Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1874-06-11

clearances from the entire district DUR
ing the month of January, % of them
were from the port of Pascagoula.
Mill owners and others
COMPLAIN BITTERLY
that the Customhouse is located at
Shielsboro, while more than two, thirds
Of the business is done at Pascagoula,
which has only Deputy Collector,
who can only clear vessels, but cannot
discharge a cargo. The consequence
IS that vessels coming here for lum-
Der generally come in ballast. Those
coming loaded have-probably by a
stretch of authority --been entered and
discharged So there IS possibly not
so much cause for complaint as one
hears. Besides, the Pearl river lum-
Der interests, (Which is growing fast, }
IS benefited bv retaining the Custom
house at Shieidsboro. The harbor off
Pass Christian, only few miles from
Shleldsboro, is very fine one. 1t is
small, yet the water IS deep, and the
harbor safe But / neglected to make
THE COMPARISON
OF the clearances Of vessels last year
and this. [ have shown that this year
there were 80 vessels cleared in Janu-
airy, and an average of II each month
during February, March and April. [
could find no record Of clearances for
the same months last year, but | find
that in June, 1873, there were four
/ vessels cleared for foreign ports, and
the export of lumber 100, 000 feet !!
To still further give you an idea of
what it will be in future, I will copy
from my notes some recent
SALES OF LANDS
in the lumber region. Mr.. C. H.
Shepard Of Lansing, Michigan, has
purchased 10000 acres in Hancock
and Pearl counties, and located on the
Pearl and Jordon rivers. Mr.. j. D.
Norton and 7. A. Flowers, of Pontiac
Michigan something over 10, 600 acres,
located on Black creek a tributary
to the Pascagoula. Some of these
lands are in Lawrence and Copiah
counties, on the Pearl; but mostly in
Marion counties, on Black creek. Mr.
I. Hall, of Ann Arbor, Michigrn,
has purchased about $4,000 acres on
the Pearl, and Jordan and the Pasca-
gouIa. AIr. s. NJ Wilcox, one of the
heaviest land owners in Michigan, has
/ bought l., O00 acres on the Pearl river,
in Marion county These lands have
mostly been sold by Mr.. S NJ. Bald
win, of Chicago. who has spent the
past two years in Mississippi, purchas-
ing and selling lands. He tells me
that he has sold about It's, GEO acres
during that time. Mr.. Baldwin pur-
chased 122, 900 acres from the famous
! Pearl River Navigation and Improve
ment Company, and the rest from pri-
vate parties. Messrs. Shepard and
Norton will Immediately put their
mills in operation. Mr.. Shepard has
ANOTHER PROJECT
on hand, Of which you may have
heard lie wishes to build mill on
Ship Island. where the largest vessels
can be loaded directly from the mills,
and thus save the expense Of Iighterage
His timber will be foated to him in
rata. Ship Island you know, is prop
erty reserved to the Government, and
Mr. Shepard is now in Washington
seeking the necessary authority to To-
cate bis mills on the Island
FOR THE BENEFIT OF WESTERN MEN
[ must not neglect to mention some
important facts in reference to this
lumber region. The most of the tim
Der is the large leaf yellow pine, the
most valuable product Of the forest the
world over, and which is here found in
its greatest perfection, and in exhaust
less abundance. These pine trees
reach an altitude in many instances of
more than 100 feet without crook or
limb.
Another thing Of importance the
forest fires never injure the timbers, as
they do in Michigan and Maine there
is no underground, and no swapping
necessary. The soil is a course sand,
or gravel, and no ruts are made by the
wagons in hauling The land is rolling,
high and dry. On Pearl river, cypress
is also plentiful and there are numer-
Gus openings not only for sawmilIs, but
for shingle-machines, factories for max
! ing buckets, tubs, sash and blinds,
chairs and furniture. There are about
twelve sawmills on Pearl river the larg-
est ones owned by Mr.. Poiteyant six
on Wolf river and five on the Jordan
about twenty on Pascagoula, and sew.
eral others on smaller streams, and the
number is growing constantly.
should have mentioned, also, that there
are two
SHIPYARDS
at Pascagoula. | saw beautiful SOS,
goo schooner, just completed for a
Mexican trader lying gracefully out a
few miles from shore Both these
yards have as much business as they
can do. At Moss Point, there is also
foundry. and quite large one, DIE
ferent from other sections of Missis-
sippi, there are few lands for sale in
the coast counties, though any quanti-
! ties Of it further back, and accessible,
as [ have stated. to the seacoast by the
numerous inland streams. Mr.. Bald
win informed me that his sales had