Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1888-11-02
special Correspondence

ApnDer market, as commonly spoken OF, III
oludes the trade, both wholesale and retail,
of Manhattan Island, Brooklyn and
Jersey City. Within that territory
there are pa firms, corporations
and individuals engaged in han
ding lumber, of which 203 are located
in New York, thirty five in Brooklyn and
six in Jersey City. The various divisions
Of the trade are known as exporters,
wholesalers, commission men and yard
dealers The New York trade is sub
divided into tifty-one wholesalers, twenty
nine commission dealers, fifteen dealers
in export lumber and 10S retail yards,
where the general variety of building and
manufacturing lumber is sold. The CAPT
at not less than $12, 900 900, and the
annual sales at at least $iO,OOO,0O
From these figures it will be at
once observed that the handling of lum-
Der In New York is q gigantic industry,
standing inferior only to iron and coal.
80 quietly and unostentatiously is this
vast business conducted that the daily
papers fail to comprehend its magnitude,
and while we read detailed daily reports
of the cotton and coffee markets, we
rarely see any mention of lumber, albeit
Its sales far exceed that of the commodities
named. Few there are who ever stop to
SOAItIlp Iduc OI lut UlllpullI VI llIlDCT lduQ
that has been denuded to supply the bill
ions of feet of lumber that have been con-
sumed in the construction of houses,
stores, bridges and docks in this great city,
while the somewhat minor consumption for
street and elevated railways, manufacture
ing industries coaches carriages and cars
is almost beyond conception. Who ever
stops to consider that within radius Of
eight miles of our city hall the product
of thousands of acres of timber land are
submerged beneath our docks and referred
to by the simple word piling?
The seeker for reliable statistics con-
corning the annual receipts of lumber in
the New York market will search in vain
Several attempts have been made to com
pile such, but from the nature of the
trade it was found to be utterly impossi-
bic to prepare q statement that would be
accepted by those most interested as of
any real value Even if it was possible
to correctly state the amount of lumber
received during the year, it would by no
means indicate the actual amount of bust
ness tran sacted, as sales are made amount
ing to millions of dollars annually, where
the lumber is shipped direct from the mill
to purchasers outside the market. In
placing the annual sales of lumber in New
iOAh az s'',uOV,NNNj L simply ItIltNl luS
views of various dealers in the trade who,
in an unofficial way, have obtained data
from many of the largest firms, and from
such agreed upon an approximation for
the remainder of the trade, not forgetting
to throw off a round sum to make the
estimate well within bounds.
The retail or yard trade of New York
is In the hands of 109 firms and indiyld-
uals, and the Majority are located along
the water front on both the North and
East rivers. Lumber shipped from the
mills by car is delivered in bulk, on light
ers by all the railroad lines to any dock
within what is known as the lghterage
limits, which extend from the Battery to
Seventy second street on the North river,
and SiXtythird street on the East river.
Beyond the limits an extra charge is
made. The increase in value of property
along the water front has gradually driven
the dealers TO locating on docks north Of
Fourteenth street. where rents are less
oppressive and more ground can be util-
lied, thus rendering it unnecessary to
pile stock excessively high. The largest
retail lumber yards In New York contain
from 5000 900 to 100000 feet, the aver
age of all is probably not over / 800 600
feet, and the steady flow of disburse-
ments is made good by an equally unin-
terrupted stream of arrivals. There are
many yard dealers who confine their deal
lngs entirely to soft woods-that is, white
pine, spruce and hemlock-whilc others
deal only in hard woods and we also find
few who combine everything in the
lumber line ~
In the wholesale trade there are firms
handling only yellow pine, that is, the
pitch pine of the southern states Others
operate only in spruce, obtained mostly
from Maine and the provinces. A few
deal exclusively in hard woods, and obtain
supplies from Ohio, Indiana Kentucky,
Tennessee, the Virginias and North Caro-
lima. The hard woods of Michigan and
Canada cut very small figure in this
market; but what is known as state
stock" that is, native wood, found largely
in Herkimer and adjoining counties, finds
q ready sale among q few classes of con-
sumers. Wholesalers are those who pur-
chase stock from the mills and sell to
yard dealers Commission dealers secure
consgnments from mill men having lum-
Der and confidence and dispose of it for a
commission of per cent Exporters are
not lumber dealers, and the handlers Of
export lumber are not exporters. This
statement may appear devoid of sense,
but the explanation Is simple In all the
foreign markets there is a well defined and
unwayering standard Of grading which
can be mastered only by years of practical
contact with such duty. The handlers
Of export lumber in New York have men
employed known as inspectors, who are
proficient in that part Of the business, and
they do nothing but sort lumber as it ar.
rives at the dock, and when that Is done
1t is piled and awaits shipment. Export
ers are the individuals who receive orders
and act as agents for buyers in foreign
markets. Such agents place orders with
dealer in export, or shipping grades, and
when the lumber has been Tailed and
loaded on board a vessel, the agent in New
York pays the bill. Thus the dealer in ex
port stock really has nothing to do with
exporting, and seldom has direct dealings
with the foreign buyer. A fair idea Of the
amount of lumber exported from New
York may be gained from the following
figures, which represent the amount O
lumber exported from the port of New
York for the present year up to Aug. 81