The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1895-03-29
Hoods Pills take, easy in effect. 25e
Washington Fir ON Top.

hnilding firm of Puget Sound at Port
Blakely, recently gave the following
Information regarding this industry
20 the Post Intelligencer:
There are now two schOoners under
construction at the Port Blakely yards
which will be finished this fall and
will be used in the lumber coasting
trade. Another schooner is talked of
and the contract may be signed in a
short time. The schooners under con-
structlon are being built in the same
model and will be of the same size and
style. They will be four-masters, $50
keel, twelve and half foot depth and
thirty-seven foot beam, each having
carrying capacity of 475 tons. The
third schooner, which is under discus
sion, will also be four-master, will be
600 tons burden. The last vessel built
at the yards last season was propeller
steamer called the Eyas She was
schooner rugged when she left here
and sailed to San Francisco. where the
machinery was put in her and she was
taken to the Sandwich islands where
kanaka name was given and she is
now used in the island trade of that
centra Pacific vicinity. The steamer
was only Of $50 tons burden, but she
was staunch vessel and was well built
Capt. Hall sounds the praises of the
Washington fir for ship building pur-
poses and says that no better timber
for the purpose grows. Said he:
at is not generally known nor can
it be generally believed unless the test
is actually seen that the yellow fir o.
his state can stand greater test than
the Eastern oak, but it is true, never
theless. In 1860 | was at the Mare
Island navy yard when Constructor
Hard received orders from Washing
ton City to make a comparative test
between the fir and the white oak
He dressed out strip Of the oak two
inches square and also piece of fir
of the same size and placing them side
by side he put them to bending
strain test and the white oak would
break every time-befOre the fir. The
fir is more rigid and flexible than the
oak. The strength of the fir can be
demonstrated by getting piece OF
flooring 1x4 and placing it across two
trusses. A heavy man will have to
spring on it several times before it will
break The fir is durable and it's last
ing qualities are better than the oak
and 1T also has greater buovancy.
The tir also preserves its fastenings
better than the oak A piece of iron
driven into the wood and kept where
the salt water cannot reach it, it will
come ont after twenty wears as good
and bright as when it was first put in
while in the oak the acid in the wood
will soon destroy the iron. The bal
sam IN fir preserves the iron. Iron
bolts in the keel of an oak ship will
only last from twelve to fifteen wears.
people from the East are preiudi-
ced against the yellow fir we have
here, but there is no good reason why
they should be. When | first came
out here | was preiudiced also, but [
have gotten entirely over that, for no
timber can excel the fir for all round
ship building purposes.
The two schooners now being built
at the Port Blakely yards aresowned
by y. syndicate. The Campbell bows
are interested in both OF them while
the Puget Mill Company owns an in
terest IN one and the Port Blakelv
Mill Company has an interest in the
other. San Francisco p ople have an
interest in both. The schooners will
do good deal of Southern trade, run
ming to San Diego, Newport and San
Pedro. This year will probably wit
ness an era i'll ship building as new
boats are needed and none can be pur-
chased, and a good many have been
lost during the storms off the coast I
within the past three years.
IT. ~ E--Sx n