The herald., 1894-04-07
SATURDAY, APRIL I, 1894.
PACIFIC COAST TIMBER.

when Cyrus W. Field built his great
nine-story block at the corner OF Broad
way and Battery place, in New York, he
finished the three lower stories off in
Honduras mahogany and the upper
ones in California redwood; and in q
conversation several years later, he ex-
pressed his regret that he had not fin
ished the whole building in redwood,
because it had nearly the same tensile
strength, was of much less specific
gravity and looked quite as we'll when
properly polished. Chicago has already
used large quantities of this beautiful
wood for the interior finish of business
blocks. and the demand for it is one
that is constantly growing.
However, it is painful reality that
our redwood forests have become de-
pleted by bad methods of Numbering
ever since the earliest settlement OF the
state. South of Santa Cruz it has sell
dom been seen, and it's greatest supply
was derived from points north of San
Francisco. Had its excellence for rail-
road ties never been discovered, it might
have been found standing in goodly
quantities up to the present writing.
and even had its use been restricted to
the various railroad enterprises in this
state and Nevada, its diminution would
have been less perceptible. But when
the railroad schemes of Harry AAsss@ IN
Perm and Chile called upon California
fo- ties. then the overdraft became
painfully manifest. The big ships that
carried the ties from California to South
America were too large to enter the
little ports OF Sonoma, Mendocino,
Humboldt or Del Norte.. so that about
forty small schooners were employed in
carving ties from those ports to San
Francisco, where they were reshipped
south of the equator.
This was quite drain upon Califor-
MAS forests, but it is not likely to be
repeated, as Chile and Peru have both
planted the sequoia extensively and
will have available timber of their own
ten years hence. The redwood belt ex-
tends over the border into Oregon, but
only for a short distance, 80 that 1t may
be styled a strictly Californian product.
Railroad extensions out of Mendocino
county into Humboldt and Del Norte,
in the next twenty five years. will open
up new timber fields in which there
will be no such wanton destruction oi
redwood as in the fifties, when every
big tree that was ielled crushed down {
dozen smaller ones. By the time those
new fields are worked out, the old for
estu in Sonoma and Mendocino viii
have grown up anew, though not a
0ensely as in their primitive condition
Prices OF California and Oregon lum
ber will advance rapidly whenever tn
Nicaragua canal becomes an accom-
plished fact Eastern architects hav
already become aware of the eXcellenc
of California redwood as an interior fin
ishing wood and, owing to the difficult,
arising out of freights hence, the de
mand always exceeds the supply. b.
rail the freight is so exorbitant as
constitute prohibition.
By sailing vessel the rates are froI
Francisco to Atlantic ports, the voyaR
around Cape Horn occupying an aver
age of 100 days, as against Y days
wav of the straits of Magellan by
cargo steamer like the Mineols or Kt
weena. With the Nicaragua canal ont
opened for traffic, the time would
cut down to twenty days for steame
and about fifty for sailing vessels. I'll
latter would therefore be able to carr
this lumber to Atlantic ports at So al
then make more money than they no
make at $12, while steamer rates wou
be about SO per thousand feet.
or course, the use of redwood lumb
now differs materially from its uses
the early history of the state. Then
was used for sills, ioists, rafters al
floors, while at present all those COZ
ponent parts OF house are of Oregon
Washington Or, and redwood is us
only for Weatherbosrds and the occ
sionsl wainscoat work OF a dining roc
or library. This, of course, is in oil
dience to q slow and sure advance in
price OF this always merchsntable ii
ber. II the railroads would only |
metallic ties as they do in England,
drain upon our redwood forests woU
be very materially reduced.
Other valuable timber can be plant
here that will grow nowhere else
America, and it's export value to
Atlantic seaboard thirty years he
will be an important factor in the cc
mercs OF the Pacific coast. One of tn
Aha Amatralian Whlack kRnndN (ncI