The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1892-07-28

enough to make 1t OF pfactlcal Vdioo'
British Columbia contains
Large Forests of Douglas Fir,
and there is considerable quantity in
Oregon, the latter, however, inferior TO
the fri of Washington, and it is even
found as far south as Mexico, and as tar
east as Montana, but only OF INFERIOR
quality and growth. Its chief habitat IS
Puget Sound. Here it grows to it's great
est perfection and is found in the most
abundant luxuriance The total amount
of the standing timber in Western Wash
ington has been variously estimated by
cruisers sent out by private firms ana
corporations and by government experts
at from 100000, 100000 feet to O0,000,--
100000 feet, and the experts report OF
the Treasury on internal commerce tor
1890, carefully estimated by counties,
gives a total of $40, 250, 900, 900 feet, or an
average of about $4,000 feet to the acre
on the whole of the 25,040 square miles
embraced in Western Washington.
At the present rate of stumpage, 70
cents thousand, this represents total
value of over $275, 10000 but this price
will undoubtedly be advanced very
shortly. Some of the large trees will
not be taken into account for some time,
as their commercial value is small be-
cause of the difficulty of handling them
in the woods or the mills and the condi-
lions of the markets where fir is now
sold. In some markets, notably China,
the demand is all for long lengths, and
all the export mills are built to saw logs
at least so feet in length, and one of them
$50 feet. AS the fir log weighs at least
three and half pounds to the foot,
board measure, and there are all the
10 ho tod
in. it may well be conceived that log
100 feet in length and feet in diameter
at the top would weigh fifty tons, and
would therefore, under present condi-
lions, be impossible to handle with
economy or profit One mill only, that
at Blakeley, is capable of saving logs
$50 feet in length, and the Tacoma mill
can readily saw up to 1870 feet, and has
by an effort sawed one stick IA feet
long, but several mills can saw to 100
feet The condition of the Chinese mar
ket that requires such lengths is that the
| tariff on lumber is a certain fixed sum
for each stick, no matter whether four
| foot lath or large timber containing
5000 feet AS the duty is high and
Labor Very Low in China
long lengths and larges sizes are always
shipped. The Tacoma mill has shipped
an entire cargo where no stick was less
than 80 feet long nor less than II inches
square, while the larger part of the cargo
consisted of sticks 80 feet long and Is by
"a inches thick and 10 feet long and Is
inches square. About two years ago a
stick was sawed for the keel of vessel
that was IA feet long and contained
$3.50 feet, board measure.
The lumbermen on Puget Sound are
only beginning to realize the value and
Importance of the trade with the Eastern
States. Hitherto they have looked to
foreign countries and California for their
market and have neglected the other
markets of their own country. This is
partly due to the fact that the early ship
ments made were unattended with any
success, as the conditions of the Eastern
business were not understood. In the
States east of the Rocky Mountains,
stock lumber, that is, lumber cut to GER
tain specified sizes, is the only kind that
will sell, and, except for bridge and car
purposes, this is rarely wanted more
than sixteen feet long. 1t must be well
seasoned before being planed and not
after to pass inspection in those markets,
and must not vary from the stock sizes
either by being too short or too long,
too thick or too thin, too broad OF too
w.
uuisite On Puget Sound for the mar
kets they have hitherto catered to, as
long as the lumber did not fall short it
was all right, and the rule was that it
should always be large enough and gen
orally little more, an eighth at least
and then planned down to about an inch
| if dressed lumber was called for. Logs
were always cut at least six inches longer
than was necessary, and often a foot or
| more.
But
With the Advent of Eastern Men.
who understand the Eastern markets it
has been made possible to ship fir lum-
Der to many markets in the East and to
compete with some success against white
pine from Michigan and Minnesota or
| yellow pine from the South. These men
have been careful to observe the require
ments of the trade they cater to, and
now are reaping their reward.
| According to the last returns that have
been made, there are now in Western
| Washington 222 mills, with a daily ag
| gregate capacity of 6,696,000 feet If
| these mills were running full time,
which would be about $50 days in the
year, allowing for repairs and the annual
| overhauling of the mills the yearly out
| put of the mills would be about 1,674,-
900, 200 feet, and at that rate of cutting
the present supply of standing timber
would last over 220 years, but as many
| of the larger mills do not run more than
half the time and goodly number of
the smaller ones are shut down alto
gether, it is probable that the consump-
| ton does not reach more than the half
of that. In any event, even with a vastly
| increased output. there is enough fir in