New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-08-14
4 GREAT LUMBER Trust IN TIE VEST
IT is SAID TO CONTROL so0,0ooooo AND TO BE
BACKED BY GERMAN CAPITALISTS

IT Is SAID TO CONTROL 600 AND TO BE
BACKED BY GERMAN CAPITALISTS
Chicago, Aug ia dispatch from Minneapolis
saws: The details Of one Of the most gigantic trusts
devised have Just TO the surface in this CITY,
1t is combination Of all the principal lumber INFER
ests of Minnesota and those OF Wisconsin.
Frederick Weyerhauser, the rich luniberman, who
has already secured control OF all the pine lands trb
utary TO the Chippewa and Menomnee rivers, In WIS
consln. is at the head of the deal short time ago
he bought up the controlling Interest OF all the big
lumber firms and pinc-land in Northern Wis
consin and has absolute control Of the lumber
business in that section He Is at the head OF tho
Mississippi Logging Company, the headquarters OF
which at Eau Claire, Wis. The company Is now
said control about sec. 600 ,00O invested in lumber
ard pine lands. and is backed by heavy capitalists OF
Berlin. The company owns about o, oo0,C0o.o0o
of stumpage in Wisconsin. and II is understood on
good authority that nearly much more is now being
secured on large of Minnesota stumpage. and
agents OF the syndicate are securing the country to
get all there is In sight.
1t Is that I. B. Walkcr, the largest pineland
in Minnesota, has given an option on all tho
stumpage he owns. He was approached by the synd-
cate few days AGO and asked If he would sell his
lands. He did not want TO sell, but named price
about double the market value of bis lands at the
present time surprising II would not be accepted but
to his SURPRISE three days later the syndicate took
his offer He owns about 1900 100000 feet OF stump
ago. The other biz Dino-land owners who are said 10
have been approached for options their lands are
the PnlsbuIys, who own 100000 feet; Camp &
Walker, the Itasca Lumber Company Captain s. r.
Snyder, II. {. Ackley, Gaylord & Cook. All these
parties, except T. walker, deny that they have given
options on their lands, but decline to talk about the
deal II the Wisconsin syndicate succeed In getting al
the lands they are after. 1t VIII require capta OF
nearly SEQ. 100000 to carry It, r ,,,.,,s
spoi down over the falls at Minneapolis and erect
here last spring, some Of the big booms wcro broken
and the logs went over the dam and foated into the
that they could sell these logs better advantage be-
low tho falls than above, as they were nearer Inc
Southern lumber trade and the present deal started
from that discovery 1t is understood that some lines
are encouraging the deal for obvious reasons.
The prevailing ocinlon among lumber dealers In this
city, when the above dispatch SHOWN them yes
terday, was that the New-York market would be
affected very little present by tho trust though
It IN hit be In tie future. The assigned for this
is that NcwYoik Is not considered larc lumber
kct, the trade being chiefly export and most of tho
lumber arriving here being In transit for foreign
countries. Chicago, however, is the great lumber
market OF the United States and prices will undoubted
ly be affected there by the Minneapolis combination
The Chicago trade consists almost wholly Of white
pine lumber, which usually goes for home consump-
ton, though there is export By way of Canada.
This trust being altogether Of white pine tim
Der, the Chicago market is about the only one to be
affected. The class OF pine handled by New-York
dealers Is tho yellow pitch pine OF the Southern
States. In reference 10 this, Of the dealers said
yesterday
The formation of this trust does not surprise
NE in the least, for there have been combinations
in almost every other kind Of timber for time.
Ia yellow pine there has net beso exactly combine
but sort OF mutual agreement among dealers 10 keep
prices at certain standard The combination In
California redwood is probably the strongest In the
world and doubt II the Minneapolis trust can equal
it. The tendency Of the white pine trade has for
a long time been to get into stronger hands OF
course, It will affect prices In the West, for those
men have bought UP all Of the available stumpago
or standing timber, and will naturally sell 1t of In
retail lots at big profit The Eastern markets Will
be protected TO a largo extent By tho big raft boom
which has Just begun. Why isn't New York so good
a market as Chicago? Well, there are several rcar
sons. The main difficulty is that we can't secure
yards OF the required space without paying an
enormous price. Where yard hero Will hold
I,C0O, 600 cubic feet, you will find plenty OF them
In Chicago that will hold 2O,00o,000 cubic feet.
Another thing that not only handcaps us, but Is also
gradually taking export trade away from us Is
that all of timber has 10 be shipped first by rail
to ew-Jersey, and then transferred by lighters,
which is great iIicJnyeneHcc delay and expense
| have known the time when had TO walt three
weeks before could get lighters to transfer con-
sgnIacDt OF lumber The Tivcl.'