The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1893-10-01
A HEMLOCk FOREST.
Junius Henri browne Waits u Vast Lun,-
her District.

~
Especial Correspoudencc.1
AUSTIN, Potter County, Pa, Sept. 49,
While the lumber trade Ia precarious in
Pennsylvania, us elsewhere, It ia apt to 10
successful, like any other business, when
well understood, intelligently managed and
closely watched. AS an instance, this vii
lage may be cited. In 1881 it contained but
one house, and it now has n population Of
about 5000 persons, all OF them directly or
Indirectly employed or supported by the
four mills established here aud controlled
by Il single firm from Buffalo. II owns
hernlock forests IN various counties and
has contracts With tanneries for dispoSing
OF the bark, which is of great value In tan.
ming leather.
llemloc& is coarse wood, splits unevenly,
and decays fast If exposed to the weather.
But it IN stronger than white pine, secures
u better hold for nails and is preferable to
pine for beams, r~aftcrs, roof sheathing and
all parts of a house to be covered, as it is
for a great deal Of rough work, 1t fur
nishes n large share of the lumber Of COM
merce, and rs the supply of white pine rap.
idly diminishes hemlock grows more and
morein demand.
Northern and central Pennsylvania
abound in sawmills and tanneries. The
largest mill in this state aud country or
anywhere is here, and one of the largest
tanneries is at Costello three miles below.
on the new Buffalo and Susquehanna rail
road, now approaching completion.
How near perfection are the present saw.
mills, with all the latest improvements in
machinery? l have looked at them with
wonder In this district, so rapid and COM
plete are their operations. What a mar.
<a1pra nlpoycn thn, n, Hkn nI1 Fo.l,
toned mills. The new machinery seems to
regular than that of any mind. The mills
convert the logs into lumber 80 quickly
that it appears magical.
The logs are in n pond. They are rolled
up to an incline by men, and as they ap-
proach 1t an endless chain with hooks, al
ways in motion, catches them and draws
them into the mill, Then they are adjusted
by a special apparatus to u proper position,
rolled forward and sawed by circular and
vertical to the required size and shape,
piled by hand on the dock beyond and put
into the rail cars when it IL desired,
Nothing is wasted In the largest and best
mills. The two here onsume the sawdust,
which runs through holes In the floor into
the furnace, needing no other fuel. Tho
odd bits of lumber are carried to I'm ada
centkindling wood factory, owned In Brook
Ign, cut into kindling wood, which is dried
and bundled for the retail trade. This mill
ships from six to eight carloads daily of
finished product, each car containing from
IL ,00oto II 900 bundles. There Is a fourth
mill here In which hard wood-maple, ash,
beach, etc.-iS sawed, its annual output be-
ing some 100000 feet. Nearly everything
is done by steam and machinery with re-
markable ease and celebrity, aided by trained,
skillful workmen.
The mills run day and night, having two
gangs Of men, and have done SO since their
cstablishment-siX years K q. Some girls
and boys are employed in the kindlinx
wood mill, earning from $l.25 to Sl.85 a
day. The regular work hands get from Il
to 20, the latter an exceptional price, paid
to the few men who see to the sharpening
ofthe saws, which require constant grind
ing, done with emery wheels. The employ
ers have had no strikes-in fact, no trouble
beyond the ordinary friction that seems in
separable between labor and capital. The
large sawmills consume about 100 logs ard
ship from IS to 80 cars OF lumber daily.
keeping on hand some $4,000 OF finished
product.
The firm conducting the sawmills here
use and have the exclusive right to a
patent steam log loader. which must be of
the greatest advantage in point Of time
and economy. 1t should work a revolution
III the business, The cars employed for the
transportation Of lumber are the regular
fiat cars, on which are laiu and properly
fastened longitudinal railway bars so az to
leave some Is inches between the ends of
the rails where the cars are coupled, to al
low for slack of train.
The loader is II pivotal power house,
rooted over, with Il huge crane which can
be swiftly raised and lowered at will. the
pivotal base being IA substantial frame
mounted on lG double Hanged wheels, eight
On each side, for use in moving the loader
on the cur track. The power house contains
an upright boiler, two water tanks. coal
boxes and n twin hosting engine. Curs
may be loaded Independent of curve or
grade,
The reach of the machine IN any direction
at will il limited only by length of cable
and reel capacity. At the end of the cable
are fastened tongs, which Il man attaches to
the middle Of the log, and it Is swung on
the car, NV" men on the car being provided
with II peavey, or cantlook, as it Is called,
To regulate the log. This is al indispensa-
bic instrument in numbering, having a
pointed metallic end on the pole and a
curved hook (Some lG inches below the
poinD which enables the holder to manaue
the log after a certain amount OF practice.
The loader will put 800 logs on 40 cars in 10
hours and has done it often.
JUNlUs HENRI BROWNE,