The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1873-04-26
CONSUMPTION Of 1lAaDfR.
Our 1mmenso Wostorn Reseurcas,
From the Nautical Gazette.

A recent circular Of the lumi,crmcn Of
Pcnnsy !vania, estimates the nu,nl~r of rail.
road ties IL present use in the United States
~ lN.lOOOOO A cut Of 2OO ties tO the acre
Is above rather than under the aver age. AMI
II therefore h~s required the product Of 75.>
600 .cres If well ,i,nImrct land To furnish
this supply. Railroad ties last about five
years. c"n.'qurn,ly about 81. 600 OOO ties are
used annually for rep Airs. taking the timber
from l5O.OW acres. The manufacture If
"lli"g stock di.p'ses Of the en,,re yield "f
a'O.'OO acres snd full supply Of nearly SUI,
OOO acres more every year. II appears, the"
that our railroads are stripping the country
n, the rate of 100000 acres per nnnu,n; ;
AID their demands are rapidly increasing.
A co,npctrn. authority estimates that the
select timber from $50 acres is employed
every day. or ~ the rate Ot 5000 acres per
snnun,. in .hip-building, including stca"'-
.s'al building. As it is we'll under
s,'x'd that the advancing prize Of coal is
causing . revival "f w'm'den ship. building,
this demand must sl-O ins rrasc.
The circular above referred to, makes q
Car. full calcu alton of the area Of timb r
lands and the average yield per acre. and
con,es IL the alarming conclus,,n that three
years stocking NJ the present rate will entire
ly exhaust the lumber now standing in
Iennsylvanis. A similar state Of things
may be shown in oil the forest districts
heretofore furnishing lumbcr-except that
the rc,noter regions of Maine and Michigan
will hold out few years longer. Far sight
cd lumbermcn sre srcady looki & with
anxious interest to the ;s.t two belts 0f
primeval forests within our BORDERS, which
sre Of sufficient extent u be considered ~
na,+onai sources OF supply. These arc the
magnificent pincries Of the upper Mississippi
lying mainly IN Minnesota; aud the i'm.
| mets. growth If our North Pacific Coast,
Washington Territory.
The luuher trs,e Of Minnesots now
amounts 10 5000 OOO, 600 II. per annun, but
~ even this enormous cutting 10 supposed
only to keep pace with tue annual growth,
this vast preserve may bc said 10 Ike virtually
intact. These Mississippi pin.rics extend
from the hesdwaters OF the great river, east
ward To the Montreal river in Wisso ,si''
Occupying nearly all Of Northeastern" Min
ncsu,a and part Of Northwestern Wi"c"n'
SIN, and covering an area "f about 3O.OU
SQUARE miles. Here will undoubtedly bc the
.~n, Of our do;.,csiic lumber trade for lht
next fifty years.
Our ship builders must. and indeed already
do. depend largely on the t'mber OF Wash
inton Territory. The gigantic pines. frt
and ce.iars Uf that region are bec"mine
kno~n the world over, And vessels tr"'l
every quarter of the globe losl in the har
bDrs Of Puget Sound. The following f'"n
the pcn of Hon. William A. Howard, LAM
Commissioner OF the Northern Pacific ra'l
roud, gives description Of the mighty tree'
found st4,ut tue waters where the western
terminus Of the rad will be located.
There Is more lumber around Puse
Sound than ever saw ,,cforc. There Is "u'
channel, called H.s,d's Cs"si that seems Il
run from Port Towusrd sixty or sevc"t!
miles toward the Columbia river, and per
hans no, averaging over half = mile vide
and II one half of what people said slH'u
the timber growing there wns true. and !
was here in the market. it " uId build th
N"r,h.rn Pacific rxilr,S.l. The tim''cr
fir and pine. There are three kinds. lh
white. the yellow and the red, the red pre
dominating. 1t has . coarse grain, NOR
like he,nl.,ck, but il FREE from knots, an
the w"od between the seams, that separate
the lsyers, 10 of n red color aud s"ft.
..This kind Of tree grUws to On enormou
size. Indeed, all that the timber 'hieve
ever think Of, and exert their ingenuity fol
II 10 find ,rees small enough to handle
advantage. not liking to grapple with bi
onrs. W. went through \ portion OF th'
fores, when We wen, 10 Olympia by stag
and |, was very rare to find tree ~ sma
M 3 II. through st the butt. They wei
from s to 8. Z, 8. aud sometimes Cor 10 f
through n the butt, and mArve'ously tai
some $50 #. high.
"Vhat would you sny II stated that
sav 4 ,rer that would make an amount
lumber more than the average tor i've acre
in Michigan! Every one that knows pin
? lumber lands In Michigan knows that 10
600 II. 10 more than IN average; taking u
whole of the pine lands Of the State, pc
,,aps 5000 would be fair average At 10
l E>~ kn mn f.
"Now suppose We take . tree 10 fe
through, that ought to square IT. Apie'
of square timber l foot in length wou
contain 80 cubic feet, "r ef h'srd measn
4y2 Il. Suppose you went on In that VI
until y..u hsl worked up 200 IT,, you w"u
}" have eco times 4Se feet, that l. ID, 400 It. On
then YOU would have 20 or 80 Il. beyond tb
e left raw there trees 10 II. through
e the hu,,, s.und .. they ea'uld I've. Straight
: IN arrw, mure than ESQ Il. nigh II d'
!. no, make very go,d Flushing lumber "a 1t
r. cmrss, Blu. sll over there are en"rmo'
J. white cedsrs, which even grow an the
l. lands. aud which make very 6ne finishi1
.. lum,cr I was told st Olympia that u
white cedar brought 90 per hundred II.
Portland"
&c Washington Tertiary. west Of the Ca
,. csds Mountains, contains M area OF 800
1. souxrs miles, and more than three f"0ra
y uf this is covered with such grow'hh
= aimbsr n u here descriGcd. -.
~ sf. D.
u Av aensape I'm N.Y. 01iys his p1aDAl