The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1873-01-16
THE MARCH OF IMPROVEMENT.
New saw Mills Going Up-Incrense OF
tho Lumber Trade.

1t was stated In the report of Council pro-
ceedings, published in The NEWS OF Saturday
last, that petition Of Henry Miles for release
of obligation to rent city wharf on Asniey
River he'd been favorably reported on, ana
| that petition of Mr.. George e. Hudgins, TO
lease the same wharf, at one thousand dollars
per year, with leave to erect steam engine
had likewise received favorable report.
The committee on city lands, to whom tne
matter was referred, have since perfected tne
exchange of leases, and Mr.. Hudglns Is now
| preparing to erect steam circular saw mlii
nnon the wharf. This wharf Is situated
on the west side of Lynch street, between
Beaufain and Queen streets, aud is at present
in very dilapidated condition. 1t Will De
| entirely and substantially rebuilt by Mr.. Hud-
gins, and the driving of the piles for that pnr-
| nose will be commenced In few days. Mr.
! Hudglns has leased the property for five years.
with the privilege Of retaining 1t for twenty
years. The mill which he proposes to erect
| will be driven by forty-horse power engine
furnished with full supply OF all the mosI
improved machinery for cutting lumoer'
and will have cutting capacity OF ten
thousand feet per day. 1t is calculated
| that the mill will be In operation by the
| latter part of March. Mr.. Hudgins Is O
son of R. r. Hudglns, Esq, the head OF the
| well.known lumber firm of R. r. Hudglns q
Co. This firm, In order to meet the demands
ot their largely increased business, have been
compelled to increase the capacity of their al
ready large saw mill at the west end OF Bull
street. For this purpose an additional circu-
lar saw is about to be put in position, which
will require another engine of thirty or forty
horsepower. When these have been added
! the mill will have cutting capacity OF $4,000
feet per day. Messrs. HudgiDs & Co. have
also purchased, and are about to put up, an
improved selt-acling edglng machine for
trimming and squarlng the edges OF boards
and other lumber. This machine Is recent in
yention, and is said to be the first of the kind
ever used In South Carolina saw mill.
Messrs. Chisolm Brothers are also prepar-
Ing to re.enter the lumber business, and with
that Intention are erecting steam Circular
saw mill close by their famous rice mill, at the
west end of Tradd street. This mill will be
superIntepded byian experienced lumber cut
ter, a Northern man brought out expressly for
the purpose. 1t will be furnished with all OF
the most improved machinery, and will have
a cutting capacity OF from ten to fifteen thou
sand feet per day. 1t twill be in running order
about the frst of March.
All this shows that the lumber trade OF
Charleston is heavily on the Increase, and
this indication Ia confirmed by the reports
of other lumber dealers. Thus Mr.. John H.
SteIumeyer has recently thoroughly over
hauled and repaired his well-known mill at
the west end of Beaufain street, which re-
commenced worS on MondaJ last under new
auspices.
Messrs. Steinmeyer & Stokes, about the
first of November last, leased the property
near the west end of Beaufaln street, known
as Cark's planning mills, and have painted up
and repaired the buildings with view to es-
tablshing a mill for the manufacture Of
-mouldings, trimmings, &C., used ip faishiDg
the interior OF houses. They are also rebuild
ing the wharf attached to the premises, which
had fallen into decay.
comparison OF exports of lumber from the
port of Charleston for the first four months of
the present commercial year and the same
period of the two previous years, shows an
Increase OF about twenty per cens. over last
year and eighty-four per cent. over the year
1901. The following figures show the ex-
ports of lumber from the lst OF September,
1872, to January 9Th, 1873, and the corres-
ponding periods of the years referred to:
lS72-73.. f, 266. 2S4 leet.
ls7I-72.. 8, 226. 308 feet.
l87O-7l. 7l................3,7lS 7lS, 467 leet.
The total exports OF lumber for the year
1s7l-72 were about 100000 600 feet; If the In
crease for the remaining two-thlrds OF the
present year be In the same ratio as shown
above. the exports for lS72-73 will reach the
uelsnborhood OF 4o,ooo.ooo, or double those
of last year. But the foregoing figures, rep
resentlDg only the exports, do not show the
home consumption, and, therefore, do not
give any adequate idea OF the vast Increase
of the lumber trade of this city. That the
home consumption Is now greatly In excess
Of any year since 1866, is practically shown
by the much larger amount of building and
Improvement now In progress on every side.
There has also sprung up, within the last year,
considerable demand for lumber In the sec.
tions Of country contiguous to the city.
The price of timber has naturally risen with
the increase of the demand for that article,
and Is now higher than it has been at any
time during the last four years. Though tAe
supply of timber Is adequate for present pur-
poses, some fears are entertained for the lu-
ture. It would therefore be we'll for timber
cutters to bear these facts in mind, and send
down their stock before the present supply Is
exhausted.
Rebuilding OF Bonnett's Wharf.
Mr.. W. J. Bennett Is now rebuilding the
wharf at the west end Of Bull street,
known as Benefits wharf, which has 10
gree. measure fallen into decay since the be-
ginning of the war. The wharf was originally
tour hundred feet long, and constituted the
site of the first saw mill in Charleston, built
by Governor Bennett about seventy years ago,
the motive power Of which was windmill.
Nearly two hundred feet of the wharf has to
be entirely rebuilt. The property is leased by
Messrs. j. G. & H. o. Martin, wood factors, and
agents of Sardy's fertilizer.