Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1886-01-08

~sserA Lsnser MasufaesareFs. In.
vestsrs and Coed CtsiseaA
lSnohoniah Eva1


Lsxgers. Lamber Ns.vs.~s.r.r
veassrs and Coed Ctsisesa
lsnohonish Eye.l
without dosbt the firn Of BIackman
Bros. A. A. Bisckmsn, Z. Biaokman
and d. Blackman) in their extensive
iomoerine. milling and other Operation
have Gone mere to stimulate the growth
OF ononomish than asy other firm or
INDIVIDUAL that could be named. They
are natives Of Maine, and iscated here
viEn their families in tue fall of 1874.
In the spring of 1915. having secured a
me BODY OF timber surrounding a small
iAke about q mile north of this
place, and also the right of vay for a
iogRi1R road from the timber to the
river, they commenced the eonsts uction
OF the nrst Logging railroad, on which
wooden rails were used, that vas ever
30 snscessfolly operated In the North west.
The nov famous
BLAcxMAs PATENT cAs TBUcx,
Which is the result Of the inventive
genius Of Gap" Biaokman, vas first
used on this road. The ear was brought
to its present state of perfection after
many expensive and discouraeinR fail
ures. This hrm has also patented a To-
conotive for uss With the car. and sey.
erai are nov In snccessfal operation on
the Sound; the one formerly used hy
them In their logging operations at
mockilteo, where with two cars il a.
oendsd and descended q grade of two
feet Ia ten without any difficulty, is nov
doing good work on the railroad which
the Pert Blakely Co. is building frem
the head of the Sound towards Gray's
harber. The railroad and cars intro
oaced by Blackman Bros. are rapidIy
supersedlnR the primitive skid road AZ .
means OF moving logs from the voods
To water, especially in Washington Ter.
rItsry and British Columbia; the mech
ahism OF the car being such that is can
be used On road that costs
but q trifis more than cam.
M N skid road; two span of mules
with a car can haul a. much AZ eight
oxen can en- skIds, and do the work
more easily and quickly; while With an
engine that costs not over twice as much
as hrst class team. quadruple the work
oin b. done. The manufacture of these
cars 10 conducted here and is quite an
important industry, giving employment
10 number OF skIiled werkmsn.
In 1878 each of the three brothers
comprising the frm built what were
then considered the finest residences in
town. Their present store building in
which . profitable general merchandise
business Is conducted was built in 1879.
The foundation of their
STEAM sAwMILL
Was laid in Deoe mber, 1882, and little
less than three months later the FIRST Ioe
was saved. The mill, although small
compared With those of Port Gamble,
Port Blakely and Tacoma, 10 nov one
OF the most complete on the Sound a
shinRle machine and other improved
machinery have been recently added.
When run to it's fall capacity, with a
crew OF twenty men, the mill can nov
turn out q, ,000 feet of rough and dressed
lumber and 1000 shingles daily. since
the shinQle machine was put in last o.
tober. running on three quarters time,
1t has turned out about 1000, 900 shia.
giles. Of this amount 100, ,0O0 have been
shipped To Chicago and 400, 900 to New
YORK the remainder were disposed of
at home and in Seattle. The manufac-
ture OF shingles at this mill promises TO
be an Industry of no mean Importance,
as II 10 the intention of this frm to keep
at least 10000 constantly on hand 90
that ships which require shingles to all
ont cargoss when loading at any Of the
large mill ports, where there are yet no
shingle machines, can have their orders
niled at short notice, the shiBRles being
delivered to them by some of the nu-
merous steamboats, ply inR on this route.
In a few weeks, or as soon as their
present orders for lumber are filled,
Black man Bros. will commence the erec-
ton OF an addition 30xl00 feet to the
south or river side of the mill. This
addition 10 TO afford room for the ma
chinery Of
aRfsT MILL,
Which they will have in running order
before the next harvest season. The
establishment Of this new enterprise
will fill another want long felt by the
people Of this valley, as at present every
pound Of -four and feed consumed here
is imported. Al q low estimate the sam
Of $4,000 10 expended annually in Sno-
homish for -four alone, and probably
bali that sum for feed. IL only enc
fourth OF this total 10 retained and kept
in oirouiatioa here by reason Of this
new and important industry to be es-
tablished by this firm, and the farmers
get fair proportion Of IL for the grain
they raise, We believe that 10 the future
the CRY Of "hard times" will not be
heard 30 often as now. During the past
eight years
THKIR LUMBERrNo OPERATIONS
Have probably been the most extensive
Of any on the lower Sound. This sea-
son they have operated bat two camps ;
these, tsRethsr With the mill and store,
have given employment TO an average
Of about 60 msn-a SMALLER force than
usual. During the year 1885, on se-
count Of forest fires. break downs and
other Academia. the camp and mill
crsws did not put Ia over three fourths
Of the time; yes the Arm paid out some
thing over $4,000 In wages. and ex-
pended over 5000 in improvements TO
their mill, whsrves and other town
property. and the present prospects are
that thess industrious. perseveFing axd
public spirited gentlemen vill expend
nearly double the above amooots in
wages and Improvements during the
coming year.