Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1882-06-14

PGCET sorSD sAwHILLa.
Prom advance sheets Of Oregon and
Washington" by Newton N. Chittenden.
We take the following concerning the
sawmills and numbering industry of
Puget Sound:
SEATTLE, w. T.. 9th April, 1882.
POET DISCOVERY BAY
Il about ten miles in length. varying in
width from ons and half % two miles,
with . great depth Of water-seldom les
than tuGnty-fiye fathomS in the chan
mel. and in mans plaoes over forty. Il
abounds with fish aod water fowl md
has heea . favortte Spsort a he 1nahns
from 3mes nnkA00nr On 1he 1puth
shore, about three miles from the head
03 the boy. oy0 Situatsd the
FORT DnCorx11 aAW1ULIA
Among the IarRsss n this regioo, and
the extrGhe northwestern in the United
States.
Mr.. Woodman ferried me over In a
small boat in the morning, and began
my sxamination Of ths great lumber re-
SOURCES and manufacturing establish
msnfs Of the Territory. Washington
comprises IN area d g. 81 square miles,
or n, S06, 100 acres- Th1t portion lying
west of the Cascade Mountains, known
a. Western Washington, contains an
area ap0roximattng 1900 square mllea-
and Ia eseimated 70 contain upwards. OF
twenty million aeses OF timbered lands.
Fir, cedar, spfacs, hsmlock, alder. COZ
t0nw0od, maple, tamaraok, and other
vayistiea, comprise tins vast forest. The
stately fir prevails, and furnishes mOa
Of the great timber and lumber product
shipped TO all parts Of the world. It II
unsurpassed for size, length, tDughness
and durability. The largest and finest
Hars carried by tho ships Of EnQlafd,
France. Germany. China South America,
and other FOREIGN countries. como cut OF
these forests. They are az yet compsra
nov cut. after supplying the enormous
demand for the past twenty years. now
amounting 10 10000, 900 feet annually.
is obtained from two 70 five miles from
the shores Of the Sound and the banks
Of its tributaries. Some Of the choicest
bodies Of available fir grow along the
Skagit river in Whatcom county. upon
WILDLY. vashon,and Bainbridge islands.
On the shore of Hoods Canal. and near
the mouth Of. Pysch. river. -,s
The great numbering companies-es-
pscially the Puget, owning the Port
Ludlow, Port Gamble, and Utsalady
mills-have, in various ways, obtained
possession Of immense tracts, estimated
at millions of acres.
The mills are supplied with logs, by
contractors. who receive from Is to IS ~
per thousand feet, when delivered in
navigabls waters. They establish tenn
porary camps. fall the choicest trees
haul them with powerful twelve OK
teams. sometimes by windlass.and more
recently ny steam power, frequently
shuteing them down steep mountain
slopes, shores, Sound and river banks,
for nearly half a mile. Two or three
lines of narrow gage railroad are
utilized, and others are now building,
for the purpose Of reaching the more
remote timber. The delivery nj the
mills ia completed by powerful steam
tugs. which tow the great RATS into the
booms. Here they are seized by the
sharp iron graphing dogs Of an endless
chain, drawn up an incline into the mill.
where cross-cut, ro.a ries, circulars. and
gang SAWS, planning and lath machines
of tho largest and most improved manu-
faoture, convert it into lumber at the
rate of from fifty tn two hundred thous-
and feet day. The refuse lumber, and
the sawdust, which the engines do not
consume is dumped by means of end
Less bucket and graphing chains. over
perpetual fires. The finished lumber is
sid directly from the mills into their
ships, which. expressly built for the
trade. receive it through large enough
openings at tbs prov, and transport il
to San Francisco, South America, Aus
tralia and other foreign markets, at the
rate Of one hundred and seventy five
million feet annually. The price Of
common lumber at tho mills is from
$40 TO $l2 per thousand, dGsesed bring
ing from $l4 TO $22 per thousand. The
demand is great and constantly increas-
ing. the foreign and homo acquisitions
Of the present season exceeding the Ca
pacity Of all the mIls now operated to
promptly fill. Since the great depression
in the lumber business, a few years ago,
which proved SO disastrous to many
companies on tho Sound, powerful
combination has been formed among
the heaviest owners and dealers in San
Francisco. which has closed nl&zy mills
by subsidies. OF the largest, however,
Port Ludlow, Port Gamble. Port
Blakely, Port Madison, Port Discovery.
Utsalady, Seabeck. and Tacoma, all are
in operation, excepting .the first men
toned. A new mill, OF immense pro-
portions, is now in course OF erection at
this port, which. when finished. will be
the largest and most complete on the
paCific COnat - . ~ &
THE PuKr DIsCOvHnY MILLS
were built in 1886. BY 8. Il. and L. b.
MRstlc, the present owners. Il has q
capacity fer cutting ono hundred thous-
and fest every twelve hours, employs
eighty mon. producing about twenty
four million feet annually, Of building,
bridge. and ship lumber and timbers,
shipping in its own vessels, principally
10 San 4, anoisoo, Soush America and
Australia. The steam tug Mastic. the
ships Warwick and Mary Glover. and
brig Deacon, belonging to the company,
having an aggregate tonnage of two
thousand tons, lay rs thsir wharf. They
own about twenty Thousand acres OF
timber lands, some fifteen Thousand
acres Of which reVlain, untouched. The
average log cuts about eight hundred
fest, tho largest over four thousnnd.
They are at present hauling from two
TO three miles, by railroad and oxen.
Tho town comprises some sixty tuild.
iuas, including. besides the mill, ma
chine shops, boarding houses, store,
school house, PuQh's hotel. and several
good residences. s AAss
Returning from my interyiev with
Mr.. George W, Downs tho Sutyeridten-