Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1895-08-09
THE LUMBER MILLS OF TO-DAY.
Methods Have Changed Since the Days Of
the Old-Time Sawmill.

the Old-Time SaWmiH.
Minneapolis Press: I wanted to see
a fin de sicle lumber mill. When I
was a boy in the pine woods on the
Allegheny hills they had sawmills on
the creeks and rivers THAI used 10 do
business with the logs in a way that
seemed to be amazing They used to
have buzz saws in those days about as
big around as the full moon, and The
way that q little Gypsy engine Of three
or four horsepower could make them
revolve was a wonder But they told
me here that / was out Of date. and that
the Allegheny pine woods were not in
IT,
So I went down to a real lumber mill
"a Minneapolis lumber mill-yester-
day The show was worth the price OF
admission \ Minneapolis lumber mill
is a place where they feed + est into
one end and draw a frame Eouse out
of the other. 4 Minneapolis lumber
mill is the Kellar of the mechanic art.
1t swallows a log and omits a wagon
load of tooth-picks. There is prestidig-
itation for YOU The modern lumber
mill is a place where the men are ma
chinery and the machinery seems to do
the thinking. Seems, isn't really the
word. It does think. Or, if you can
prove that il doesn't you can't make
me believe it. ! saw il think. / saw
q great big leyithan OF a thing, jag
ged hooked long-tOothed monster,
reach over and pick up n log, q log that
was hall as big as the steel arch bridge,
and pat it. and caress 1t, and turn II
over as a woman would baby, tuck
il in, and thcn-rip. 1t was all over
with Mr. Log. 1t made me think or
when the wolf unmasked himself to
Little Red Riding Hood He had been
good. and, kind, and loving, and all
that you Know. but finally he showed
his cruel teeth. That's the way this
human monster. this machine thar
thought. did with the log; the poor log
that it had pretended to be so fond OF,
and had coddled and made love 20.
Down in this mill where l was there
were three saws running. This isn't
technical. and | don't know for sure
what they call them, but one was
buzz saw know a buzz saw when ]
see it-and another was saw like
leather belt a piece of leather betting
I mean. Il must have been twenty
five or thirty feet long, and it ran over
a big wheel that went around million
times a second. Four or five feet or
the saw came down vertically, just at
the edge of a little railroad about fifty
or sixty feet long inside the mill. There
hyas q fiat car on the railroad and blt
piston rod was its motive power. inc
car was fastened. TO the rod. Ruth
was half as surely tangled up. "Whith-
err thou goest?" Well, when the rod
went YOU may be sure the car went,
right away A man pulled a string
and the rod did the rest
Il was on this car that the thing
with the VOLTS teeth dumped the logs,
one by one. When they were in posi-
ton. all tucked in and feeling pretty
comfortable. I thank you, all at once
that string was pulled. and in about
second the poor, unsus1ecting log had
its nose against that leather belt saw
and was being sliced and trimmed into
a stick of square timber. In about two
minuates it had lost all its self-respect
II was nude. shame-faced, pitiable.
Then some Cue pulled another string
err touched a button ] don't know
which. and what was left Of the log
was ANONYMOUSLY thrown overheard.
II fell upon a moving sidewalk, some
thing like that thing they had down bS
the steamer pier nj the World $ tair' |
and the sidewalk carried il oil. first /
south and then east. think this side |
walk bought. too. II seemed TO. 1t dld /
lust the right thing at the right time. |
l. never made anything that looked o /
mo like a mistake. 1t took the big tim .
Der and ran il over to the middle ofthe /
mill and laid # on another sidewalk /
that was an rest. The brother OF the /
moving sidewalk was very busy on the 7
other side of the mill taking care OF tina .
timbers the buzz saw was turning OUT,
turning them into the same center. &
Every few minutes six on eight squared /
tmbers would be piled up on the side .
walk that was at rest. Then some one .
pulled another string. The sidewalk /
that was at rest go. a move on itself; +
not very fast but as fast as fatman .
with $l60 in his pocket would walk ar
ter taking dinner at the West
Dawn the pike a little way was a
cider press. or something. Maybe 1t .
wasn't q cider press. for | am net met
CuGuiCCl expert, bAL IL 4SDNNN IN iN'
I. was as about as big as ton of hay,
and inside Of it twenty-four saws were /
going up and down, not around, like .
typewriter girls jaws when she chews .
gum and thinks she is thinking. The .
sidewalk in. the middle OF the mill .
walked right into the mouths of these .
twenty-four devils that were doing .
their vertical dance.
And it was all off. You have seen /
possibly a colored gentleman, an at /
tache OF your favorite free lunch coun- /
ter. cut up a cheese haven't you. Well, .
his work was hard compared TO that OF .
the cider mill. 1t seemed to have a .
positiye relish for timber. It wen. .
through that stack of timber-about .
half car-like a tramp through a
hand-out: and when, in about seven /
seconds. the sidewalk had pushed them .
entirely through the mill. there was "a /
pile Of inch planks ready for market.
This sidewalk business seems to be a 7
sort of a main push. a sort Of a floor
walker--hats not half bad-ar0und a D.