Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1883-07-29

OF dr are natives Of this region. Il
qoanf1ey and value the Or exceeds a
the other species combined. Ceda
; ranks second In this respect. Both Wit
regard to hight and symmetry of forr
Ine trees attain an unusual developneni
Ine trees are % tail, straight andAape
J 90 gradually that they are peouIiarl
fitted for masts and spars. Not infre
] quenflv the yellow fr u $50 feet hiah
the pine 120 to l60 feot, the silver ar Is
fest, white cedar 100 feet, white oak Il
feet and black spruce LEO feet. Tree.
Of ordinary size yield from 600 h
S0OO fest each. Some produce a. hiRi
az 1900 fest. The product Of the sav
mills 10 shipped TO San Francisco, tbs
Sandwich Islands, Mexico, the Pacific
coast Of South Amerioa, Australia, and
even to England, France, China and
japan.
| NUMBER AND CAPACITY OF sAwMILLs.
The first sawmill ever started in
Washington Territory. vas in l845, by
Colonel Michael T. Simmons, who has
boon appropriately named the "Daniel
Boone Of Puget Sound" This was be-
fore Oregon and Washiraton had been
divldod and when the whole vast region
Of the North Pacific Vas known a. HOr-
egUn Territory" Colonel Simmons
started his mill at Tumwater, near
Olympia. In 1851 J. 8. MoAllister built
a sawmill at Nesquaily and from this
mill the drst sawed lumber was shipped
from Puget S0ond in the fall of the
Same year. From this insignificant
commencement q great industry has
sprung up, which, with the exception of
GOAL, Is the greatest and most important
Of all others that have been developed
on Puget Sound. In 1851 the first steam
savmill was built ON Puget Sound, with
a capacity of 1000 feet daily. Two years
later steam sawmill was erected in Se-
attic with daily cutting capacity of
from 5000 to 10000 feet. Since then the
business and facilities have wonder
fully augmented. OF the fifteen large
savmills now in operation ON the Sound
the one at Port Ludlow has the greatest
capacity. The other mills are located
at Port Gamble, Port Madison, Port
Blakely, Port Discovery, Seabeck, Utsa-
lady, Tscoma, and New Tacoma. The
remainder are ct Seattle. 1t is eetimated
that the daily cutting capacity of these
mills is something over 100000 feet.
At present the Puget Sound mills have
a capacity for turning out the following
number of feet per day: Port Gamble,
10000 feet; Port Ludlow, 20O, 600; Utsa-
lady, 10000; Port Madison. $1,000; Port
Blakely, 10000; Tacoma, 10000; Sea.
beck, 10000; Milton, $1,000; Port Dis
.covery, 6O.00O; New Tacoma, 1900; two
mills at Seattle, $1,000; Whatcom, 49,
OOO. Most of these mills are run at
their full capacity. Some Of the logs
sawn are of enormous size and fre-
quently over 100 feet long. Generally
planning mills are connected with the
sawmiils and dressed building lumber
is procured as required. Each mill ia
admirably situated with a view to econ
omical production and nearly every one
of them comprises town of itself, with
stores. shops, steam tugs, lumber ves-
sells and dwellings, owned by the mill
companies.
EASY ACCESS TO TIMBER.
The existing conditions of numbering
on Puget Sound could hardly be more
favorable. For the most part the for
est' remain in virgin condition, except
for short distance from the banks Of
the streams and e6tuaries. The shores
are not 80 abrupt as TO prevent the easy
handling of timber and the harbors are
numerous, deep and we'll sheltered. The
hardships, losses and delays incident to
long, severe winters. are unknown. Any
quantity Of logs may be d0ated down
The rivess tith0ut dnugsr Of Q sndden
rise and the breaking Of booms. By
clearing the river channel of drift, both
logs and lumber may be run ont for
long distances. Rats may be towed
with ease ON the waters Of tho Sound,
with only the ebb and flow of the tide to
consider in moving them to points of
shipment. Logging and milling give
employment to several thousand work
ingmen. The value Of logs is constant
~ increasing and the demand for lum-
bef will continue to augment when rail-
roads to the interior will add new mar
kets to the great foreign demand. II is
very doubtful il the fir forest of West
ern Washington will ever be exhausted.
Fir possesses not only wonderful vital
ity, but Is different from the pine grow
ing in the East in that il perpetuates its
own species. While in the East pine is
succeeded by growth Of deciduous
trees, the fr of Puget Sound is always
followed by growth Of its own species.
So rapid is this growth that instances
are not rare where fields, cleared from
the forest for cultivation and afterwards
abandoned, are covered in short time
by young irs, which produce an impen-
etrable thicket, which in twenty years
will develop into trees from twelve to
fourteen inches in diameter. N.
Seattle, w. T., July 18th, 1888.