New-York daily tribune., 1858-12-09


The average price Of tie rough sawed lumber il
SO per thousand, to the mil; of the dressed lum-
ber $50; Of the large spars, 81 30 per running
foot; and Of small spars, 30 cents per running foot
Nearly all the lumber exported cOastwse " from
Puget Sound comes 10 San Francisco. The sawed
lumber exported TO foreign ports in lc57 went
chiefly TO the following places, with the value si
the shipments respectively: Melbourne, Sl0604;
Sydney, $50, 900; Valparaiso, - 1900; Sandwich
lslaDds Sc, lSc; Hong Kong 1851; and England
&, 523. These figures de- not include the spars
most of which 60 20 England.
The large mills are built near the edge OF tho
wafer Not on the main sound but on the lnlets,
where the tide does not cause much OF current
The logs are kept in the water, and when wanted
for saving are hauled up All inclined plane by the
power OF the mill. The umbermen cut no trees at
present save those within quarter OF mile OF the
bank of their respective inlc,s-for each mill has
an inlet of lis own. Thus the Teekaet mill, the
largest in the Territory is situated at the mouth of
the Port Gamble inlet, body OF water mile wide
and three long, and deep enough for the largest
ship.
there is probably place in the world where
lumber can be obtained 30 easily, and in such
abundance as on the shores OF Puget Sound. The
timber (mostly yellow fir, strong and durable but
coarse wood, grows in dense forests I reckon
that three-iourths of Washington Territory, Yves.
of the Cascades has 200 valuable trees 10 the acre,
IN. frees averaging feet through and 10 feet
high, 100 feet being good for lumber. On Puget
Sound the Gulf Of Georgia, Hoods Canal and Bel
linpham Bay, there are ,-CO miles of American
coast line and all along this coast for distance of
two miles from the waters edge, there Is str p
several miles wide, from which timber can be con-
venienily obtained for saving The shores are in
most places very steep, almost or quite Perpendcu-
lar. and from 10 10 100 feet high.
After the tree isdOwn il is sawed into logs of the
lengths wanted al the mi After large number
Of logs ore cut at place. rail8ay-or rather,
poeway-is made by laying large poles or small
trees Oh the ground long gludnsly along the trail from
the center of the loggnggr 'und 70 the edge OF the
bank. The poles laid usually three abreast,
those outside being higher than the one IN the md
die. so that large log VIII slip on them as N
trough. A team of four Or five yoke of oxen Is
used 10 hsu the logs 10 the p0lcway, and then the
team is broken up. and each yoke of oxen takes a
loo down 10 the waters edge, where il i timbled
over. Before the log is started from the place
sbere II fell. .he end which is TO Ga in front is
champered of so ss not 70 catch against the
ground and the tongue OF steel dog can instru-
ment shaped somewhat lie letter IL y driven
into the log, the longer arm of the dog having at
tsched to il the cLain ~ which the log u to Dc
dragged.
Tie spar business ia very different from that Of
GETTING ordinary logs for the mills. The ordinsry
lenr,b o, board logs is from 10 to 20 feet but the
spsr logs are often roo feetong; never less than 30,
and sometimes four feet scr0ss the butt. Tne
word "spar" includes all lirge pieces OF timber in
tended either tor mssts or yards Of Sea vessels.
Spsrs are usually cut very near the edge Of the
water and are drawn 10 II by oxen, with the as
sistspce of pueys, one Il which is inside fas; to a
l,rce free. When in the water, the spars ara made
;nt raft and taken 20 the nearest ship anchorage.
The vessel which is TO load them has port-hoe
ont in her bow near the wsters edge. The butt of
tbs spar !. brought close to the bow, and ls raised
by block and tackle, supported by derrick over
tia bow. the tsckle being fastened on the spar 1t
.ome distance from the end, co that, as the log is
boi.ted. lis end swings into the portfolio. 1t is
then supported by roller; the tackle is fastened
fSther back. and again hoisted, until the rope
swings perpendiculsry, and 50 on and al last the
hold of the vessel is filled with the .psrs. Some
times they are hewn little at the butt, but orh-
narily they are shipped with all their bark on.
SpaYs are scll according ~ tte.r kngth and tteir