many. Mili- 

 tary training 

 had to be un- 

 dertaken. The 

 military spirit 

 had to be de- 

 v e 1 o p e d. 

 There was 

 room for friction between foremen and officers. That 

 things are moving smoothly and with a will is convinc- 

 ing testimony of the patriotism, tact and energetic spirit 

 of both officers and contractors, soldiers, foremen and 

 all others concerned. 



It's a big job, but the boys are making good. They 

 are getting the spruce that will win the war, and this is 

 verified by the recent report of Mr. John H. Kirby, 

 President of the National Lumber Manufacturers' Asso- 

 ciation, who declared that the spruce necessary for 

 the thousands of airplanes which are to materially aid 

 the United States and its Allies in winning victory 

 over Prussian militarism, will be produced that pro- 

 duction has already reached 1,000,000 feet a day at the 



Underwood and Underwood 



CONSTRUCTION ON ONE OF THE NEW CANADIAN SHIPS 



This shows a view of the engine base in one of the standard wooden ships of the new type now being 

 i-l r n Canada, an d gives an idea as to the size of the immense bolts with which everything is clamped 

 solid from the skin to the plate on the base. 



government "eut-up" plant in Vancouver, Washington. 

 Not only that, but strenuous efforts are being made to 

 raise this production to 2,000,000 feet a day, and its 

 accomplishment is practically a certainty. 



Mr. Kirby, in company with other officials of his or- 

 ganization, recently had a series of conferences with 

 western lumbermen at Seattle, Portland, and San Fran- 

 cisco, and his information was secured directly from 

 army officials in charge of the plant in Vancouver. 



Some idea of the enormity of the work being done 

 by the United States Government on behalf of the world 

 war for democracy may be gained from these state- 

 ments. Perhaps a few simple figures will help to eluci- 

 date the situation. It is estimated that the average tim- 

 ber footage for the smaller types of airplanes is approxi- 

 mately 1,000. Of course, the larger types such as the 

 bombing planes require around 10,000 feet. If the latter 

 figure is taken it will be seen that material for 100 planes 

 a day is being manufactured in this one government plant 

 in Vancouver, Washington, with the brightest sort of 



prospect for 

 raising that 

 production to 

 material for 

 200 planes a 

 day. 



If the aver- 

 age footage 

 for the smal- 

 ler types of 

 airplanes i s 

 taken, a little 

 figuring will 

 show that the 

 production of 

 a million feet 

 of lumber a 

 day by the 

 W a s h i ngton 

 mill is in fact 

 supplying ma- 

 terial for 1,000 

 airplanes every 

 day, with the 

 prospect here 

 also of increasing that figure to 2,000 airplanes a day. 

 Another thing to be learned from the figures, is the 

 fact that the United States Government is preparing 

 for a war which may last possibly two or three years 

 longer. The air-craft program apparently calls for 

 production on this enormous scale because it is an abso- 

 lute necessity. The figures, of course, take in one 

 government plant only. Scores of other plants are turn- 

 ing out huge quantities of timber for the same purpose. 

 The urgent Government demands for ship timbers and 

 airplane material are causing the fir and spruce produc- 

 ing mills to speed up their operations to the highest 

 point, with the result that the production is slightly 

 exceeding the normal capacity of the mills. 



