The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1881-08-04
THE INDUSTRIES OF JACKSON f.!
The jackson Planning Mill Company.

The jackson Planning Mill Company.
One of the first industrial enterprises
which struggled to maintain itself in
Jackson, and more than once failed and
went under, was the planning mill busi-
ness. Two mills had been built, and
operated for short time, in Jackson,
prior to 1874, and both failed to prove
profitable to their owners, and were sold,
and torn down.
In the spring of 1874, E. M. Thomas, a
practical mechanic, discovered that the
great amount of building going on in
Jackson and surrounding country would
create living trade for the lumber
dressing and framing business, if prop
erly managed. In company with Mr.
Williams, Mr.. Thomas built planning
mill on Horse Creek, near Tropic Fur
mace, in the Northern part of town, on
the Chillicothe road, or rather Bridge
street. Here the new firm put in sufficient
machinery to start in an ordinary way,
and set out to build up trade. But the
new firm was not destined to tread path
of roses, altogether, for on the Dist day
of October, 1878, the mill took fire from
the furnace under the boilers, and was
completely destroyed.
Mr.. Thomas is not man to give up to
discouraging circumstances, and the mill
arose, PheniX-like, from the ashes, and
in March, 1S79-but five months after
being burned down the mill was ready
for operation again. Mr.. Thomas formed
a business association with Mr.. David f.
Edwards, a practical business man, who
manages the large business of the Com
pany, while Mr.. Thomas gives his entire
attention to the mechanical department.
Being in the neighborhood of this mill
one day last week, we called in to see our
old friends, Dave Edwards and Evan
Thomas. We found Thomas too busy to
talk, or even look away from his work.
He was operating a scroll-saw, turning
out some beautiful scroll-wprk for orna-
menting buildings. Dave found time,
however, to take us con run" around
the different departments of the mill.
We first went into the yard, where un-
dressed lumber is kept. Here the Com
pany have an immense shed, capable of
holding hundreds of thousands of feet of
lumber. On the day of our visit, there
was, in this shed and adjacent yard, three
hundred thousand feet of lumber, con-
sisting of poplar, white pine, yellow pine,
chestnut, ash, walnut and oak. There
were also on hand three hundred thou
sand shingles.
The Company have a steam drying
kiln for drying lumber.
They are now giving work to ten hands,
and the busy men running to and fro,
and the steady clatter of the machines
and singing of the saws, made up pic
ture of industry and business enterprise
which it did one good to look at.
This Company do pretty much all
kinds of wood work, but give especial
attention to building materials, such as
flooring, Notwithstanding, scroll-sawing,
door and sash work, and the manufac-
ture of all kinds Of window and door
frames. In fact there is hardly a proba-
bility of anybody wanting a bill of finely
terials, that this Company cannot fill, and
fill promptly and well. They keep a
large stock of lath, lime, and cement.
We noticed, in passing through the mill,
dressing-machine called surfacer, with
a capacity of one thousand feet per hour,
a flooring-machine, capable of dressing
several thousand feet per day, machine
capable of dressing six thousand feet of
Notwithstanding per day, a. molding
machine, making from = to S-inch mold
ing, turning-lathes, scroll l-saWs, and many
other neat and useful pieces Of machine
~. There is an arrangement for carry
ing away the shavings from the dressing
room, and depositing them in fire-proof
bins, opposite the furnace of the boilers
The shGvings are drawn up by suction
and conveyed through large pipe
These shavings are mixed with coal and
burned under the boilers.
We noticed, in passing through the
building, some new bee-hives or gums,
some Of which ought to be in the pos
session of every owner of bees in Jack
son county. This hive is the invention
of Mr.. Thomas, who is an old hand in the
! care of bees.
This Company are constantly buying
large quantities of lumber, in q rougl
state. They are buying poplar principally
from Pike county; yellow pine they gel
from the Liberty and Jackson township
region of Jackson county; white pine
and shingles they get from Michigan.
There are many matters connected will
the business Of this firm of which W.
would like to speak, but during our visi
we found the men too busy to give u
correct data from which to write. w,
shall probably have something more t.
say about this business in the near flu
ture.
We are glad that our friends Edward
and Thomas are succeeding, because the
deserve it. They have built up, and ar
still further enlarging, a business that
credit to our town, besides being beI
eft to the entire surrounding country
Since our visit to the mill we met NJ
Thomas, and he talked of hiring add
, tional help as soon as he can find skille
Workmen who can be employed. I'll