The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1896-01-17
Our Timber Domain.

"'"O SPi|"u 'iiss IL ii''o o0Oii ''C00P0"N
generally without question. This idea
should be uprooted as it works meal
culable injury to timber owners and
to lumbermen. It creates the thought
that with an area of forest, densely
covered, that timber, must be, in fact,
inexhaustible-necessarily reducing its
actual value. Mr.. H. Phipps, land
commissioner of the Northern Pacific
Railroad company, recently said that
he was impressed, by a careful study of
the, records Of his road that few realize
how small is the actual area of mer-
charitable timber in Western Wash
ington compared to the total area and
general belief This comes from a
man who is in position to speak
from actual facts and figures made
from careful and competent surveys.
But from this extreme we must not
rush to the other and conclude that
our timber is nearing the period of ex-
haustion. In fact no man living will
will see that period. Good timber
lands can always be found, but from
year to year it will be more expensive
to log them off: Hence, available tim
Der, which can be marketed at a low
cost. will grow in value. No invest
ment offers surer returns than the
timber lands of Washington.
Although Washington is a new
country. numbering has been carried
on in it for over forty years. Califor-
MIA was the first outside consumer of
lumber, and today is the best custom
er we have.
In order to give an idea of the wide
spread demand for the lumber of
Washington, the following data is
published:
In the first eleven months of 1895
there were shipped from all Pacific
coast mills 173 cargoes of lumber to
foreign ports. Of the entire number,
Washington mills shipped lis cargoes !;
Oregon six; California fifteen and
British Columbia, "a. OF these car
goes, Tacoma loaded twenty eight, be-
ing more than any other point, except
ing Port B.akely which loaded fifty
eight. These 173 cargoes were dis
tributed as follows: South America,
fifty-eight; Australia forty-fve; China
nineteen Sandwich Islands nineteen !;
Africa fifteen; England and Ireland
eight; Japan four; France one; Hol-
land one, and Nova Scotia one OF
these 173 vessels 100 carried the
American flag. The largest cargo
contained 100000 feet and went to
South Africa. There were twenty
nine cargoes carrying over 100000
feet each. The cargo shipments for
the first eleven months of 1895 from
Washington amounted in round num-
bers to 3OO,OOO,OOO feet. Of this
amount 175.OO0,OOO vent to foreign
ports and 125,OO0,OOO to California.
Of these shipments Tacoma mills ship
ped over 80,000,O0O feet, or more than
one-fourth of the entire amount ship
ped from Washington.
In addition to the cargo shipments,
about $4,000 cars of lumber and
shingles left the state in 1895.
A fair division of these shipments is
800 cars of lumber. The amount
of lumber in these cars will reach co.
100000 feet. Adding to the car and
cargo shipments a fair amount for
local demand, would make the output
of the saw mills of Washington for
1895 not less than 5OO0OO,OOO feet.
A conservative value of this would be
not less than 100000. This entire
1
sum has practically all been spent in
the state.
Referring again to the 7,400 cars of
shingles which have been sold from
Washington mills. a fair estimate on
them would be total of not less than
1900 100000 shingles, worth at the
mills nearly 100000. In addition
to these shipments of lumber and
shingles, shipments of doors, sash, pill
ing, telephone and telegraph poles,
railroad ties and, lath are being con-
stantly made, aggregating large sum
annually. It is conservative estim-
ate to place the value of our lumber
and kindled industries in 1895 at not
less than $6,5OO,0OO. Dividing this
among the population of Western
Washington, gives handsome amount
for every inhabitant.-By Frank B.
Cole in West Coast Trade.
MRS. JAMES HARRIS died of Deco trr