The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-04-29
THE INDUSTRIES OF SAVANNAH
LUMBER MANUFACTURING PAYS
MORE THAN BANK RATES
OF INTEREST.

savannah Has Nine Wood Working
EstabIishments with n Capital Of
Over 100000, Using 1914 Machines,
Producing $4,000. 900 Feet of Dress
ed Lumber and Thirty Million shin
giles Annually, Giving Employment
TO 33s Hands, supporting Nearly
1900 People, and Paying Over :
Per Cent. IN the Capital Invested.
The Morning News begins to-day the
publication of "a series of articles on Sa-
! vannah's industries. Its purpose Is TO show
the advantages of location. the source of
raw material. the facilities for msnufac-
turing, the disposal Of the product. the
number of people employed and deriving
living from. and the profits in the manu-
factories now in operation, as well as
to show the benefits TO Savannah of d.
versified industries
Savannah has many industries that are
strictly manufacturing which have earned
and are now earning more than bank rates
of interest. The lumber dressing indus
try is one OF them. This business is not
altogether local Fully one-half Of the
lumber dressed here is exported or shipped
west. Large orders are sold within Sa-
vannahs commercial territory. The bust
ness is not what 1t was twenty years OF
/ even ten years ago as regards profits Ad-
/ ditiOnal plants have increased competition
and every dollar made has to be struggled
for in the face of a keen competition and
low prices. yet the business pays.
Savannah has nine woodworking estab-
/ lishments. The aggregate capital in
vested is $325.OO0. There are by actual
| count 1874 wood working machines, planes,
| molding machines, shapers, saws, lathes,
carving and enclosing machines, boring
and mortisng machines and cabinet max
! ers machines. so that every class of work
can be manufactured here.
The nine establishments give employ
ment TO 1888 hands of which sixty are
skilled mechanics These figures have
been obtained by actual canvass.
Taking the wives. children and others
dependent for their support on the en-
ployes the number of people deriving a
living enither directly or indirectly from
lumber dressing establishments, is 1,150.
These planning mills dress annually $780,
! 600 feet Of lumber and 100000 shingles,
most of which is exported or shipped to
interior points. Although the general de-
preston of business has been felt in this
industry as well as in others, all are
| fairly prosperous and all have earned
more than s per cent. on their invest
ment. if an average of the last five years
is taken.
According to a careful investigation the
wages paid out by planning mills are even
now $1,000 per week, $l3.5OO per month or
| $4,000 a year Dressed lumber is sold
at fair, but very moderate prices, and Sa-
vannah is now certainly very cheap
place to build as far as lumber Is concern
and neODle
order to avail themselves OF the low
| prices.
I'VE are doing very large planning
mill business, both for the local market
and for export; 100000 feet Of lumber
| are dressed annually in our works We
| have twenty wood working machines, all
very powerful and of large capacity. We
manufacture everything required from
| tirst-class establishment. including the
! finest interior finish of banks, churches,
offices, etc, We have capital of 100000 in
vested in our plant. The investment pays
| more than bank rates of interest We
| employ usually sixty hands, and at times
more. Our pay roll averages $3.50 per
month. Our employees average about four
| to the family"
A. S Bacon & Sons say:
I'VE have one of the best equipped
plants in the south, having throughout
a double set of machines. We have also
| a full set of cabinet. makers machines
and we are daily filling orders for the
y" saE EsSSlsS trade s,hdSa 1RBBor the
/ bulk of our orders are for export or
| for the interior. The achitects often spec
| ify white pine, in contracts where yellow
| pine or other native woods would do
/ as well. They, do thereby a two-fold
injustice, firstly making the builder
| pay unnecessarily a great deal more for
white pine, which has to be brought from
| a great distance, and money which could
be kept at home is thus driven far off.
| We employ in all about sixty people, of
which twenty are skilled mechanics. Our
wages average Sll per capita per week
| We handle, even in these dun times, about
/ 2000,000 feet of lumber annually, and prob
! ably twice this amount when business is
brisk. We have IN all sixty-seven wood
| working machines of the most approved
| patterns. We have capital of $4,000 to
| $4,000 invested in the business. and we
| would feel sorry If we did not make more
/ than bank rates of interest. our employees
average about three to a family, as some
/ are un11arr d men,
Dixon, Mitchell & Co is the youngest
firm doing business at the oldest stand
| in Savannah. Col Dixon says: I'VE have
| We have earned more than per cent. on
! the investment for the last five years
| We employ forty-five hands, and often
| more. Our pay roll averages 500 per
/ les and handle from 100000 10 100000
! feet of lumber a year. The bulk of our
/ lumber is flooring and ceiling and other
| light stuff We also manufacture a large
amount of building material as we are
! we'll prepared for this class of work
! We have also a large trade
of fine moulding. enclosing and
/ carving. We have machines for
this class of work which no other plan
ing mill has. We have twenty-six wood
| working machines This constitutes a
very complete plant for fine and light
| work. We are not prepared TO handle
| heavy stuff. This is done at our mills in
| the interior. Handling and manufacturing
| this class of dressed lumber necessitates a
large force of hands. Our trade is not by
| any means an entirely local one as we ship
| both for export and interior orders. Our
| employees average about four to the fam
| iyn
Mr.. II. P. Smart Of the Vale Royal shin
! gle mills says: while have not made a
| dollar this year on my investment, as there
was practically no demand and only few
sales. In ordinary years 1 make more
! than per cent. on the investment. Our
mills make shingles exclusively. The us
ual output is lO0,00O per day. We have ex-
| cellent machinery and can turn out 10000
| shingles daily on a push, We make all
| grades at all prices from 81. 80 per 600 up
! Outside of our local trade we export ali
we make. We employ about 100 hands and
four skilled mechanics. We have fourteen
machines for single manufacturing Our
employees probably average three in fam