The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1893-02-23
ROOFS OF THE WORLD
Puget Sound Shingles to Cover
ALI ChristendOm.
THEIR RESISTANCE TO DECAY.


While Great Britain and Russia are
Qusrreling over the possession of the roof
of the world" which 10 supposed to con-
sist Of the elevated Pamir plateaus on the
summit Of the Himalayas. between India
and Turkestan, the roof of great portion
of the civilized world is beyond the grasp
of either power. It exists in the wonder
full red cedar forests Of the Puget sound
basin, which are now being rapidly con-
verted into shingles. The surprising
quality Of this new commercial product
has completely revolutionized the bust
ness of this country in its line. The fame
of the Puget sound shingle has spread to
oil parts of the United States. and the
growth of the demand for it has been
something marvellous.
The first car load Of these shingles was
shipped to Chicago in 1887 and since then
the demand for them has multiplied each
succeeding year until now their sale is
only limited by the capacity of the rail-
roads TO haul them to market, the output
for this year being estimated at 2 900, DOC. 900
shingles. The great popularity of the
Puget sound shingle is due to its great
superiority over all other kinds in point of
durability. Indeed, 50 great is its excel
lencs that other shingles are utterly value
less to the builder. For when 1t is con.
sidered that roof of pine shingles must
be replaced every five or six years and
that one Of cedar shingles will probably
outlive the usefulness Of the building, it
will b seen that it would DO moro ex-
pensive to use the pine. even if they could
b obtained for nothing. At the present
prices and rates of transportation q man
in Buffalo can for $50 obtain enough Puget
sound shingles to cover q ten-room house.
1nnumerable instances of the resistance.
to decay offered by red cedar can be cited
by any ono who has had an extended ex-
perience with the wood. That it will out
live generation there is abundant proof
IN the old buildings still standing in this
region, which were erected from thirty to
forty years ago by the Hudson Bay Com
pany and the pioneer settlers and traders
That the longest human life may begin
and pass away before decay shall attack
this remarkable wood is evidenced by the
following Danielsonville. Conn.,. CORE
spondence in the New York Sun, in regard
70 the shingles removed from the steeple
Of the Unitarian church in Brooklyn:
One Of the nrst pastors OF the church nailed
the stoeple In 1871. and under them Gen. Isaac
Putnam hes sat and listened to the discourses.
IL 10 stated also that the shingles were rived by
men who afterwafd fought with s'Old Put at
Bunker Hill The Shingles were remark ably
we'll preserved. The nails are fine specimens
OF the old.fashioned, psinstaking workmanship.
They are smooth, straight and round, with
large. thin. perfect heads, and arc a. clean and
bright - at the time they were driven In the
stespls. The shinglss, OF red cedar, are not at
al decayed.
Along the line Of the Seattle 4 Montana
railroad, short distance south of Fair
haven, is fir tree whose age has been
computed at over 200 years. A short time
ago this tree fell over and exposed its
roots. Locked in their embrace was q
cedar log in q good state of preservation.
w. J. Carney, Chicago lumberman.
says:
Tho only fault can nnd with your shingles
10 that they are too good Once mans roof 10
covered with them We have no more business
with him, whereas in the pine single trade we
do the entire business over again every i've or
ak years 1 am taking back home with me
some shingles which have been on roof at
Whatcom for over thirty years. They are az
good ~ new. with the exception that the
weather has worn away their exposed surface
about onc-iourth Of an inch. At this rate your
n
friction OF water.
Again, q cedar roof offers more resist
ance to fire than pine roof because there
Is absolutely no resin in cedar, while there
10 always more or less in pine.
The question which is worrying the
shingle men IL not whether they will be
able to sell all their product nor whether
they will secure fair price for it, though
they are always willing to take more than
they get. but whether they can obtain
sufficient supply of cars to haul all they
can sell. If the production this year is
2.O0O.OoO.oOO. As expected, over 1900 cars
will be needed to haul them. Last year
the manufacturers were hampered good
deal by shortage of cars during the
wheat-shipping season, though the pro-
duction was only 900. 600 900. less than half
the estimate for this year. The fear that
this difficulty will be repeated this year is
shared by +. I. Shelby, general manager
of the Great Northern on the Coast, for
when it was stated TO him he said:
fear that the demand for cars to shin shin.
giles East will be greater again this year THAI
the railroads can supply. although our company
now has several hundred cars being built. Blu.
the merchants and business men of the North
Pacific coast can do great deal TO increase the
euppsy VI cars uf having the freight they
receive by ship come by rail instead. On &C.
count OF the very low rate made on shinsle
shipments there is very little profit In the haul
Tor the railroads, ana the traffic would be done
at IN absolute loss II empty cars shoald have to
be hauled out here from 81 Paul Mr.. Hill has
brought about an enormous reduction In fire. ght
rates in the Northwest for the benefit o! the
people along the line OF his road, but he canno,
be expected to do business at "a losA For ,his
reason the supply OF empty cars available for
shinxle shipments here will depend almost
wholly on the amount OF westward trafsic our
rcGd gets. Now, as the shingle industry benefits
the merchants o. much or more than any other
class OF Business men. ii will DO 10 their own
ic,eress ~ foster IL a. much posi- bio by
changing their wsser shipments TO rail ship.
ren;s, especially since our company has made
snch great reductions in the westward rates on
those commodities usually shipped around the
Horn.
New Rates on Hides to the kast,
A joint east-bound rate on hides has
been made by the Great Northern, North.
ern Pacific and (Inion Pacific ro,js -,