The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1885-02-25
THE ELK RIVER BOOM.
rnE OTHER SIDE OF TIIE STORY

Q THE OTHER SIDE OF THE STORY
3 Told by the Manager of the Boom Company.
/. The Boom Claimed to be Not the Un.
mixed Evil IT Has Been Represented.
: Facts About the Lumber Trade.
} Major Bradford, Manager Of the Elk
River Boom Company, and large stock
holder in the concern, met an ISTELLI-
GEScER reporter yesterday, and told him
his story Of the movement to repeal the
exclusive clause of his company's char.
ter. Major Bradford says that In the first
place there is not one dollar Of the stock
Of the company owned in Pennsyiyania,
or outside OF Charleston. The bin now
pending in the Legislature, II passed, he
asserts would ruin the lumber business Of
Charleston, and consequently strike a
heavy blow at the interests Of the yery
section for whose benetit the passage Of
the bill is urged by its friends.
Hesays there is now no timbefcut on
the main stream, the forests all having
been cleared; but all the timber that is
ioated on the stream is cut up on the
tributaries. Forty or fifty people are en-.
gagged In numbering in the section covered
by the company's franchise. Each man
brands his logs with his trade mark, and
they'are all floated down on the periodic
lreshets. Generally the ends OF the logs
become covered with mud, and TO fish
them out and ascertain whose property
they are is no easy work. IL each man
were TO do this for himself at boons
scattered along the stream inextricable
confusion would arise and no mans logs
would be secure.
"This bill,'' continued AIsjor Bradford,
"is not asked for by the helumbermenIof tha
country. II Is in the interest OF parties
who have little sawmills along thestreams,
and who desire to construct booms OF their
own TO stop the logs at their mills"
"Now just think" he went on, "there
are usually about four rises a year in
the Elk when logs can be hoated out.
About 100000 logs come ont annually.
VI these, one concern In Charleston buys
and cutsabout 30; 900, andthere are eleven
others which take the other 10000. You
see how impossible it would be for the
people 10 do their own booming. These
loo, 1000 logs, II tloated out In RATS, an av-
erage OF 25,000 on each frcshet, would re-
quire 500 RATS each time, and these would :
take four men each-a force OF 1000 men
in all, whomust be gathered at a moment'a
notice. You will readily see that's out OF
the question:"
"our company would willingly build
booms along the stream II they were de-
manded, but they are not. The people up
there prefer to raft around the boonls, and
We would get no toll.n D ~.
AS TO the idea tnat the Legislature de-
priyed the people OF the franchises and
conferred them on the company,'' con.
tiuued the Major, "that is erroneous. The
franchises werc created by the act which
incorporated the company. Previous to.
that time no person had right TO boom
the Elk. We charge Sl.50 boomage per
thousand-95 or 30 cents a log. We arc
satisfied with this though there is no
great profit in It: ! got into the company
by being a CREDITOR
This assault upon US reminds mo, by
the spirit which actuates it, OF different
kind Of an occurrence which happened
down there some time ago. Below our
boom was lock and dam CONSTRUCTED by
q Pennsylvania,syn OF which Don
Cameron. was the head. 1t caused slack
water pool niHe miles llong, on which n
steamboat could run, and which was
great advantage 10 our boom. Mr.. Molla-
han, OF Charleston, was oyer in Pennsyl-
yania trying to buy the dam and perfect
It, when o mob, many OF the memters
having no interest whatever in navigation
OF the stream, tore out about a hundred
feet OF the dam and let the water out. I
was actually indicted for taking part in
that mob, and one OF its ringleaders sat
on the grand Jury which indicted mel
Nov 70 show you,n Major Bradiord
pursued, "what view is taken OF this by
some OF the people affected, here Is q let
ter from Charleston, in the interest OF one
Of the largest lumber mills there, asEinga
member OF the House TO exert all his in
iluence to defeat the bill introduced by
MIR. Morrison, as its passage would grayely
at Charleston, the construction OF other
ing lumber destined for Charleston at least
one freshet. slG sI .it
"Here is another letter, from large
lumber firm, which says: sThe passase
Of this bill would eventually prove t6e
ruin Of the lumber business OF Charleston.
fos the reason that II others are allowed 10
boom the river there will not be sufficient
business for the present Boom Company
TO justify 1t in keeping up It's boom. Will
that gone We wouh lose most II not all OF
tho logs we get from up the Elk y
Here is still stronger letter, from tho
largest lumber firm OF Charleston, show
ing from the history Of The business there
that II owes Its existence, almost, certain.
ly its present great proportions, to our
BOOM but will not trouble you by real-
ing i, lmerely wish to convince you
and tho, public that there are two sides TO
this case,p t'7 i7'''fi