Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1893-07-20
WASHINGTON STATE BUILDING,l
WORLDS FAIR GROUNDS.
CHICAGO, ILL.,, July Is, 1898.

WASHINGTON STATE BUILDING,(
WORLDS FAIR GROUNDS.
CHICAGO, ILL.,, July Is, 1898.
Especial Correspondence
Red cedar has always been an impor-
tant and favorite wood in the great
Northwest. When the hardy frontiers
man pushed his way into the unknown
wilderness Of the Pacific Northwest, he
found that he could construct himself a
temporary shelter by telling one Of these
fine trees and splitting it into long planks
and into small boards for Shakes" the
old fashioned shingles, and for frames,
shelAes, etc. The wood is SO evenly
grained and so easy to split that it was
readily used by all the early settlers for
building houses, barns, fences and
drains.
To this day the red cedar is largely
used for all these purposes by the far
mers of the Puget Sound section, but
more recently it is attracting much wi
der attention in the markets of the east
ern states in the form Of shingles. No
one can compute the wealth that will
flow into the state Of Washington for this
one product. The statistics OF the state
for 1892 show that there are now in
Washington 246 shingle mills with
yearly capacity of 3,723,OOO, 900. Last
year the output of shingles was 1885,
QRQ 76n br;nr;,,p =, n rovor,,o &c DO 6dO
APO. So il is seen that the red cedar is
fast creeping up OH the famous fir as an
important wood of commerce. There are
many other uses for which cedartis be-
coming appreciated. AS an interior dec
orative wood it's fine soft grain and color
are bringing it to the font. In the
Washington state worlds fair building is
one sample Of turning that demonstrates
this tact beyond all question. 1t is
claimed to be the largest piece of wood
turning, from single block, in the
world. j. L. Nygren, while at work for
the Tacoma lumber and manufacturing
company, spent about three months of
his time making special lathe and
turning from single log Of cedar huge
vase six feet high and four feet across the
top. The vase is highly polished and
shows to splendid advantage the coloring
and granting of the red cedar. The won
derful durability OF this cedar is shown
by another exhibit in the same building,
Shakes and shingles are shown that
have done service on roofs in Washing
ton for over forty year, and they show
no signs of decay. Many other woods
are shown, but none are more interesting
to practical lumbermen than the fayorite
red cedar Of the west.
CRITICISM BY AN EXPERT.
Washington as one of the youngest
states in the Union, has received many
favorable comments at the hands Of dis
,tinguished visitors, who have been de-
lightfully. surprised at the material adj
vancement displayed and the wonderful
natural resources of every description ex-
hibited by Washington at the worlds
fair. Edward Atkinson, the noted statis-
tician of Boston, visited the fair recently,
and on his return home he was interview
ed by the Boston Herald. He shows how
carefully he examined the great EXPOSE
ton, first as whole, then as to the de-
tails Of the exhibits and the architecture.
Being asked by the interviewer: "What
fact seemed to you most significant in
in your study of the fair?' Mr.. Atkinson
replied as follows:
cater the firrt impressions have been
surmounted, and one begins to look to
the foundation Of the whole great result,
he may soon find it. will cite the
building which has been placed within
the grounds by the state Of Washington
as an example of the whole, First, wit
ness the foundation: great sticks of tim
Der, piled one upon another, which could
not be rivalled by any other place in the
world. The great flag staff, single shaft
of fir, 300 feet high. happened to enter
the building at the annex and instantly
found myself looking over the school ex'
hibit, showing an organization and pro-
gress in the schools and in the higher
branches of free education, which could
not be equalled in England at the pre-
sent time. Passing from the base 1.-The o.
developing intelligence to the center
room we witness the promise Of abun
dance in our food supply, which grows
more and more prominent as we pass
from state to state into the great building
DEVOTED to agriculture. Witness one
great pile Of bags of wheat-1O1 bushels
gathered from single acre in the state
of Washington. Pass from that room in