The daily intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Territory [i.e. Wash.]) 1876-1881, 1881-07-26
DAILY INTELLIGENCER.
Tuesday, July 90, 1881.
IMPROVEMENT OF .AwurLLs.

marvellous, aud in no department of
10 Dor does IL show more cousplcuously
than in the manufacture of lumber. A
contemporary sums up the changes that
have been made very ssccinuctly: The
esrlier mills ran single sash saws. and
were not required to cut more than
from 1000 TO 5000 feet per day. With
an enlarged demand came the addition
Of first one saw and then of several, form
ing pony gangs, and then the full CON-
plement OF Yankee gang. cutting an
entire log 1t once. The mulay followed
and was quickly succeeded by the large
circular. bringing the capacity of q
mill to SO much higher amount of
daily production in each case that spec
ial appliances had to be provided 10
keep pace With it. The water mill
gave place to the small steam engine.
and this 10 time to larger, until from
an engine rating but three or four.
horse power, We find it not unusual
now to see those from so to even 200
horse power employed The old
fashioned carriage runriDg upon maple
ways was succeeded by small rollers.
and these in turn have given place to
wheels moving upon iron tracks.
which reduced the friction to q mini
mum. The old fashioned rag wheel
which propelled the carriage ut snail's
pace. gave way to pinion and segment,
and rapid as was the molten impaired
to these with the introduction of the
circular saw, they were altogether too
slow to keep pace with the motion
which demand for still greater guam
tity Of lumber has induced. and they
too are now almost wholly discarded
for the more speedy device of the wire
rope or the steam feed. The old bull
dog, which required the use Of heavy
crowbar for setting the log IN its place.
and its modification for use with the
gang. have been wholly supplanted.
first by the lever dog driven with q
maui. and finally by patent devices
which almost operate themselves.
These have been rendered necessary
and possible. through the complete
revolution which time has wrought in
headlocks and all the paraphernalia OF
the sawmill carriage. Time was when
if one board was dropped from the saw
within a quarter of an inch of thick
ness of it's fellows. il was considered
pretty fair lumber, while If it was not
more than three times as wide ct one end
ss it was the otter, it would pass as well
manufactured. The system of edgipg
on the log. gave place at first to that
Of edging on table with q single saw,
but it would be difficult to find q
lumber manufacturer today who would
think it possible to run mill with
out Q parallel edger. Not many
years ago the slabs were all cut with
an axe by the tail sawyer to lengths
which he could handle to throw out Of
the mill, but no man would today
spend more time to get rid Of slabs
than would be requisite to cross cut
them upon table, and no mill thor
oughly modern in its appliances would
dispense with the slab mill, which at
one operation reduces ell the debris to
the length of lath bolt, or to the
size of firewood. Not very long ago
no one took any pride in having his
manufactured product of uniform
length; but all strictly modern mills
have their patent lumber trimmer. 1t
is but few years since anyone thought
Of getting logs from the yard or pond
to the mill aoor except by the cumb-
rous bull wheel and belt, but the sppli-
ances of today take up less room and
are more satisfactory in their working,
while the strictly modern mill keeps O
string Of logs following each other up
the log jack. under propulsion of an
endless chain. The former back
breaking custom of rolling logs with a
hand spike or an awkward cant hook
which was about as heavy as one could
lift, and as clumsy as the Ingenuity of
man could make it, has become obso-
lete, and now neat and handy tool
answers for minority of uses. while
the niger. sticking its crocodile jaws
through the floor. does all the turning
upon the carriage. and patent devices
roll the log from the slide to the carri-
age with unerring certainty. The
soul carting, rs the clearing OF the saw
Of lumber was not appropriately
styled. has been most effectually done
away with by the use Of live rolls in
every part Of the mill where the sawed
product is to be moved even its own
length. Even the work Of brain and
mascle. by which each grade Of lumber
was selected for it's appropriate pile has,
in large measure. been superseded by
devices in machinery by means of which
different.g grades are selected, and loaded
each upon its appropriate cart, ready
for distribution to any part Of the mill
yard. The debris which costs so much
20 get rid of 10 now handled by ma
chinery ~ il goes 10 the patent burner
where II is to be consumed. or TO the
failing hopper, where il can be dumped
without manual labor into the cart
which conveys ID 10 the wood yard OF
dock. No portion Of the work former
ly done by hand now demands more
than the smallest fraction of the labor
formerly bestowed upon ID, until il
comes TO leading Upon vessels or cars
where hand work has not rs yet been
dispensed with. Filing the saw, gum
. ming iss teeth and dressing them read
. for work, has not been thought toe
small factor to be worthy the atten-
ton of inventive genius. and emery
grinders. fling machines. saw sharpen
ers. swakes. aud many other devices
; have lesssned the labor In this depart.
nent Turn in what way we will and
We ind in the modern saxmill scarcely
an spplicance such - was EMPLOYED
by the early lumberman. When two
men did A bic DAYS work in fnrninc