The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1878-05-16


the hemlock Bark Lands of Pennsyl-
vania.
A paper by Jackson s. Schultz, OF New
York City, before the recent Tanners Conven-
ton at Harrisburg. Pa
Mr.. President and Gentlemen of the
ConUcntion-The lumber, the owners
of the hemlock forests, no less than
the tanners, are interested in the SUBJ
ject 1 bring to your attention. There
are now more than one hundred mill
lions of feet of hemlock logs going to
waste in the counties of Elk and Nc
Kean, and probably as much more in
the other counties of Northern Penn
sylvania. To this must be added not
less than one hundred millions each
year for an indefinite number of years
to come, for it is now fixed fact that
the tanners will and must have the
bark, and it is equally clear, from
present and past experience, that this
lumber cannot be manufactured and
taken to market at a profit by any
means now at the disposal of the lum-
bermen. An effort is now being made
to find better way than that at pres
ent followed to utilize this valuable
product.
From 1860 to 1876, commencing with
the war of the Rebellion and ending
with the Centennial Exhibition at
Philadelphia. the price of hemlock
lumber. both in the Eastern and West
ern markets, justified the building of
mills along the lines of our railroads
and the head waters of our streams.
The rates ranged from fourteen to
seventeen dollars per thousand feet
during all these years. Now the same
lumber, both ut Philadelphia, which
fairly represents the Eastern, and
Pittsburgh, which represents the West
ern markets, can hardly be said to
average more than eight to nine dol
lars per thousand. This great depre-
citation of value falls mainly on the
lumberman, the tanner and the land
owner, for, while the railroads have
abated but 10 to Is per cent. of their
charges, the manufacturers of lumber
are compelled to submit, as above in
dicated, to shrinkage of from so 10
60 per cent.
1t has now come to be demonstrated
that hemlock lumber cannot be trans
ported on railroads for any consider
able distance and meet the competi-
ton Of river and ocean transportation
at the great centers of distribution. To
make this plain 1 will take the most
| favored location now known for the
production of hemlock lumber, viz,
that portion of Elk and Mexican Coun-
ties lying Immediately on the branch
of the Pennsylvania Railroad running
from Sunbury to Erie. This location
has water and railroad communication
leading both east and west from st.
Mary's. The railroad freight for hem
lock lumber to Philadelphia and New
York will average fully five dollars per
thousand, and to secure this favorable
result the lumber must be fully seasoned,
which involves the piling and holding
of it at the mills for three TO six months.
After deducting the interest, insur-
ance and railroad freight, the manu-
facturer will receive about three dol
lars per thousand, which results in a
net loss of two dollars per thousand.
Hemlock lumber can be manufactured
and placed on the cars, if the location
of the mills is favorable one, at about
five dollars per thousand-and no less.
Now let us turn to the rivers as now
used as means of conveying away OF
this lumber, and see how much better
off we are with this way of reaching q
market. The stocking and saving are
the same in both cases-but there may
be slight advantage in water convey.
ance in the saving of time in the sea-
soning-for river or RATED lumber
need not be so fully seasoned as rail
road lumber, but in many other re.
spects the latter has the advantage
over the former. The cost of "rafting
in" and running lumber by water il
variously estimated at from three t.
four dollars per thousand. Taking thu
average locations, judge thatthe cos
and risk is fully four dollars. Th'
first; or contract cost. may not be owe
three dollars, but the damage result
ing from detentions and breakage
with the cost of taking out of water
etc, is fully another dollar, and wheI
this river lumber arrives at it's desti
nation and IS washed off with all tn
care possible, what do we observe? Al
unsightly, black, dirty, greasy lot Q
lumber, that few men care to handle
and they can only be induced to bu.
by temptingly low prices. All thes
defects, except the last, apply to tn
lumber that reaches the Eastern MAI
kets by water, and that is special to th
, West because of the petroleum whicl
, pervades the waters of the Allegheny
: So concededly do these defects apply t
| river lumber that it sells in bot
, Eastern and Western markets 70
about two dollars per thousand les
f than railroad transported lumber. Blu
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