Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1893-07-28


DA JULY %, 1898.
rottiug Of the timbers. Back of the
big mill is the long sorting shed, a
sorting shed similar to which is built
by the G.. A. Smith Lumber com
pany in Minneapolis. AS the lumber
comes from the saw it is graded by
two graders and marked. and then
it is sorted automatically, the
shorter boards falling down a slide
into pile Of that length and the
longer ones proceeding ON and slid
ing down when they reach their ap-
propriate pile. The workman on the.
platform below pile them i'll piles
suitable for Il wagon load. Then
comes something which I must not
fail to mention. 1t is the automatic
loader. The teamster hacks his
his wagon up to the platform and
the end OF the pile lies a few inches
above the wagon. Along the whole
length Of the shed runs revolving
shaft directly beneath the ends of the
piles. Without leaving his seat the
teamster touches with his foot a trip
which allows the pile OF lumber to
fall on the shaft, and in a second it is
rolled ON to the wagon. Mr.. Weyer-
hauser says that this device costs
but little for power and saves much
time.
The fire protection OF the Pine Tree
Lumber compaDy's plant is COM
plete one. Two large pumps. a
Blake and a Wheeler & Tappan du-
plex pump furnish the pressure, and
there is a most perfect set of pipes
and hydrants. Two thousand feet
of hose is distributed at convenient
points about the two mills and yards
and three hose companies made up
of the employees drill every day and
evening. In the supply shed is a
hose cart >of the latest make and
painted and vanished in bright
coloIs to please the men which stands
ready to be used in case of fire.
About the building are posted the
rules and regulations of the company,
together with the locations OF hy-
drant and hose and the names OF the
men in the different hose companies.
The pumps are connected with the
city water system and several times
recently when the city pumps have
been out Of order the Pine Tree
pumps have furnished water in cases
of fires and undoubtedly saved the
city from des truction. The idea OF
organizing hose companies of the
employees is an original one, and Mr..
Weyerhauser informed me that it
takes with the men, and at the same
time affords a corps of drilled men for
help in case OF fire.
The company also has it's own
electric light plant, run by a Russo!
7O-hOrse power engine. The electric
| ity is furnished by Il Thompson
Houston 250 incandescent light dy-
namo and Il 40 arc light dynamo.
The company is now just completing
a handsome new office, by the way,
which will be III keeping with the rest
of the plant. 1t is on the east side
of the river half a block from the
old office, in a clump of shade trees.
1t is of yellow brick, two stories
high, with an attic above and a
basement beneath, with steps lead
ing up to the entrance ON the out
side. The ground floor will be taken
up with a large business office and
desks partitioned off from the outer
office by the usual grating. Across
the hall is Mr.. Weyerhauser's private
office and beyond the stairway lead
ing to the second floor is Secretary
Musser's private office. Back of it is
an immense vault. On the second
| floor will be several rooms for the
maps, directors room and two
front rooms suitable for bedrooms,
as we'll as bath room. Stairs lead
up through the attic to the roof,
from which Il fine view of the city
can be obtained. The rooms on the
first floor will he finished in oak, and
like $4,000 when completed, will be
something very nice. In the base
ment are rooms suitable for kithen,
and suspect that some one may go
to housekeeping there some day. by
the way, of the five young men in the
office, Including Messrs. Weyerhauser
and Musser, up to two weeks ago
not one was married. But since that
time the bookkeeper, Herman Utsch,
became a benedict. He married a
Miss Sylvester, and only few days
ago returned from a wedding trip to
the Worlds Fair. He has the
thorough respect OF the whole office
force for his bravery, and it rumored
that some Others may follow suit,
now that the ice has been broken.
Secretary Drew Musser returned
but few days ago from a trip
through North Dakota, and he re-
Iports an encouraging condition o
crops. He looks for a good fall
trade, and that the Pine Tree Lum
; Der company does not anticipate
! lumber becoming /, drug ON the mar
, ket very soon, is evidenced by thu
, rapid manner in which they are con
, verting logs into lumber. They are
going slow on shingles this year
like all mill men, making only wha1
is necessary of lower grades. Be
: sides the Pine Tree Lumber com
pany's immense plant, Little Falls
+ boasts of the two -four mills, For
!, roster Brothers and the Little Ell
: flour mill. The HeEnapin Paperco com
) pany also has a large paper mil
u