Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1886-11-12
VOLUME XXVI--NUMBER so.
Early Sawmills.

rev OF the present generation OF
lumbermen are aware Of the antiquity
OF the saw, and yet how recent its use
in the manufacture of lumber
Among the most ancient rude Egyp-
tlan pictures of implements of indus
try are saws for cutting stones. These
are pictured as rude oblong plates of
iron or bronze, with rough or Jagged
edges, fastened in frame, which not
only served to keep them in desired
position for use, but for handles by
which the workmen could more easily
manipulate them. But their use for
reducing logs and timber to planks,
boards and scantling is about as mod
ern as the discovery Of America; es-
pecially their successful use by the
motive power of wind or water. For
shaping marble and other stones, rude
saws were so used in the fourth CEN
tury in both the north and south of
Europe. The Spaniards had such
mills in Madeira in 1920. They were
in use in Britain in 1927; in Norway
during 1920; in Rome in 1856. The
Bishop of Ely (the British Minister to
Rome in 1860 describes one to Queen
Mary, which he had seen in operation
in Lyons. The means used to vibrate
the saw (the cranky he likened to the
handle of a hand organ" and the
frame on which the material was fixed
to hold it steady to the saw he likened
to ga ladder" In 1896 the Hollanders
had SO improved machinery as to saw
and grind both by wind and water
power.
Soon after the Dutch had purchased
Manhattan Island, now New York
city, of the aborigines, (22,OOO acres
for so guildcrs, $24) the Director Gen
eral, Peter Minnuit, caused to be erect
ed both wind and water mills to saw
lumber and to grind Indian corn.
These mills were in operation on Man
haitian Island as early as 1926. At
that time there was also Il stream of
water on that island large enough,
part of the season, to drive several
mills, and was for many years known
as Mill Creek. These were the first
mills in the great State of New York,
probably the first on the continent of
America. In 1924, when New York
city had a population of $4,000, the
State had 2,264 grain mills and 5,195
sawmills. Sixteen years later her saw
mills outnumbcred those of any other
State, being 1856.
During the successful introduction
of sawmills into various parts of the
New World, British hand-sawyers were
placing practical veto upon their in
PRODUCTION into any part of that tight
little isle" In 1868 company of en-
terprising spectators employed an i'll
genious Dutchman to build sawmill
in London, but the opposition of the
hand-sawyers was SO emphatic that the
enterprise was abandoned. More than
one hundred years after this, in 1767,
a sawmill operated by wind was put in
successful operation at Limehouse,
England, but was very soon after de-
stroyed by mob. A similar effort
was made in the south of Scotland
about the same time, but with similar
results.
But so scarce were labOrers in the
new colonies of America, and SO much
was lumber needed, that skillful mill
wrights were in great demand and la
bor-saving machinery at premium.
Early settlers of the forests OF the
northeastern colonies cut logs and
fioated or drew them by their teams to
the mills for onc-half the lumber pro-
duced. The owner of the mill deemed
himself entitled to the other half and
all the refuse for the saving.
The first sawmill put in operation
within what is now known as Massa-
chusetts, was in 1888, dozen years
after the landing of the Pilgrims on
Plymouth rock. But subsequent emf
grants, to people New Hampshire and
Maine, who had landed at Portsmouth,
got mill in operation at Salmon Falls
during 1634-5. These mills served
for both sides of the Piscataqua river,
emptying into Portsmouth harbor,
from which, in subsequent years, great
quantities of lumber and timber were
shipped to the West Indies and other
parts of the New World.
Maine, east of the Picataqua, had,
as early as 1852, "a sawmills, whose
owners sold lumber at 19 shillings per
1000 feet. In 1910 Maine reported
1900 mills and lumber worth $40 per
1000 feet. During these 158 years all
other property, as well as the popula-
ton of Maine, had appreciated similar
ly in value. Yet during many of these
early years Qrom 1915 to 1890 the In
dians and the French from Canada
killed many of the inhabitants and
burned all the mills into which
they could thrust torch. These ma
raudsrs also took back with them to
Canada numerous captives, and held
them until their friends could redeem
them. Among these captives was a
man named Sawyer. an ingenious mill
wright. Having proofs of his skill, the
Canadians offered him his liberty on