The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1886-02-20
THE SHOOK INDUSTRY
And IT, ROls.IOu 1, West v.rg,nla--Iaport
ann. =, IA. ua,Iy.I


And It's ROls'Iont, West vIrE'nla-ImpOrt.
AnGo Of Its Revival.
special Correspondence Gf me bItcIgRcU..
WASHINGTON, D. G., Feb, lS.-The rep
resentalive shook men OF West Virginia,
an account OF whose audience with the
Committee Of Ways and Means sent you
a night or two since, have about all re.
tanned home. They feel much encour.
aged with the outlook, and have every
reason to believe that this Congress will
grant such relief as will cause revival Of
this great and important industry. The
mst!Cr is Of great moment to the people
Of West Virginia; as the manufacture and
expectation oi hogghead shocks to the
West Indies has been, and can, with
proper legislation, DO made In tho future
4 leading industry In our State, A very
large ptoportion OF the shook business Of
tho eltiro country is carried on In West
Virginia, and thousands OF people are d.
reCtly CONCERNED init. Indeed, II is stated
that, moro than any other business, the
laboring CLASSES who are engaged in tbts
particular branch ofindustry arc directly
benefited, the profit to the owner and
shipper being very slight The woodsman
who cuts and hauls the timber, the miller
who hauls the slabs, and the cooper who
makes the slaves and prepares the shocks
are all alike interested. 1t IL said that q
hundred thousand families In this Couu-
try We're formerly supported wholly by
this Industry. For many years Richie,
Doddtidge, Taylor, Mineral, Preston,
Marion aud one or two other interior
countieu in West Virginia, Contributed to
the general market the bulk OF the great
number Of shocks produced by West vir-
sinia,
: The reason that our people arc so much
benefited is that the value Of shooks is
wholly due to tho labor, which makes
valuable that which was almost utterly
yslueless bt fire the labor was bestowed ;
for shocks are made OF slahs, laps and
timber that caunot be used for any other
purpose and would Otherwise be wasted,
Or used only for fuel.
WASTE TIMBER.
Thls "waste" timber is gathered up at
the saw mills and by a simply constructed
machine Is turned into slaves. These
slaves are carried to the cooper shops,
which arc Usually annexed to the mills,
Yhero coopC,B ara kept buSily employed
In setting them up into hOR5heAds for the
West Iudia sugar trade. Each hogOhead
| ia s0t IN entire, hOoped and headed. II
is then knocked to pieces and all the parts,
Including hoops and heads, are securely
bound into q compact buudls. This
bundle Is called "shook, aud 1t Is In
this convenient form that tho hogsheadt
are Shipped to Cuba in American ves'
cells, built for the purpose, and are
traded there in part payment for the
us1al cargo OF sugar and nolasses. II may
here lie noted that ntne-tenths Of tho Gu
ban sugar production Ia used in the United
states, Tie large number Of American
vessels thus employed when the shook
business is booming Ia an evidence Of how
a paralysis Of the industry effects the ship.
ping interests, When theER vessels have
no shocks TO Garry they arc not employed
In the West India sugar trade, for they
cannot afford 10 90 to Cuba empty lor 4
cargo otsugar. Tha English tramp" ves.
sels, which ply between America and the
Cuban potta aud carry freight very cheap
| ly, have, therefore, q monopoly OF the
trade. Thus II is seen how our ship
builders, our American satlois and all who
are CONCERNED In any way with the carry.
ing trade, are effected In the prosperity oI
The shook business. Az industry also
contingent 10 this trade is the production
Of hoop.poles, and large numbers Of la'
boring men arc employed iI this brSnCh
alone.
/ GAINED the above information from
members OF The delegation, Some addi'
tional facts, OF an interesting character L
West Virginia people, and points regard
Ing the REMEDY proposed for the present
fiat condition of the shook industry,
ieatned during pleasant conversation
With Hon, Bent. +. Martin, Of Grafton
who WAS chairman ol the delegation, ant
whose Rrgument before the Ways and
Means UommiLtee ] referred toln a Iormei
dispatch.
TiiE CooFERAGE BUsiSKss.
Mt, Martin said. 1.-THE prosperity o
The cooperagO business affects all ClaSsel
Of society To a greater OF less extent, Tht
States Of West Virginia, Maine, Nev
liampshire, Vermont, Michigan, New
YOtk, Kentucky, Virginia, POnnsylvauit
and Tennessee, are all interested, becaus'
they grow the white pine, hickory, spruce
Whlts OAK, red oak, henlock, tC,--tht
wood which enters into tue cooperagt
business. Ship owners aud builders, ou
lpetChantinarine, and perhaps 10000
lAbOring men are deeply Interested In thl
success Of this buslneas." !"
"What have been the greatest dimen
sions 10 which this indultfy attained, AM
what ls the cause oi It's present lnaC
IiyllyP
. nnhIin,InA Ma Marlin Mlhn hhrnk u dti .