The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1897-11-12
For Puget Sound Mills.

CosMoPoLs, Nov. 4.-E. G. Hunt,
civil engineer, has just returned from
the survey of township 21-S, this coun-
ty. This township lies far toward the
mountains, contains the headwaters
OF the Wishkaw river, is penetrated
by the Humptulips in the western
portion and it's eastern boundary is
close to the Wynooche. The Satsop
is but three miles to the eastward.
Mr.. Hunt found hills rising almost
abruptly 1000 feet, and strange enough,
the Humptulips has no timber, is
deep, swift and fifty feet wide. {
On the hcadwaters of the Wishkaw
there is timber, while the lands along
the Wynooche are heavily timbered.
! Indeed, the choicest portion of the
timber accessible to Grays harbor
commences in 21-9, extends in belt
about ten miles wide eastward through
out the township and over to the east
side of the Satsop, containing many
millions of fine fir, spruce and cedar.
The Satsop is not noted for its navi-
gabilNy for logs, while the Wynooche
is notoriously bad. 1t literally has no
banks and is one succession of ohstruc-
ton bars. Those three conditions just
mentioned, that there is a wonderful
belt OF timber so situated; that the
Wynooche is not navigable for logs;
that the Satsop is no, desirable for
such, is fast leading TO a condition of
business that may change the destiny
of Grays harbor.
Cognizant of these facts, the Port
Blakely Mill company has been for
some years extending railroad from
the Sound toward this timber. Its
western terminus is now at the Satsop.
The whistle of its engine can be heard
almost at Montesano and, according
to N1r. Hunt, there are no greater
engineering difficulties TO be overcome
in the extension into this great belt
! than have been overcome in getting
where it is There Is little to hinder
the Sound mills from taking from
Chehalis county the greater portion OF
this great forest and thereby limiting
the growth of Grays harbor institu-
tions and adding immensely to the
timber resources of the Sound.
During the last year the fact that
the price of logs is dependent upon the
local demand wholly has become ap-
parent. On North river last year log
gers sold their spruce at So at South
Bend, while Grays harbor mills paid
$3.50 and later S. Now the singular
matter about this is that few miles
above Cosmopolis the Chehalis is sep
arated from Little North river by a
narrow divide, and loggers on Little
North river put an engine on top OF
the divide, pulled up the logs from
| Little North river, and sent them into
| the Chehalis down chute, and re-
ceived S. per thousand, while loggers
three miles below allowed logs to go
down to the mouth of North river into
an insecure boom and then settled at
So.
It connot be denied that many own
ers of timber here look to the consum-
nation OF the Port Blakeley scheme
for strong upward movement in logs
and probably the day>is not far distant
when Sound prices will prevail. Some
whose interest are of different ma
ture look upon the matter with con-
Germ, for the Simpson Bros. cut last
year along their road 65,OOO,O0O feet
OF timber.-Tacoma Ledger.
The output of camps of S. G. Simp-
son & Co. on the Port Blakeley and
Peninsular Railroad, will aggregate
about 90,000,000 feet.