The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1892-07-30

An lnsere=sfnG sEal<nlla Aefser. =,
Marco. /" writes another letter TO the
Fernandina News which we report as
follows In my last / gave you . sketch
OF the improvements now progressing Ia
our village. The new lunber min is
ia'd out and 5art OF the framing done
ana pil,ng Tor the foundation Of the mill
all ursven. The structure is bOxeSO feet,
covering an acre Of 5000 square feet.
and carpenters are busily engaged in
framing the building. In addition to
two dry kilns for shingles (already
erected and nearly completely. two
more are to be built for drying lumber
which win cover 5000 square feet, and
planning mill SOx1OO, 5000 square feet
and piling has to be driven for founda-
tions all these buildings. These figures
will give your readers an idea OF the
magnitude OF this undertaking, all of
which Is due to the untiring energy Of
the president Of the company. Mr.. John
A. Graham.
The company owns in this vicinity
10000 acres of pine lands, all within
reach Of our tug boat through the me-
dunn Of the different rivers and creeks
emptying into the Gulf near here, be-
sides fully that number of acres of
cypress lands, 30 that you see they have
timber to supply their Nails for some
time, besides q supply Offering from
parties owning lands, who viii cut and
sell their timber at the mills or ct the
mouth of the creeks.
We are not a. much insulated as one
would think on glancing ct the map.
We have tri-weekly steamer (the Wal
kitomlca) plying between this place and
st. James Island, the summer resort Of
many citizens from the interior, who
spend their summers on the island,
where Messrs. w. P. Slusser & Co.
have very commodius hotel. We have
also hotel of nineteen rooms, which
will be finished in q few weeks, and
which we hope will be well patronized
during the winter season by lovers Of
the piscatorial art and huntsmen. Fish
and game are plentiful on this coast and
boats and boatmen can be employed
quite cheap by the day or week. This
is also q favorite resort Of sponging ves-
cells, who come in here from the reefs
land dispose Of their catch 70 Messrs.
Adams q Hanal. saving themselves the
trouble of going farther to the eastward
and farther away from their favorlte
fishing grounds off the coast; and be-
sides, 1t is a convenient harbor for them
in case of bad weather, affording them
good anchorage in u sheltered harbor.
Sometimes we have as many as dozen
sail of them in here.
'sThe boom Is ON, and st. Marks is
awake once more; the improvements
made here in the last year and those
now going on are assuming grand pro-
portions. The shingle mill was started
little over a year since, and was
completed and commenced operations
last fall. 1t has a capacity Of
2O0. 900 per day. The shingles are cut
from the log first by cutting across to
the required length, which is accom-
plished by drag saw driven by steam.
Then the blocks thus prepared are split
up by circular saw into pieces inches
thick, after which they 60 to third
saw which cuts them into pieces from
10 to II inches wide. From this ma
chine the blocks are thrown into an ele-
vator which conveys them upstairs TO
the shingle machine. which has me-
chanical devices to hold 20 blocks, and
which revolves above two circular saws
running about 400 revolutions per
minute, and cutting from the twenty
blocks at each revolution. 10 shingles,
or about 2SO per minute. The shingles
drop from the machine as cut, into an
asserting bln where the different grades
are separated by hand; from thence
they go to the packers who put them i'm
to bundles of $50 shingles each, are
branded, and moved by transfer cars to
the dry kiln operated by heated air, and
the greater part Of the moisture 10 dried
out Of them, when they are ready for
shipment. The logs are taken from the
| st. Marks river ct one end Of the mill,
and shinges are loaded in the cars on
the ST. Marks branch Of the F. G. &
r. railroad. just ct present the mill is1
shut down on account Of the very dry
weather. The waters Of the swamp are
80 low we cannot Aoat one heavy log
out, but the recent heavy and continued
rains will no doubt enable Ne TO com
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