VOL. XXXIX.
PORTLAND, OREGON, SUNDAY MORNING, JULY 4, 1920
NO. 27
K
, Women Watchmen ttaid& NaiionV
r 'Sp Timber Wealth r :'m, .
JSr-- :' Lone Lofty J&g tiM Y&rz?
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IIIImI- 6 Praised for ' U?.'. !
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Zhey Zive in & WbrlJ of fffnz'fx'fent Ds finery:
BT DEWITT HAREY.
(Copyright, 1920.)
THERE has been a great deal of
discussion about woman's place,
her "sphere" was an engrossing
topic in the pre-suffrage days, and
now. especially since her great chance
during the recent war, when she made
so good, she is invading nearly every
line of business with varying degrees
of success, though it must be admit
ted that she usually proves more than
capable. The object of this article is
not to speculate vaguely over femi
nine possibilities, but to set forth
a bit of trenchant history in a man
ner that almost anyone could grasp;
in ehort, to say that, no matter how
much we might debate woman's place,
few of us would consider a loca
tion on the crest of a high mountain
as just the fitting position to Install
a helpless bit of delicate womanhood.
However, the United States forest
service has demonstrated the con
trary. Away goes another set of pre
conceived notions, and everyone had
better begin to realize that woman is
not so helpless as she has been paint
ed in past decades. It has only taken
necessity to awaken her worth and
lier ability to shoulder responsibilities
tn a manner that puts many of the
mere men to shame, for today the
women of the Pacific northwest have
virtually cornered the market when
it comes to taking the heavy duty of
gnarding the great commercial for
ests of this section of the country
from the fire evil.
Keen-Eyed Girls on Gmard.
They are not serving, to any great
extent, as firemen in the actual gru
elling labor of extinguishing the
fclazes when they once get started, but
they are doing duty as outposts In
the army that Uncle Sam recruits
each summer to do battle with the
beat hosts. Ensconced on the lonely
peaks of Oregon, Washington, Idaho
and Montana forests, miles from the
nearest settler and without company
of any kind save the forest denizens,
they stick to their posts and faith
fully send in warnings of threatening
dangers. Not only are these women
alone, but they are confronted by
dangers that would appal many an
average male heart. Last summer was
the first real year that women were
placed on this important duty to any
great extent, but their great success
and faithful work has caused their
employment in even greater numbers
for the 1920 season.
This year in the northwest forests
there are fully a score of these women
on guard on the high vertebrae of the
continent's backbone, c e a s e 1 essly
watching the immense wealth of tim
ber that is so essentially needed by
the world. While it is yet rather dif
ficult to get any reports of their
work this season, the summary of
their last year's work is a revelation
and even a superficial study of it
will show why the forest service was
eo anxious to place even a greater
number of them in the lookouts this
year. School teachers, college stu
dents, even home women have taken
advantage of this opportunity offered
to serva their country in a heavy line
of defense during their vacation pe
riod and at the same time be paid
tot it. The importance of their work
cannot be exaggerated and indeed, it
is hard to realize that they serve so
well.
Just a partial list of those in the
work last season. Mrs. Minerva Bid
well served all last summer at Black
Rock lookout in the Umpqua national
forest. Her head station was at Rose
burg and her home Is at Hoaglin.
Mrs. F. A. McMillan, an instructor in
the Wenatchee (Wash.) high school,
served at Devil's Knob, in the crater
district of the Umpqua forest. Miss
Dorothy and Miss Martha Andrews,
twin sisters, served in the Cascade
forest. Miss Dorothy at Frissel Point
and Miss Martha on Horse Pasture
mountain. They could see each other
with the aid of field glasses and when
lonesome would communicate by
means of their field telephone sets.
Miss Dorothy is principal of schools
at Wendling and Miss Martha taught
at McKenzie Bridge, near where their
stations were located. Both girls live
at Eugene. Out of the Roseburg dis
trict was also Mrs. William George
of that city, who served on the Bohe
mian lookout. In the Cascade national
forest in Oregon was Miss Nell South
worth, a student at the State univer
sity, who spent her summer vacation
time on Winbury Butte. South in the
Siskiyou reserve Mrs. Nellie W. Mil-
bury kept watch and ward on Mount
Emily, and in the same forest was
Miss Edna Cornell, now Mrs. Cora
Van Loot of Grants Pass, whose sta
tion was on Sanger Peak. Mrs. Cora
Leland was stationed in the Deschutes
forest in Paulina Peak and Mrs. Ber
tha Covert of Yocum was in the Fre
mont national forest, 30 miles west of
Lakeview, at the Dog Lake ranger
station. Miss Gladys Murray of Spo
kane was in the Colville national for
est on Columbia lookout station and
Miss Mable McBain of Everett was
also on duty. Miss Nita Vogle served
on Indian Mountain and other girls
and women were at various points.
Most of these feminine guards, even
after their first year of service and
the experience that they had to un
dergo, many of them harrowing for
delicate women, have returned for a
further taste of the work this sum
mer and might be called hardened
veterans of the . army of protection,
Some idea of the value of their work
can be had from a short summary of
the value of the forests of the north
west.
Forest Wealth Enormous.
Over twenty billions of dollars is
estimated as the ultimate potential
wealth of the immense virgin forests
of the Pacific Northwest by expert
foresters and lumbermen, and this
enormous natural asset of the United
States has been, previous to the fall
of 1919, almost at the mercy of the
vagaries of fire. Four hundred and
fifty billion board feet of timber, the
last stand untouched by the lumber
jack's ax in this great country of
ours, .almost half the available sup
ply of the nation, stands within the
borders of Oregon, Washington, Idaho
and Montana.
As this timber on the stump is
valued at from $2 to $4 a thousand
feet, depending on accessibility and
esse of logging, the Importance of the
work can be understood. In the state
of Oregon alone there are 17,000,000
acres of merchantable timber and the
,aa,nual cut, for JhJs state runs 2,500,--
V -AiSrC
000,000 feet,. valued at J40.000.000. For
estry experts estimate that the cut
can be doubled, that is, raised to
5,000,000,000 fett annually, and, if the
forests are protected and reforesta
tion properly attended to, this im
mense cut can be continued indef
initely. Huge fortunes are held by
private owners in these forests and
they are co-operating as far as possi
ble with the government in the work.
The economic loss when a single
tree is burned can be fairly visualized
when it is stated that the ultimate
value of timber is estimated at 15
times the stumpage value. With the .
major portion of the other forests of
the United States either denuded or
rapidly- nearing exhaustion the im
perative need for conservation and
every care in protection can readily
be appreciated. The almost super
modern metho-J3 in vogue during the
past season in the Oregon country
seem to be but the pioneers for a
much greater activity along similar
lines in the future.
Plane Patrol Great Aid.
Airplanes manned bys crews from
the battlefields of France patrol the
immense sea of trees, spotting fires
before they have an opportunity to
get well under way, and report them
by radio to the control stations. On
the crest of the high mountains, with
Mount Hood, Or., as the main station,
lookouts scan the timbered moun
tains for smoke and report by wire
less telephone, heliograph, visual
signaling and telephone. Motorcycle
messengers, carrier pigeons and radio
sets keep- the stations linked with
main headquarters of the United
States forest service here, from which
the flight is being directed.
In. their efforts to save this last
stand of virgin timber and to pro
tect human and animal life and prop
erty, the armies of protection are
making use of equipment undreamed
of a few years ago. The situation
reached such a dangerous stage dur
ing August last year that eevry avail
able appliance that would aid had to
be used.
Thanks to .their preparedness in
this district, in, 1918 they were able
to make an excellent showing in com
parison with other regions of the
United States. In Minnesota alone
400 lives were lost and the property
burned was valued at $7 5,000,000, en
tire towns in the woods being de
stroyed, including the fair-sized city
of Cloquet.
Protection Pays Dividends.
In the Pacific northwest, where the
development Of forest fire fighting
has reached its highest stage. District
Forester George H. Cecil has charge
of the headquarters at Portland for
the forces in the states of Oregon,
Washington and the territory of
Alaska. The United States aerial
forest patrol has its headquarters at
Eugene and is commanded by Major
Albert B. Smith. In all cities through
out the lumber region from Puget
sound and the Columbia river to
northern California, and inland to
the Rocky mountains, are other air
bases.
Large scale naps are located in
the chief ranger's office and on these
the progress of existing fires, nota
tions of fresh ones and the danger
zones are posted from a daily report
system. Patrols are ordered out In
a similar manner as from an army
headquarters. ,
Central ranger stations are main
tained throughout the woods where
the crews are held in readiness to
answer alarms and go to danger
points. During their enforced wait
they are employed on work of a pre
ventive nature, such as building
clearings to stop the progress of
flames, trails for communication,
building lookout stations and camps,
clearing underbrush and removing
deadfalls. On receipt of the alarm
they are rushed as close to the fir
as possible in motors and then sup
plied, when in the field, by a highly
developed quartermaster department.
Ration dumps are established as near
the fighting front as possible, and
the materials and food are carried
through the tangled woods and under'
brush by pack trains and men pack'
era.
Frequently the women lookouts re
Lpor smoke .anq the patrol jglanes go
out and investigate. Several times
the planes have arrived on the scene
so soon after a small fire has started
as to be able to locate the people
responsible for setting the blaze and
put the wardens on their trail. Nearly
always the planes return with chart
location and authentic information as
to the size and seriousness of the
blaze. This information, through the
use of planes, phones, radio, observ
ers and fast mesengers is very rap
idly handled, and instead of it tak
ing from one to five days to get lo
cations verified and men on the job,
as it frequently did in the past, the
ever ready fighters are often on their
way in as many hours under pres
ent conditions.
Contrast between present day meth
ods of forest fire fighting and those
in vogue in prior times is Indeed a
startling one. When the first fire-
fighting appropriation was made by
the state of Oregon about ten years
ago it amounted to $250, while the
same session of the legislature set
aside 10,000 for coyote bounties.
They did not realize the value of their
timber and did not take sufficient
means to combat the menace or
flames. Since then public apprecia
tion of the importance of the timber
resources has forced fairly sufficient
safeguards and appropriations for the
necessary work.
But let's have some or the women
who were .engaged on this duty tell
of their experiences first-hand. Mrs.
McMillan says:
"We went to Devil's Knob, which is
located in southern Oregon, about two
miles from the Crater forest in the
Umpqua forest, on July 8, ,1919, re
turning August 29. Jt was' my first
experience of packing in the moun
tains. We had to pack nine miles up
a gradual incline, which was indeed
a picturesque trip, winding in and
out on the narrow trail between the
huge trees and skirting around deep
canyons. Finally we reached the
spring and looking up nearly a half-
pitch saw our cabin on the top, a half
mile Distant.
T was out there three weeks with
out seeing another woman, and once
1 during that time the packer brought
If S :
1 i l ! i
m
us fresh supplies. Finally my hus
band took me to the nearest neigh
bors, where he had been for vege
tables. It was five miles and down
hill all of the way. so it was not dif
ficult going, but that first trip com
ing back I shall never forget. Mr.
McMillan had to pull me most of the
way
"My favorite pastime was sitting
at our back door on the bank sa
shooting grey diggers, 75 feet below.
"Evenings, after 7, we generally
climbed down and followed one of the
trails through the timber for a ways,
each of us always carrying our guns.
Cabin Proves Crowded.
"We lived in a ten-by-ten cabin
having 22-inch plate-glass windows
extending entirely around the cabin.
In the center of the room was a sta
tionary smoke finder two and one
half feet square and we existed
around the edges. Our bed swung up
and the table dropped down and on
one corner was a knock-down and put
together government camp stove.
"The one thing which annoyed me
at first was the numerous field mice
which visited us every night. We
caught as high as 12 In one night.
"It was always beautiful there. In
clear weather we could see for miles
In every direction over those acres
and acres of forest. On foggy morn
ings when the canyons would be
filled with fog we were but one of the
few peaks that stood above the clouds
and could look down upon their fleecy
lining.
"My position was to watch for fires
and report them to the ranger station.
Jin JZarlzs
from Frfssej
at Tiller, Or., where Mr. McMillin was
the fireman and would go to any fires
near us.
"Should anyone spend a summer
that way I advise them not to at
tempt to wash dishes on the stove as
an electrical storm approaches, as I
I wa.tr. That is irood timA to nut riff
dishwashing.
Honeymoon Site Ideal.
'Finally I would say for those who
love the out-of-doors life and living
next to nature, it is an excellent place
to spend one's honeymoon."
Mrs. Minerva Bidwell of Hoaglin.
who spent last summer in the Ump
qua forest, says:
"In the first place, the reason I
happened to have the position I at
tribute to the fact that it is my policy
whenever possible to accompany my
husband. For two years he was a
captain in the aviation corps and I
was with him most of the time.
While traveling with him I learned
the use of meteorological instruments,
so with the discharge and our com
ing west he was offered work in the
forest, and through the courtesy of
Mr. Bartrum. the forest supervisor, I
was given the position of lookout.
"Second, as to Black Rock itself, I
believe it to be the highest point on
the west coast at which a permanent
lookout station has been established
by the forest service 75 miles from
Roseburg at an elevation of 6200 feet
and in the heart of the finest timber
in this reserve.
Visitors Are Rare.
"Although the trails to Black Rock
are exceptionally good for a place
so remote from a town, it is very
seldom that one has any visitors.
During my summer there, aside from
the government packer who came
through each week, one visit during
the season by the district ranger and
a sheep herder going out for supplies
were about the only people I saw.
"The work consists primarily of
spotting, locating and reporting for
est fires. This is done by means of
a telephone system which is run from
the lookout to Roseburg. During the
fire season in one day I counted 16
fires.
"The balance of the work is of a
meteorological nature for the weather
bureau. The station is equipped with
an anemotmetor. psychrometer. rain
gauge, barometer, etc.
"Ordinarily one would judge it to be
a lonesome summer, but I found it far
from that. I had several pet deer that
came to the cabin daily, counted 40
different kinds of birds and saw sev
eral bear.
"On the whole I had a very enjoy
able summer, as it was an entirely new
experience for me, it being my first
stay of any length on the coast. For
several years prior to the war we
lived abroad.
Wolves Howl Kear Cabin.
"I don't want to pose as any hero
ine In a melodramatic sob story, for
Mr. Bidwell was with me all the time
with the exception of nine nights
when he was working on fires. Til ad
mit it was rather an unpleasant ex
perience on the nights he was away
to hear the coyote or an occasional
, Cpnsiuded oa Pace 2.fc
7