The Brookhaven leader., 1884-10-23
Lumber Icterests Of Lincoln
County.

full data in regard to the lumber
business Of this county as we would
like, but still enough has been gath
cred To give the reader very fair
estimate OF its present and future
importance.
The lumber interest Of Lincoln |
county Is perhaps its most impor-
tant industry. The county is large
" covered with the finest of tim
Der, but as vet the pine alone has
been manufactured into lumber.
Along the line Of the Illinois Cen
trial Railroad quite 9 number OF
mills have been operating since the
war and there are now in operation
81 steam saw mills, some of which
are very fine and OF extensive ca
pscity. The pine is mostly the
Iong-leaf yellow variety, though the
short-leaf is to be found; probably
predominating in the western part
of the county. This timber is es-
pecially valuable and the lumber
men Of this section have within the
last few wears succeeded in creating
quite a demand for their lumber in
the Chicago and other Western
markets. and this too not withstand
ing the. encountered quite serious
"pp"sition--an opposition based on
An ignorant prejudice. Carpenters
concluded that it was too heavy, too
hard to work, so full Of rosin that it
would not take paint. and SO on,
enumerating probably dozen spe-
ci"ul objections. The only ohjec-
ton ever made, however, which was
founded on any fact was The com
! plant that our lum ber-men were too
careless in saving and that South.
ern lumber rated only in the lower
trades Now, however, this ohjec.
tion has largely been met; our hest
mills manufacture lumber of the
fine~t grades, and they have learned
that by inatten,ion To proper saw
iny money is lost not only 10 the
mill which puts low grades on the
market, hut the prejudice against
lumber from this section is increas-
pd The timber of this section il
for many purposes so SUI erior to
that 81 the Northwest that it Is not
to he compared with it. Here our
mills can furnish lumb-r thirty to
forty feet long with the greatest
ease and lumber even longer is fire.
qnently furnished. For car stills
our uuter j. without a rival. This
class of lumber is now largely drawn
'rora this section; Lincoln county
furnishing I'D much as any county
IN n" Sou II. The railroads of the
entire country north Of the OH"
RIVER are supplied with cars The
silss OF which are obtained from
southern Pine. Tie Pullman Com
parry "b,.in their supply from this
county. The opinion of our mill meu
VIII" are thoroughly posted j., that not
exceeding "he-four.h, probably not
more thsu one-eighLh Of one pine
timber OF the county has been
touched.
As ahnve stared there are now in
constant operation 81 mills, be>id q
one extensive enterprise (the Brook
haven Lumber Manufacturing Com
pany) devoted exclusively to dr, SIS
ing lumber, growing, &c. Five of
these SAW mills are operating patent
dry kilns or houses, which greatly
aids /" the value of the lumber.
The best rs innate we have been able
To make leads Us To fix the average
nun her Of car loads If lumber shi,
ped by Lincoln county mills per an
nu's At l050O That many car
loxis ~err shipped last year and
the year before. The average num-
her Of feet per car load is 5000 A
crmputation vii show the immense
qnahii'y Of lumber furnished bv the
'unty. ami remembering that moi
exceeding IN, fourth Of the timber
has been tonched. some estimate of
the future Importance of this indus
try can be formed. The average
numh"r Of hands employed by III. sc
mills is %. Quite a number Of tram
WAYS or horse railroads have heen
,x,endeh from the Illinois Central
I" the MILL, and two steam rail
roads Tone Of them "a well con
-trnc'ed "a the Illinois Central it,
s'lf extend length of eight miles
| ra1 h Intn I he fOinSt ulnpu uh;b