Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1885-03-18
Cedar Shingles.

White cedar shingles are the curl
osity of the northwestern lumber trade.
They are such for the reason that they
are much better than white pine, and
yet the majority of consumers do not
know it. Men are continually buying
pine roof covering, when they could
purchase just as handily better article
for less money than pine costs. A
special curiosity in connection with
cedar shingles is this, that, while large
proportion of the settlers throughout
the Northwest originally came from
New York, New England, and Canada,
and cut their teeth and gloried in their
first pair of boots under white cedar
single roof, they seem to have for.
gotten all about this material sim &C they
became citizens of the Northwestern
States.
The wholesale lumber dealers give az
reason why cedar shingles arc not
carried in stock more extensively that
there is little demand for them. Nearly
everybody wants pine. The wholesale
dealers, like other merchants, handle
the kind of go DDS there is the more sale
for. But a progressive trader will en-
deavor to educate his customers. This
the pine merchants have not attempted
to do to any great extent as yet.
The lasting quality of good cedar
shingles should insure their dominance
over pine, leaving out any other con-
sideration. 1t is positively asserted by
good authority, that cedar shingles are
less lia'ole to warp than pine, stay where
they ars put better, draw nails less, and
consequently make tighter roof than
pine. In places where pine and cedar
shingles have been used on contiguous
roofs, it has been observed that the pine
roofs look old and dilapidated while yet
the cedar shingled roofs look as well as
when frst'pu on. All who are in any
way acquainted with'the quality of cedar
know that has greatendurance against
the effects of moisture and alternate
moisture and dryness. Cedar is the
favorite wood for posts and pavement
on this account. Cedar shingles on
roofs have been known to last forty
years. There is Single in this office
to-day that was taken from aroof in the
State of Maine, where it had lain forty
years. Half of thesweather end is worn
away, but enough is still there to shed
rain The writer of'this was nutured
in his childhood mder,a cedar roof that
tradition said had lasted fifty years; and
when it was demolished to make way
for new one, the shingles were still
sound, though moss covered and worn.
There is no question but that cedar
shingles are much more durable than
pine.
The quality of lightness In cedar
shingles is greatly in their favor As
material for shipment. The lighter
shingles can be made the more profita-
BILE is their shipment. They are very
dry pine shingles that are made to
weigh but 2i5. Cedar shingles can be
made to weigh but 200 and less pounds
per thousand. This results in great
difference on car load.
In view of the excellence, tho dura-
bility, and the cheapness OF cedar
shingles there can BIO 70 reason why
they should not sell in larger quantity
than pine shingles, unless 1t is that they
are not so extensively manufactured.
The only possible objection to cedar
shingles is that they cannot usually be
made as wide as pine shingles. But
this is not serious objection, since
cedar shingles do not shrink, warp, nor
split as badly as pine, and cedar lays q
roof that stays inplacc better than pine.
NORTHEASTERN Ltn,bermdn.