The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1897-12-24

Kindred, who formed the Puget Sound
Milling Company on the 25th of Oc-
tOber OF that year. M. I. Simmons
was the largest stakeholder and was
elected superintendent. This was a
water power mill Of small capacity
and most of the product was taken in
RATS to Fort Nisqually and some OF it
was used in the erection of the United
States fort at Steilacoom. No lumber
man seems to have thought that this
was the semi-centennial of the lumber
trade of Washington, which is now as
Stunning vast proportions.
The first mill built for an export
business was erected near what is now
Yesler Wharf by the late Henry L.
Yesler, who arrived on Puget Sound
in March, 1858, and at once decided
on Elliott Bay as the place for his
home. This mill was run by steam
power and had a cadacity of 10000
feet day. Most of the product was
shipped to San Francisco, then in the
height of her prosperity, and the nu
cleus of an enormous trade was then
created Soon after this mill was
built, in fact nearly at the same time,
water power mill was erected at New
Whatcom, on Bellingham Bay, and a
small mill at Port Ludlow. These
have given way to mills of large Ca
pacity and equipped with all modern
Improvements. Port Gamble was the
next mill site and Port Madison end
Port Blakeley soon followed. The lat
ter is now the largest mill in the state
if not in the United States. San
Francisco had just then been laid in
ashes and the demand for lumber to
rebuild the city was so great that all
the available mills were crowded with
orders.
OF the larger mills there are two
now running with a capacity of 250,-
QUO feet day or over, viz, the Port
Blakeley mill, with capacity of 300,-
600 feet, and the Tacoma mill, with a
capacity of 100000, though the latter
once made the phenomenal out of
46O,0 feet in ten hours. This, how
ever, was on a China order for very
large timbers. Among the mills cut
ting over 100000 and less than. 25O,-
600 feet day and now running are
the Puget Mill Company's mill at Port
Gamble (recently reopenedD, st. Paul
& Tacoma Mill at Tacoma, and the
Bellingham Bay Improvement Com
pany's mill at Sehome, and Stimson
Bros. mill at Ballard. Besides these
are number of export mills having
capacities varying from $4,000 to 1885,
OOO feet day on Puget Sound, Grays
Harbor, Willapa Harbor and the
Washington side of the Columbia
River. Except from the Puget Sound
mills there are few foreign shipments.
but the Puget Sound mills have now 9
large foreign trade, for the value of the
Douglas fir is well known in China.
Japan, Australia, Russia, Great Britain
and Ireland, Germany and Italy.
The total coastwise shipments for
the present year will aggregate about
25O,O00,O0O feet, valued at S2,25O,OOO
and the foreign shipments about 15O,-
100000 feet, valued at ST. 100000. The
exact figures cannot yet be had but
these are approximately correct.
This is a business that has grown up
within the past twelve years. The
first shipments to the East were made
in 1885, but the business did not as
sumo any very great Importance until
some three or four years later. In
1890 it was estimated that about half
a billion shingles were shipped to
Eastern markets. This year the ship
ments for the first ten months amount
ed to 1888 carloads, or 1898, 700 900
shingles, and with the water shin
ments will amount to over 100000
OOO this year. The value of this i'm
mense product at the mills is about
81, 100000 and this important indus
try will continue to grow as long as
the timber lasts, and this at present
shows no signs Of serious diminution
OF course the most easily accessible
trees have been cut, but there is an
enormous reserve supply still in the
forest. 1t may be well here to give
the reason for the great and growing
popularity OF these shingles. They
are very wide, are very long-lived, are
grained-edged, do not split under the
hammer, lie close and do not warn
and are thus impervious to dust. rain
or snow and make perfect roof A
few years ago their use was confined
TO a few states, such as Colorado
Utah, Ohio, Iowa, Kansas. Illinois,
New York and Nebraska. Now thew
are sold in all the Eastern states, and
they have also made their way in com
petition with the redwood shingle of
Calieorn;o - - -