The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-10-13
INDIANA,s LUMBER INTERESTS.

The current number of the Northwest
ern Lumberman, a publication devoted ex-
clusively to lumber interests, has a care
fully prepared article on the lumber in
terests of Indiana. Few persons are aware
of the extent of these. Nature has been
most kind to the State in many respects,
endowing it lavishly with agricultural and
mineral resources, with rich deposits of
coal, natural gas, oil, building stone, fine
clayS, ETC., but in nothing was she more
generous than in her original gift of for
ests. Considering the extent of these and
the variety and quality of the trees they
contained it is safe to say that Indiana
was originally the best timbered State in
the Union. On this point the Northwestern
Lumberman says:
Maine was famous for its pine: there was
and is a diversity of hard and soft woods
in all the Eastern States; Pennsylvania is
great for it's hemlock and cherry; Michigan,
Wisconsin and north Minnesota for white
and norway pine; Ohio for oak, ash, hick-
DRY, sycamore and other woods, and it is a
near rival with Indiana in these particu-
lars; Kentucky, Tennessee and the Vir-
ginias are well timbered with excellent
hardWoodS; the gulf States and Arkansas
are famous for pine and cypress, and the
Pacific coast States for the biggest timber
clean, long-bodied, superlative qualified
and all-abounding growth OF oak, ash,
hickory walnut and sycamore. Indiana is
these woods is oak, the king of the forests.
Indiana oak is the synonym of all ex-
cellence in that most important of Ameri-
can woods; and the pity of it is that the
greater supply has been cut off and mar
keted in period of the country'.s history
before any adequate apprehension OF its
future value was realized.
There are old settlers still living who can
confirm all that is here said concerning the
magnificent growth of hardwood trees
originally found here, and unfortunately
their descendants can bear testimony to the
recklessness with which the forests have
been destroyed with no attempt to replace
them. Not that our timber supply has been
wholly destroyed: there is enough hard
wood timber still left to supply our fac
tories for number of years, but the sup
ply might have lasted very much longer
had it not been so recklessy and wastefully
drawn upon. True, it has contributed in
no small degree to the maintenance of i'm
portant manufacturing industries, thereby
increasing the wealth of the State, but the
fact remains that in clearing up the land
and even in later years vast amount of
valuable timber was sacrificed without any
return.
Probably but few persons are aware of
the extent to which Indiana's timber enters
into it's manufacturing industries. The dis
covery of natural gas and later of oil were
great events in the industrial history of the
State. and their influence has been very
marked. But our forests we have had with
us all the time, and if their discovery has
not been as widely exploited as that of
other resources, their influence has been no
less marked. On this point we quote again
from the Lumberman:
The timber resources of Indiana have
greatly contributed to her progress in the
Industries. They furnished the means for
developing a line of manufactures which
have built up the numerous thriving towns
and cities in the State, and made the COM
monwealth industrially famous. Indiana's
products of wood include a wide range, the
itemiZing of which would require more
space than can be allotted to ii here One
of the leading industries that can be men,
toned, however, aside from the saving of
rough lumber, is the conversion of oak.
hickory and ash into dimension forms for
wagon. agricultural implements, various
machines and numerous uses in a variety
of manufacture. Indiana is pre-eminently
the leading State in this branch of wood
conversion, and the product is shipped to
all parts of the country and the world. 1t
has grown up naturally because an album
dant supply of most excellent material was
at hand all over the State. Naturally the
application of this dimension and specifical-
ly shaped wood in further manufacture be-
came general Probably no other region of
the country has so many thriving towns.
where manufacture in wood is the basis of
prosperity, the State of Indiana.
tabulated statement OF the wood in
dustries of the State. compiled from the
census of 1890, exclusive OF logging, shows
that there were at that time 22S9 wood
manufacturing establishments which gave
employment to Sl.2O1 persons. paid out
$11. 800 yearly in wages. consumed $21. $685.
s9s worth OF materials. and turned out
| SO. S63 749 worth OF products. No other