The daily intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Territory [i.e. Wash.]) 1876-1881, 1878-01-17
Official Press Of King County.
Thursday, Jan. IL. 1878.
PACIFIC COAST TIMBER.

The Alta, ia a recent article upon the
industrial Condition OF the Pacific
Slope" makes the following statement
concerning numbering operations in
California
According to the statistics furnished
by the County Assessors. 10000. 600
feet of lumber were sawn IN California
in 1876, but the total amount sent to
San Francisco (the chief market) from
California mills was only 10000. 600.
The Assessors reports say that in that
year Humboldt county sawed "a. OO0.O 600
feet, Mendocino 53.O00.000, Sonoma
&C. 0O0O, 900, and Santa Cruz, 100000
making over 100000 900 feet from the
redwood districts. Yet, the redwood
brought to this city land nearly all was
brought here) measured only 1f4,oO0,-
600 feet, 1t is safe to say that the
amount Of railroad ties sawn did not
exceed 100000 feet, aud We esti-
mate the entire sawn lumber product
Of the State at 300. 100000 feet, inclu-
ding that cut III California and sawn in
Nevada.
The priacipal lumber product of Cali
mia is redwood, which only grows near
the coast, say thirty miles in width,
Scarcely any of this wood grows north
of Chetco Creek, which is near the
northern boundary Of that State. Rcd
wood makes the Best weather. boards,
fencing lumber and railroad ties in the
world. There are ties now on the old
railroad between Folsom and Sacra-
mento which were laid down in 1857,
and arc still in perfect preser vation.
During Harry Mciggs' great railroad
operations in South America, be pro-
cured nearly all his ties from the small
coast hsrbors Of California, bringing
them in small vessels to San Francisco,
where they were reshipped on larger
vessels to their ultimate destination.
But his bridge timbers he purchased
from Puget Sound.
The great belt of redwood along the
California is being slowly and surely
exhausted, and for that reason Is steadily
advancing in price. twenty years ago
two million feet of sawn lumber TO the
acre was not above the average yield,
but now it is rare to find tract that
will average over million and quar-
ter. Then vessels loaded large foreign
csrgoes at Mendocino City and Hum.
boldt Bay, whereas those ports now con-
fine their operations to domestic trade,
while all the foreign orders are shipped
from Puget Sound and Burrard Inlet
Everything betokens decrease Of tim
Der in California, and nothing shows il
so plainly as the extension of railroad
routes into the mountains of Sonoma
and Marin counties, to reach bodies Of
timber hitherto inaccessible to the ordi
nary means of transportation.
This proporticnately advances tn.
value of timber lands about our great
inland sea and its tributary waters
oWith the advancing price of redwood
nm increased demand for our fir timber
must take place. and II proportional,
advance in the value OF fir logs. Tit
large mill companies are flooding thu
forests with men who are taking III
timber lands in their behalf, and neve
know when they have got enough. II
all the small land holders who bav
merchsntable timber growing On thei
farms, We would say. don't cut tre
down till you're actually obliged to d,
so. Logs will be worth seven dollar
per thousand in less than three years
and that advance over the present pric
will yield you the biggest kind of in
tsrest on your money. RAilrosdinl
enterprises in California and Arizon
are carrying off timber faster than
can grow to the southwark Of us, an,
the day Of our harvest is not yer,
far off