I902. 



FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION. 



469 



THE LOSERS. 



On the headwaters of Washougal 

 River private-owned timber destroyed 

 amounts to 700,000,000 feet. Only one 

 of the logging companies had com- 

 menced work here. Much land in this 

 district is held by state and national 

 governments. 



Along Wind River several companies 

 have large holdings, and there is also a 

 large amount of state-selected land. 



On the upper part of Cedar Creek 

 and Lewis River lumber companies 

 from Minnesota and Wisconsin had pur- 

 chased large tracts shortly before the 

 fires. As they paid from $4,000 to 

 $8,000 for each quarter section, their 

 losses are heavy. 



The federal government and the State 

 of Washington are heav}^ losers in this 

 fire. Some of the finest timber in the 

 west stood on the divide between Lewis 

 River and the Kalama; also on Sucson 

 Creek. 



ORIGIN OF THE FIRES. 



Fires had been burning for over a 

 month near Silver Star Mountain, 

 though how they started is not known. 

 Other fires are said to have been started 

 by careless settlers burning slashings on 

 the lower parts of Wind River and the 

 Washougal, near Stevenson. On Muddy 

 Creek, a tributary of the Lewis, one fire 

 was burning for weeks, but no attention 

 was paid to it. These fires had been 

 gaining headway unnoticed, for the 

 mountains back of the first range on 

 the west are uninhabited for many 

 miles. 



On the 8th and 9th of September fires 

 crept out through a number of gaps in 

 the first range from Washougal to the 

 North Fork of the Lewis, and from that 

 time until September 15th the settlers of 

 eastern Clarke county and southeastern 

 Cowlitz county were compelled to fight 

 fire night and day. 



On September 14th the wind changed 

 and began to blow from the southwest. 

 Rains followed on the morning of the 

 15th and fires subsided. On the 26th 

 and 27th heavy rains fell, after which 

 there was no more danger. 



OTHER FIRES IN SOUTHWESTERN 

 WASHINGTON. 



Chehalis Countv. On September 12- 

 and 13 fire spread from slashings intO' 

 heavy timber along Chehalis River. 

 vSixty families were rendered homeless. 



The following losses were sustained : 



Farm buildings and furnishings 



Stock 



School-houses and churches . . . 



Mills 



Sawed lumber 



Logs 



Cord wood 



Timber 



Five trestles (N. P. Ry.) 



|4o,ooo 

 10,000 

 10,000- 

 68,000 

 20,000 

 20,000 

 15,000 



600,000 

 50,000. 



Total $833, ooo. 



On Hoquiam River, near Aberdeen, 

 fire on September 13 burned over some 

 valuable holdings of Douglas Spruce 

 and cedar timber. It also consumed 

 the large dam across this river. Losses 

 are as follows : 



Dam |8,ooo- 



Mills and camps 45)0 



Timber 250,000 



Total 



$303,000 



On September 14 a crown fire swept 

 over about half a township on Wish- 

 kaha ; burned partly in an old slashing, 

 where it is supposed to have originated; 

 land owned mostly by eastern lumber 

 companies. Loss, timber, $125,000. 



September 14 another fire attained 

 great headway on Chehalis River, in 

 southeastern part of this county. Only 

 damage was to timber, but much good 

 Cedar was destroyed. Loss (tiiAber, 

 mostly owned by Seattle companies), 

 $80,000 ; total for Chehalis county, 

 $1,341,000. 



Pacific County . On September 13 and 

 14 a fire on Willipa River, near South 

 Bend, destroyed some valuable timber 

 claims, mostly Douglas Spruce timber. 

 Value of timber destroyed, $100,000. 



Wahkiakum County. Thousands of 

 acres near Skamokawa burned over 

 September 12 and 13. 



Willamette Pulp and Paper Co.'s mill 



destroyed ; loss |5o,ock> 



Timber 130,000 



$180, 300 



