The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1893-02-25
THE PASSING THRONG.

81 noticed short time ago the complaint OF
an Eastern lumber dealer who was in this city
in regard to the assorted lengths of our cedar
siding" said T. R. Fleming, of the Fleming.
Ayerst Company, at Ballard. ~ understand
fully the force of this complaint, and we shall
undoubtedly have to modify our custom in that
respect If We want to push our cedar siding
trade In the East Architects and carpenters
have become accustomed to figuring on regular
sixteen.foot lengths OF siding. and 1t 10 found
by experience that that length is the most
economical ~ well - the most convenient to
use. When therefore they buy siding they want
1t all that length. and do not want to have to
take all lengths from eight to twenty feet.
recollect our experience on this very subject In
Chicago when We were left with short lengths
on our hands on account Of the frightening of
the cars At first cars were twsnty-four feet long
and siding was cut in twelve-foos lengths. for
economy in loading. putting two lengths in
car. Then the cars were increased to twenty-six
feet, aud We placed . twelve-foot length and q
fourteen-foot length In the cara Finally the
cars were made thirty-two feet long, and siding
was cut In sixteen foot lengths, two lengths to
car. At this time We had . lot Of twelve-foot
lengths on hand. and We had the hardest time
in the world to dispose Of them. The trade has
now got accustomed to the sixteen-f foot lengths,
and it II . hard thing to buck against estab.
lished custom in matters OF trade. Now the
reason for cutting these short lengths IL that the
loggers, Tor reasons Of their own which do not
know. cut their logs all sorts OF lengths, and the
millmen have to take them - they find them"
W. 8. Jameson, the veteran logger OF Port
Gamble, who 10 stopping at the Arlington, said
In regard to cutting logs in odd lengths: ssWe
have never had any custom In that respect out
here, and builders here have never made any
complaint that know of in regard to the differ.
ent lengths I suppose that they got accus-
tad fhAv I'll
any great Inconvenience. But loggers usually
cut short stuff into twenty aud twenty.iour.foot
lengths on account of the nine-foot space be.
tween their skida In hauling Q sixteen.foot
log over these skids the butt end would sink
down between the skids. and the only way to do
would b to cut the logs In thirty.two-foot
lengths and then cut them In two at the land
ing. OF course logs cannot always be cut in
the right lengths, and IL we had to cut them
In sixteen-foot lengths before hauling over the
skid roads more skids would have to b put in
the roads. However, the saving OF the logs In
two at the landing would be beneficial to the
logger. because logs out here are not scaled a.
they are in the East, that is. a mean between the
diameters a: the small and butt ends, but the
whole log is measured by the diameter at the
small end. SO, by cutting thirty.twO-foot log
in two the logger would get a higher scaling by
the second measurement in the middle"
George Payne. OF stanwood. prominent log.
ger On the Stillagusmish, is stopping at the
piller. "The logging business IL only fair at
present." he said, "but hope the reduced rates
on lumber and shingles will create larger de-.
mand for Puget sound lumber in the East, and
consequently greater demand for logs. I
think the Australian trade Is picking up some
but this country is not getting much business
from there. One firm at Victoria few weeks
ago took an order for 10000, 900 feet from Au.
stralia- However, the Victoria mills are taking
great many of our logs. Several million feet
were towed across tho Straits from Pysht and
other points in Clallam county and more were
lowed up from points on this side of the Sound"