New-York tribune., 1896-08-30
COSTLY WOODS IL NEW.YORK.
SMALL PILES OF LUMBER WORTH $4,000
AND MORE-VALUE OF A LOG.


AND MORE-VALUE OF LOG
Lying in some of the great lumber yards Of New
York and only showing their value to the experts
and the initiated ones are heaps of rare and costly
woods. some from the countries of the Equator.
others cut from American forests In one single
lumber yard it is uncommon thing to soc n stock
that is valued at $4,000 or more. In block near
the East River front there is often a million dollars
worth piled up in the open air or under the cover
# rough sheds.
The veinlng and m)ttling of a log and the yeeners
that made from It fix it's value While all these
special woods of commerce costly prices three
and four times tho average paid for unusual
patterns of rcese wood. mahogany and black walnut
There are several hundred varieties of fine woods
brought each year into New York but of these only
a few are known TO commerce to any extent. Ma
hogany French burl. rosewood. curly ash. American
quartered oak figured birch black walnut. Circas-
sian walnut and satinwo)d the fancy timber
varieties that sell the best. their prices running
from three to ten cents foot for veneers. These
figures give adequate conception of values until
they are examined carefully But the calculation IL
a simple one. A is a thin strip cut from
board by shaving machine. thirty Veneers being
allowed to each board of an inch thickness the
boards Of these costly woods running about two
feet I'm width As n rule these boards eight TO
ten feet long and thus single veneer of mahogany
two feet wide and ten in length IS worth by itself.
from fifty cents to dollar double row Of these
piled up hNe feet hlgn IS worth easily s-VD
In the log, mahogany sells here AT dollar 10
dollar and half foot. board measurement. 1t
comes from Mexico and Cuba. and. brought TO this
city in logs it * sold in veneers. These veneers,
stacked up piles in the sheds so brittle that
the only way OF shipping them to the furniture
and pano manufacturers Is to pack them In cases
case usually holds five hundred sheets or from
$500 10 500 worth and is so heavy that the strength
Of from four to six men, with rollers, is necessary
to get 1t upon truck. A case Is known In the
trade as fitch
Even unvarnished and unpublished these
woods are In the rough the patterns are easily
visible and the designs and vening are very beau
tiful Nearly all these woods sold in
for two reasons: first they are too costly to use
solidly and second. they all have tendency to
warp. Next in popularity to mahogany comes
American figured walnut. from Kentucky. West
Virginia. Tennessee and the western part of North
Carolina The finest logs OF this timber are TO be
found on the slopes Of the Blue Ridge and Cum
berand Mountains. SO important is 1t to get
woods of fine patterns that the leading walnut
dealers inspect the trees themselves before they
are cut down. They employ experienced woods
men to search the whole region where the
best walnut lies for months at a time, and then,
the finest trees having been marked the dealers
leave the city and travel through the woods on
horseback themselves. selecting the most valuable
trees. afterward buying them frcm the farmers
or the owners Of the land.
These precautions amply repay the trouble. for
the reason that at times American walnut sells
for twenty cents a foot In veneers and single
as aGs Sc s:S ''S' 'O"S ''' 's" ~ ,
From Bahia comes the finest rosewood of the
world it's yeneers selling at six cents a foot. IL
is not brought here, however in any great guam
tity as rosewood Is no longer the fashionable ma
terial il was In the days OF our grandmothers
White mahogany from the west coast of Mexico
and satlnwood from San Domingo OF pale yell
low tint and OF dainty pattern. the finest qualities
OF which have sold for sixty cents In veneers ana
the poorest veneer less than ten cents, are stll IN
great demand. ,, .,
rsiiish- brown yeined rregularly, and used mainly
for inlaying 1t comes from AFRICA ana Is sold at ~
'eT IT, y he finest foreign woods French burl
frnn Persia and the circassian walnut that is cut
,roInj the shores Of the Black Sea. French burl
costs Is cents pound and Us gram - mos curious
a wart or knot. that forms on the size ol the Tree
while il il Young. thus twisting the course or the
rombinations Of lines. Al times these burls are ex-
,ramnniv valuable \ single log has sold for as much
AS $3.50 The features Of Crcassian walnut are the
high polish TO which can oe Drought anu "S NNiu
,rtr,a ,ther extensive native woods are figured
,'yly ash inquired North Carolina birch. which has
reddish tingr poplar ana "a hs au fth fpa
,.rSa =, NO cents a foot in Veneers. Ebony sold at
"a ION. cocobolo. somewhat resembling rosewood
and granaa heavy ana D,ss are Inu'n vitae m "i E
,r,,',,'s ,h. heaviest wood that l. 10 be found
l Is .,iyht..u inches in diameter and three TO FOUR
nnnnIs Spanlsh cedar and snakewood the idtttr so
pii ha.1Isr IL grain il like the markings or some
-" ,ta are used FOR many purposes uiksl DON
wood comes here in rather isI se ooI ensr,ving
Yms prs" il ONE Of The mos artistic Of all woods. with
IT, bright yellow surface