The San Francisco call., 1897-08-22
II. G.. Smith of Fresno
Files a Petition in
insolvency.
Liabilities Aggregate $79S,l3S,
With No Available
Assets.
Himself and Partner Unsucce sSful
In Ventures In Lumber
Districts.

FRESNO, CAL, Aug. 21.-One OF the
biggest petitions N insolvency in the his
tory of Fresno County was filed to-day
by H. C. Smith, who was one of the firm
of Moore & Smith, which dealt extensively
in lumber in this State some years ago.
The amount of Smiths liza abilities, accord
ing 20 his statement, is $798, 138 49, with
no assets. The petition was filed this
evening shortly before o'clock by Judge
Stanton L. Carter, who is Smiths attor-
ney.
The true amount of Smiths individual
Indebtedness is not so large as that indi-
Gated by his statement. The heavier
claims were contracted jointly by him
and his former partner. A. ID. Moore.
The notes were signed by the corporations
they formed, and then each of the gentle
men Endorsed them individ ually. The
petitioner is, of course. liable for the
whole amounts, in the inability of Moore
to pay, but the fact is that Smith is re-
sponsib bic for only half the Indebtedness.
In his application for release from all
debts Smith desires 10 be freed from every
liability, hence the large amount stated.
Moore & Smith were first In the lum ber
business at Stockton under the title OF the
Moore 81 Smith Lumber Company, Moore
owning a two-th rds interest and Smith
one-third. Then they incorporated the
Port Discovery Mill Company, os which
they owned all the stock and which oper-
ated in the State of " ashington, where
about is, 900 acres of tim ber land was pur-
chased. Later the two men incorporated
the Kings River Lumber Com pany, in
which they owned all the stock. This
company purchased about 0,000 acres OF
timber in the mountains of this county,
and built a sixty-mile fume from the
mills to Sanger, where other mills were
established for preparing the lum ber for
market.
During the ''hard times" Moore & Smith
were forced to the wall with their corpora
TONS Creditors took charge of the busi-
ness OF the Kings River Company and or
ganized as the Sanger Lumbe Company.
Tdey retained Smith as their manager,
and he has held this position for the past
two years.
This new company is now running the
mills at Seq1oia and at Sanger and last
summer and this season ii turned out an
immense amount OF timber and is con-
ducting highly profitab BILE business. The
Iallule OF the MOOTe O' OHlLn Lum Der
Company, the Port Discovery Company
and the Kings River Company are really
included by Smiths petition, which he
fled to-day.
The following are the heaviest of the
petitioners liabilities: Bank of British
Colum bia, San Francisco, $2IO OOOO Bank
of California, San Francisco, $4,000; A.
Borel e. Co., San Francisco, $2o3 ,OO0;
Francis J. P. Moore, San Francisco,
$40 000. Sarah T., PhilIiDs San Eranrieoo
$450O; Bank of Visalia, $500; Sweet &
Co. VsaIia. $1,000; Higgins & Collins, San
Francisco, $4,000; Carter Bros, San Fran
cisco. $4,000; Abbie Ducey, Detroit. Mich,
$40, COZ; Moore g. Smith Lumber Com
pany, money advanced, $4,000; w. H.
Crocker, San Francisco, $500; Farmers
and Merchants Bank, South Dakota:
Rosen baum and Joseph Lyle, Stockton,
$1,000; II. X. Mitchell, San Francisco,
$6633; Walter Powell, San Francisco
$1,000; BanK of California. F. L. Moore
and A. d. Moore, $3.50 900.