Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1882-05-24

Among the most marvellous Of thu
many wonderful things which distin.
gulsh the United States from other na.
tons, are the results which have grown
out OF the possession of immenso for
eets Of valuable timber, in stimulating
inventive genius to the preparation
OF an article Of building material @
cheap as to enable the poorest to have q
comfortable home, while at the same
time % sxcsllent in character a. to b
not only suited, bat Indispensable, TO the
| working classes. Those more readily
accessible regions of the continent which
Possessed these forest Qrowths in the
Greatest abundance were among the first
10 receive large acce6si0ns to their
population, drawn together at those GEN.
| tors which presented the easiest access
TO cheap building material, not less than
TOR their personal safety from q savage
| zoe. 1t was not until the demand for
| greatest" mills of half century AGO to
supply, Leading the manufacturers 70
feel the need of more extended system
| OF production, that the star of enpile
| made any progress westward, or it be.
came . possibility to settle upon the
pralries of the West, or to develop the
| mineral resources which have already
shown our nation to be the peer of, If il
does not excel, all others in the extent of
its possessions. 70 possess is to need.
aud the cheap buildlng material which
the cheap mills of the days long gone By
enabled scanty population to utilize,
stimulated q more extended immiera-
tl0n. with Its increased needs, a. we'll as
higher order of inventive genius to in
crease the supply.
The mills Of the Olden time were, first.
tho windmill, with its uncertain power,
scarce exceeding that of the men Who
ran the pit saws which were then in
measure superseded. and whose indiQna-
tion at the effort to lessen their manual
labor caused them to mob the owner
and tear down his machinery. Second,
the adoption of current water-wheel
OF scarcely greater power, if moro relia-
bic, run by tho natural current of small
stream. Next came the simple duttor-
wheel, to impart motion to which 10
quired tho building Of dams to hold
large bodies of water, which should at
all times be available. But for large
operations tho dutter- wheel was found
to possess too little power. and the over
shot or undershot wheel became neces-
sity, to be superseded later by the adap-
ton OF turbine-wheels, now so much in
favor with mill owners who control
water power. For tho first fifty years
Of our national growth, as we'll a. during
the preceding portion of the worlds his
tory none of the mills were equipped with
anything more than single upright saw
working in gate, and whom another
saw was added, as the inceptive idea of
tho gang, which quickly succeeded with
Its large number of saws, words could
scarcely express the astonishment Of all
who saw the working of the bold innova-
| ton.
Up to this tine, all the lumber which
was manufactured had been edged upon
| the top of the log after It was turned
down; an auxiliary saw was not thought
Of, for the buzz say, Just beginning to
be used, was considered q most danger
GUS piece of machinery. But the m
creased manufacture growing out Of an
increase in the power and an increase in
the number of saws, led to the introduce
ton Of the small circular or ''buzz" saw,
which was at once found to nearly dou-
bic the capacity of the mill. 1t il need
less for as TO enlarge upon the introduce
ton of steam power in the sawmill, or to
follow the original idea of an engine.
6xS inches, attached to the lower end of
the pitman or saw gate, through its sue
cessive stages Of developement and en-
larRemcnt to the present time, when the
Corlisa. or Estes, or other 8well- known
engines, Of q power from ton to q hum
dred times greater capacity than was
the original device, are by the thousand
in numoer engaged in turning out lum-
Der, each in ono season aQgreQatinR n
greater manufacture than were all tho
sswmills OF the country combined at .
period scarcely fifty years in the past.
Tue old gate slw was superseded by
the mulay, with Reduction of friction
equal thirty or fifty per cent increase in
outing capacity. The mulay gave way
- the circular, and with it introduce
ton may be dated the commencement
Of an era which has been prolific Of in
novati0u, improvement, and advantage
to the sawmilD world. As the use IT the
circular became better under TODD, and
men became expert in % dressing it as
to make true lines aud smooth surfaces,
they found themselves able to produce
more lumber in the rough than they
could properly edge and prepare for mar
ket. The old edginR table could not
keep up with the cut Of the saw. This
was romedied by the introduction Of
esnH I wS0a va0 u,. ~o "n Any ~
oonsloctnO'e puNness. o0ulo now Gus
H MI. wv uG W. =. ~ .A ~
eAw coolo % saiely incfeSaeo, tos sns
eane-os, - u vas - ntss AnowI, oOu-
ole -eoRSt va ao9n9nuy sDso 70
Aeep RaCe WIZ ~ a noo wane = ns
capacaty cquA! 20 !UoV 1901 POI nooI ~
aouosiuiIy claimed latsf oeve!opements
nave soown ~ nos : IN ia.sancs o S
ensire seasons wofH u sne ssss OF o'0Vo
ie9r y! nouI. -. .
Inn anclses y capeo! oaalSa ~ :
nose spy ns. - u 11N -. -
ioes ON me O.s .1o suc .S - :.
Iea. soe ~, suu N sas.s.uS y. -. nj
.ent'vo mluos wcs ~ cou0u se.ssc ~. -. n ~
ooRss wcu .ou ~ - ~ y ~ =. ~.
paA0e OF tne lever Anu P.As, oa.v .s, ~
} mauss, Ano sne Mo ~ ~ l o..V
nov nov % oPs!Ase1 W. 'n m. o ;s
metnoo OF oOe2inH sne TX Aae
eer. .ok sutnsn& - oS ~ .asS e.
e weu ~ foinng = on sA.uI, nss soPss
} eeoeo Sao cntnooA suo ~ -.
! power Iosmcriy IeIiso uPoa, wnue ~.
| 010IX U01x