Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1893-04-13
WASHINGTON LUMBER
AND SHINGLES.
CFrOm Northwest Nagazine.)

VAST FOREST, broken only here and there
by clearings and farms along the valleys
OF the streams. This forest region is be-
yond any question more heavily timbered
than any other in the world. The stu
pendous growth of trees which covers it
is accounted for by scientists by the great
amount of rainfall. the absence of low
winter temperatures, and the cool sum-
mers. All conditions are favorable to
the development OF vegetable life. Amid
the gigantic trunks OF the frs, cedars and
spruces there fourishes such rank
underground that travellers who have
penetrated the tropical forests along the
Amazon say that the difficulties they en-
countered were not so great as those
which must be overcome in going through
these Washington woods.
If we are to give credit to an overriding
providence for shaping the natural feat
ures OF our planet instead OF attributing
everything to the working of blind, self
originating laws, we may see certain
benefcence of design in the existence of
this enormous forest on the western slope
Of our continent, where it becomes avail
able for the needs OF the country in the
way of lumber after the pineries of the
older states are measurably exhausted.
A more interesting theme to our readers,
however, than any discussion of the
question of original design in the plant
ing OF these Washington woods, will no
doubt be the practical consideration of
their value to the lumber markets of the
East. The railroads have now done their
utmost to open those markets to Wash
ington lumber by making freight rate
so low that they afford at best but very
slender margin for profit over the actual
cost of transportation. The new rate on
fir lumber agreed upon by the Northern
Pacific, Union Pacific and Great Northern
roads is forty cents per hundred pounds
from all western terminal points to Min.
neapolis and St. Paul. This is equivalent
to about ninety-six dollars a car. 1t does
not apply to timbers so long that they
must be carried on two fat-cars, because
such timbers command high price and
will bear higher freight rate; nor does
it apply to cedar and spruce. which bring
much higher price in Eastern markets
than.fir 1t is not thought by Washing
ton mill men that the new rate will en-
able them to ship common lumber to the
East, but they hope to do q large bust
ness in specialties, and particularly in fir
flooring, which is only surpassed by oak
for durability. Fir bridge tinbers have
already become favorably known through
out the East. A number Of railroads are
now buying them for renewals on their
bridges. There il no timber as durable
for bridges as firexeepting the hzrdwoodz,
which are cut Of the question by reason
of their high cost. With the Low rate
now in force there Will be largely in
creased demand for this specially Of the
Washington mills. Bridge timbers viii
be marketed as far east as Indiana and
Ohio for general railroad use. For extra
long and large dimensions the Washing
ton fir is absolutely without competitor
There are no trees in the forests on the
Atlantic side Of the continent that can
turnmout such clean, solid. planks and
beams, forty, sixty and even eighty feet
long, as come from these gigantic trees Of
the Puget Sound basin and the coast
country.
Another fir speciality is car siding,
seyen-eighths Of an inch thick and cut in
eight feet or multiples Of eight-feet
lengths. 1t is used for building freight
cars. The Peninsular Car Company, OF
Detroit, Michigan, lately gave an order
to the st. Paul and Tacoma Lumber Co.,
OF Tacoma, for one million feet Of this
material. Car sills seventy feet long
are shipped to the Pullman shops in
Chicago.
The FIR is the dominant tree all over
Western Washington and even in dis
tricts where good deal Of cedar and
spruce are found it is still largely in the
majority in any census OF the forest
growth. 1t attains great height and re-
msrkable girth and there is probably nc
timber tree that turns out rs much clear
lumber in proportion to the size OF the
log. Fir lumber is in general use for all
building purposes on the Pacific coast and
is the great lumber of commerce all the
way down to Chill. 1t goes also to the
Sandwich Islands, to Australia, to China
and Japan. Nearly all the mills are on
the shores of bays or rivers where iull.
rugged ships can lie beside the vharves
and take their cargoes. Formerly all
logging was done BY water and no tim
Der had any value unless it was adjacent
to a stream that would run logs or tC
some arm of Puget sound. Oflate years
however, logging railroads, have beer
built here and there along the lines OF the
regular railroads, and trains loaded with
logs and hauled from the logging camps
to the mills. Now there is not 4 railroad
in Western Washington which does moi
count sawlogs as an important item in it;
traffic receipts.
There is no separate cedar belt il
Washington. Cedar is found ON all the
low lands along the streams and on the
bays and inlets. 1t grows in the valleys
as far up as the slopes OF the Cascade
mountains and the OlynDieS Each dis.