New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-03-16
FIFTY YEARS OF NUMBERING.
THE DELAWARE VALLEY FORESTS GONE.
THE INDUSTRY OF FOUR COUNrlFs-PINF AND
HRMLOCR MARKETED.

HKMlfOth NAhhIlED'
HoNEspALE, Wayne Co., Penn, Feb. %
Fifty years ago tho counties Of Wayne and PIKE In TINS
State and Delaware and Sullivan. in New-iork State
produced eighteenth Of the sawed lumber OF the two
states and ne-eshty-third OF that produced in the
United States It was al market by RATS on The
Delaware River The forests Of these four Delaware
Valley counties we're "a then any in the yet M
inhabited Far We3t aud yielded Tho choicest and largest
specimens OF tho pine. 1hoso forests being tIayefsed Tor
miles by nsysbo tributaries of tue Delaware ia each OF
tho countes named easy and cheap thoroughares
from tho remotor forests to the banks Of the main
stream which, In NTn afforded uninterrupted aud
free highway philadelphia and intermediate markets.
These facilities FOR sporator attracted the attention
Of Lumber operators than century ago and the on
slaughts OF the woodmsn on tho forests have been ierce
and persistent Cyel since The dense pine Wilderness
that the first settler, odld In the valley aud its adjacent
REGION tributary IT, with-ood the nroads OF the lum-
herman for seventy years.
The pleLclan hemlock FOR more than half century
considered worthless intcropor In the domain OF its
cousin the prucoly pine. bat to-day Is comman lug
higher price Ia the market shan which much OF the best
quality OF pine brought in the carly days OF numbering IN
the valley.
It i, estimated that the pine forests Of tue four Della
ware Valley counties produced 1000 100000 feet OF
lumber before thoy were exhausted This was cut
saved RATED aud delivered In Philadelphia aud other
markets 40 an average price OF $40 per 700 feet thus
sI2OOOOOO II By any possibility these forests could
have been preserved for fifty years their value would
have had ut east ourfod increase Pine lumber is now
imported Tor consumption. where these great forests
once stood, at cost Of $50 per 1000 feot.
The pine numbering business virtually came to an end
IN the Doloware Valley Ia $780, although Tor tenor fl
teen years thereafter 10 continued to extent Ia
few favored localities. tract Of pine timber Is now
curiosity IN the region With the extinction OF the pine
tho hemlock which had been gradually asserting it, int
portance several years became the staple product Of
the Delaware lumber regions. The virgin heml0ck for
o,t Of TIE tour counties Sill more dense than the
pine had been the being OF enormous srth and
height.
IL the palmy days of pine numbering there were no
circular saw mills but only primitive upright mills The
circular pills came ia with tie bcock dynasty the first
ono having been erected IN this county hy-hye wears
AGO By the late G Murray OF Narrowsburg, sullivan
County y Y Others rapidly followed until there were
scores Of them equal the task Of reducing 10000 feet
OF logs into boards each day The result has been much
more rapid exhaustion of the lemock than that which
followed tho attacks the pine There Is to-day hut
small area Of original hemOck timber standing IN the
valley aud that is IA the hand, of two OF three individual
operators Operations In the hcmlock woods nave peen
especially active during the past twenty i've years
Such was tie with The pine numbering, more timber
having been cut end manufactured during the Last
twenty years OF the business than the fifty previous ones
Fifteen years ago the henlock lumber sent down the
Dci PfycT amounted 10 OF over
100 OOOOOO feet But markets had been opened mp by
railroads which took as much as oOOOOOOo leet more
rom e re9lon IN 10 " VIZ ny, oou3 a1tto @ t
over 1OOOOOOOO feet Rats we're oflslhaH run rom
Deln on the Vest Branch OF the Delaware but II has
been Iuauy years since any have stan ted above walton
and few have been run IRON tdt pom! during Ia, pdst
ten years The East Branch drains what was decade
ago r primitive wilderness in sullivan and Delaware
counties but which f. now mn ute pt'ter IMAM '''t
field OF stunps Oh tracts oil sccoud-rate timber.
For ten sears with the exception OF tnG l''t IIee me
pay the cost OF production; but The work of stripping
th'- naturally seems waste not only Of money
bur material. but the umbermcn claim That they have
had no other open 10 them becalse lie bark ON
immense tract, OF timber had been purchased by tanners.
who knowing other use FOR tine hemocE. aud caring
under their cou act. and snip them u their bark Inc
timber felcd md peeled soon becomes unmarried
staudun timer did to demoralIC ne lumber buel
ness OF Delaware, and to hasten o.. liquidation of
most savage demands VI the uNcuOus saNmil- through
out The valley could have possibly Effected but with
too and thc leading tanning region IN the
Union rs nov Of very si5ht importance iu u Industry
Target caturr-ploduing county In the United states
mud had the lec,t tluucry then in the world Most ~
the LEADING establishment, IN WAYNE Sullivan aud FiAe
counties hHve closed tor want of bark
Iat tie n,Inlocf forests ol tue Delaware valley are
the foregoing figures of he rafting operations OF IG|
lcar- i-o with thooe Oh '- Ncar' when under unusually
~ ,iMT, linen rr, NJ 1ir,,E his cni,fv Zen fbis
ierior quality that ic" year, ago II would not nave
been pat Tie market The shipments by ta IN 1853
were about lJOOOOOO feet. The county Va, secured
fir ana Ia make mp the lumber supply ol tie
Delaware Valley last year Tho accounts from tue ni-
bc regions this TO the effect Tat s icss
amount VII, Ice RATED than last
When the lumber business at is height, not less
than 10000 persons employ ed ~ choppers, SAW
ycrs and ra-eu ana most Of the towns and
valleys owed their support H not their existence. to the
industry During favorable spring frC -hct II was not
uncommon tlng for 300 rats To pass down the
river IeQurng the services or 10 least 1000 men A
Ion as the frsnet was RATS constantly
IN sig any point along the river between Hancock
and tdoWRteg OF t,NOrns, maintained solely by
aud for tho custom OF raamcn, were ~ he found ~
favorable localities for tying up on the way TO fha-
deyhia aud they AL enriched their propieOIs These
rAilsueL brRwny. rough, uucOuth, powerful men,
lmpervious 10 weather aud without such word ioI
"a their vocabulary Although they annually paid
In the aggregate between ~ 900 and 100000 fOI
taking the rats market II 10 doubtful II Que tenth Of
that money found tr way back 70 tho lumber re-
gon. Tue bulk OF il was regularly lolt Ia Philadelphia
OF some other CITY tho Taaman once there bound
to see tho sights" Th0ro probably not more than
$500 porsOus nov engaged Ia tho entru Delaware lunl
Der ei0ns; and may VI Tho Villages arr almost do
sorted