Northwest enterprise. [volume] (Anacortes, Wash. Ter.) 1882-1887, 1882-04-08
vumberipg ON Pugct sound.

IEere Is constant anu repeated inquiry
FOR information concerning the numbering
Industry of Washington territory, the
satisfaction of which devolves largely
upon the territorial press.
The great timber region of the terri
tory lies west OF the Cascade mountains,
and takes IN substantially all the country
20 the Pacific ocean, from the Columbia
river on the south TO British America on
the north--from 40 TO 220 miles long
and from ITO 70 $50 miles wide. There
can be found fir, pine, spruce, hemlock,
oak, ash, alder, maple, cedar, cottonwood
and numberless other varieties; these
named, though, being more than nine
tenths the whole They cover perhaps
two thirds the whole country, about 15,>
900 square miles or 100000 acres.
The yield per acre varies immensely, rang
ing from 5000 to 10000 feet per acre to
$4,000 to $4,000. When the fir timber is
particularly heavy and fine, the quantity
per acre occasionally runs to 100000 to
100000 and even to 100000 Who'll
quarter sections can easily be obtained
that will average $4,000 icet per acre, or
100000 feet to 100 acres. We think it
safe enough to average the timber pro
duct of 100000 acres at 10000 feet
per acre, and aggregate it 100000
feet. Adding the two parts, we may SAT-
by assume the standing timber OF the
territory to be equal in quantity to 400,
000,000,U00 feet The annual cut does
not at present exceed $50 zoe, 900 feet, at
which rate we have supply good for
1900 years. The cut, however, will from
this on increase rapidly, until in 1887
probably 50O,O00joOO feet will be cut, and
in 1892 perhaps 1,00O,00o,000. In Wis
consin and Michigan the annual cut is
now 1900, 100000 feet, at which rate our
timber supply would last only 100 years.
The standing timber in the territory of
Washington, as above calculated, is fully
equal TO the consumption of the whole
United States during the past hundred
years, and its value at $40 per thousand
reet is $4,000, 100000, or more than the
value of all the taxable property in the
combined states of New York and
Pennsylvania in 1882.
Along the Columbia river are number
of saw mills, as also in the Cowlitz and
CT ehalis country, between the Sound and
the river. With single exception these
are small affairs. At Gray's Harbor, on
the ocean coast, large saw mill is in
course of construction, and that Others
will speedily follow there and elsewhere
in the wooded regions is certain.
The chief and heavy numbering on the
Pacific slope is done right here, within u
radius of sixty miles of Seattle, and the
principal part within thirty. The lead
ing mills of the Sound. when all worked,
have cutting capacity easily enough of
100000 feet per diem, or. 300, 900, 900
per annum. Three of them cut each over
100000 feet per day, and fourth is being
put in condition to cut over 100000,
while the three first referred to when their
works now I'm Ter way are completed, will
cut 100000 feet a day between them.
Several of these mills are truly immense
establishments; working over hundred
then, having logging camps working a
hundred more, and having from one to
four steamboats,, and from six to twenty
sail ships in theft service belonging to
the same owners. They are surrounded
by whole towns, in which are hotels and
stores, churches, schools and secret socie-
ties, and population of men, women
and children from two hundred and fifty
to five hundred in number.
Logging has heretofore been conducted
on small but ever extensive scale. In
Its earlier stages, twenty years or more
ago, it was small and cheap business
compared with what it is to-day. Two
or three men banded together and cut
trees along the sheres. The logs Or piles
they rolled into the bay, formed them
into little RATS and sold them to the mills,
For good many years there was no such
thing as buying timber land. No one
was here to watch the governments in
terests, and everybody thought it was all