St. Landry democrat., 1882-11-11
The Puget Sound Lumber Trade.

The distribution of lumber from Puget
Sound is as wide as its manufacture is
active. In one days cruise | found
vessels loading for Boston, San Francis
co. Valparaiso the Sandwich Islands,
Vallejo, Mexico, Japan, China, France,
England, Australia and South America.
The export reported in 1881 was about
l|3,OOO,O0O feet. valued at about ST.
12O,O 900. Of this about 40. 800, 900 was
shipped to foreign ports. The value of
the 1oreIgn cargoes was about 1896, 900.
1t is sight to see some of the big logs
in the booms | spent Il cou pie of
hours among them one night The
electric light, with which almost all
these mills are equipped, illuminated
the water far and near, making it look
like silver in quartz, or the spangles on
a ballet-gir1s dress. The logs were
! like slumbering giants in the gloom,
and refused to move as Captain Loggie
and | stepped from one to another
Many of them were five feet in diane
ter. and all were harkless. Mr.. George
Braun, the foreman of Jackson's
logging camp on the Skagit River,
lately cut one tree from which were
sawed two logs of 80 and 2G, and
two of 80 feet, in all 11S feet
in length. The top of the tree
measured I'll inches across. The entire
log scaled about 24,O00 feet. As Mr..
Braun said: THAT is like raising 100
bushels of oats to the acre. which they
do on the tide-fats Just below his camp.
But all trees here are exceptional in
size, height and symmetry They make
the finest possible spars and masts.
Firs 250 feet high, pines $50 feet, cedars
100 feet, are met with in any woodland
walk along logging trail. Shi p build
ing, as a natural result, is great in
dustry. The ship carpenter at Blakeslee
told me as | left that he was Just COM
pleting his fortieth vessel He informed
me also that the first saw-mill in this
region was erected at Seattle in 1853.
1t would cut about 5000 feet per day.
Now there are eighteen mills, in any
one OF which this pioneer would be lost.
Think of the thick forests-trees
crowded together as close as they can
grow-and right on the shores of the
Sound or its tributary waters, these
shores generally sloping so as to make
the most facile of log ways; countless
roadsteads and sheltered harbors; a |
climate never too cold to work, although |
sometimes too wet; then the waters of |
the Sound for log-roads themselves,
when steam-launch can pull raft
and one can see why this in
dustry grows SO. Where else do cond-
tions as favorable to it exist?
The lumber business is not carried on
here as it is in the interior or the East.
There are no lumber-yards supplied
from the mills. The mills themselves
distribute the lumber. Many of them
have planning machines and elaborate
on the ground floors beneath
the saws, where they manufacture
dressed lumber, flooring, ceiling, etc.
Factories of barrels, pals, ETC., ETC.,
group around them, subsisting on what
would be refuse. A unique establish
ment is that Of the Stetsons & Post, in
Seattle, where house-trimmings doors,
sashes, blinds and moulding are manu-
facturod in connection with saw-mil.
There is great profit in this business
These gentlemen have made 100000,
starting with $1,000 five years ago; but
they are hard-working men, practical
HtCHaulcS, anu understand Jnelr DuSl-
ness thoroughly. The profit in export
ng is not less, but of course requires
greater capital. The ships carry an
average of 100000 feet every five to
eight weeks, at profit, as near as I can
average it, of $3.50 per trip. All of
he saw-mill proprietors are wealthy.
They are, for the most part attached to
he scenes where their wealth has been
made, and spend their time and money
It home rather than abroad. Puget
Sound Cor. N 7. Erening Post.