The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1897-01-01

Talk Of Tall Timber.

1
mlsnomer "Oregon Pine" still elings
to the fir lumber manufactured and
exported from Puget sound. The latest
important instance OF the use of this
term tor Puget sound lumber comes
from the Timber News of Liverpool.
England, IN commenting on the big
order being cut at Port Blakely for
the Plymouth drydock in England.
In following up the notice the North
western Lumberman of Chicago refers
to the big order in the following words:
The Timber News, of Liverpool.
mentions that in the construction OF a
large drydock at Plymouth, England ,
Oregon pine (fr) is being used. Nine
vessel loads of the wood have been
ordered, and all of it has been special
ly selected; but the News swallows the
last statement with pinch of salt.
The timber is being shipped from Port
Blakeley, Wash. A correspondent
from that point writes to the News
that the British bark Creedmore was
at Port Blakeley loading lumber for
Plymouth, England, and that she was
the sixth of series of nine large YES
sells going with cargoes for the same
destination from the Port Blakeley
mill. The Creedmore carried 1,10O,-
0OO feet, and she was to have been fol-
lowed by the Kennebec with l, 100000
The Alex Gibson, one of the nine yes
sells, carried 1,322,0O0 feet. The John
Briggs took out 10000, the German
ship Columbus, 9S7, 900 feet, the Dun
dee, 1857 900 feet, and two others to
be chartered would make up total of
1I,O0O.OO0 feet, or enough to fill up a
big Chicago wholesale yard. In this
order, hesides the small lumber, there
was to be between 10000 and Ii 900
pieces of timber ranging from III to
"a inches square, and 40 to 03 feet
long The significance of such sizes
and lengths is in the fact that no
where else on the round globe can such
lot of timber be found contiguous to
deep water and where ships can be
loaded, but in Washington.
This speaks in emphatic tones for
the timber resources Of the Puget
sound country, where not only can
timber of great strength and size be
obtained, but is shipable to any part
of the world by sea, because the deep
water of the Sound enables ships to
load at the very mill wharves. 1t
should also be noticed that the cargoes
are enormous compared to what are
usually customary on inland waters.
On the great lakes an approach is
made to them, however, by some of
the big barges, which carry upward OF
10000 feet. Another thing to be
observed is that IL must be vast dry
dock that will require III ,00O, 900 feet
of timber and plank to build. The
fact should not be overlooked, how
ever, that Pacific coast fir is coming
into such large use in England and
other European countries. The de-
STABILITY of Nicaragua ship canal is
thus emphasized. If Europe needs
Pacific coast forest product to the ex-
tent of floating it all the way around
Cape Horn, involving the stormy pas
sage in the vicinity of the southern
end of the continent, how greatly
would transport be shortened, cheap
ened and facilitated by a cut across
the narrow neck of land between the
two Americas. It seems as il the very
commercial necessities of the growing
Pacific coast region would before long
force the construction of the long
mooted canal. It is surprising that
the great work has been delayed so
g."-Seattle Times.