The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-11-27
lNACONDA news.
WOOD BUSINESS IS COCO
Large Demand for First Glass
Pole Wood.
WHAT ANACONDA BURNS
oomething Like 10000 Cords oil Pole"
Wood. to Say Nothing OF Cord
Wood and Coal The
80 Wood Hauler.

There Il At least one class Of business
cold That is the wood business. As
Anaconda row the wood business
Grows likewise. II Is perhaps a sur
prisins statement that there are at
least 800 men engaged In the business
OF marketing wood In Anaconda.
The wood that 10 most generally used
Il what n known as '>ole wood This
particular Kin Of wood is cut in the
mountains west OF town and. brought
to Anaconda on sleighs or wagons. 1t
- dry pine. as a general rule. but
sometimes a few loads OF FIR are on the
market. Pole wood" In usually about
~ feet long. II averages in diameter
about 10 inches. The wood is gathered
on mountain sides that have been
swept by FIRE. so that the fuel is dry
rs finder. pole wood" Is preferred by
the general householder for two rea-
sons. One Is that II IL easy to split.
which fact 10 a mighty consoling refiec-
tioR after a hard days work. and the
win last nearly twice as long In a stove
~ a stick with corners and splinters
for the IRE to lake hold of. The price
Of pole wood now is IS per load.
There are about IS a OF this pole
wood sold every day upon the Ana
conda markets. and during the months
Of December and January more h
1000 cords of II are disposed of to pri-
vate families. When asked what was
the total consumption in Anaconda OF
this wood for the year.. one of the deal
ers had the following to say;
The private families In Anaconda
use more than o 1000 cords OF pole wood
every year. and the brick yards use
more than 5000 cords"
Asked what had been the effect of
Thanksgiving upon their business. ne
answered:
business was very good for a few
weeks before Thanksgiving. There
was not a single load of wood left on
the market. I believe there were more
1000 loads OF pole wood sold dur
ing the eight days that preceded
Thanksgiving day"
, n wood hauler makes his head
quarters at the corner of Park avenue
and Oak street. He comes in with his
load at IL OF I o'clock. unhitches his
horses and feeds them. Their he waits
for customers. During his waiting
hours he is somewhat OF a character
study. He speaks Very httie, merely
passing the time of day with his broth
IT III lT60t. III 10 Uiufitd w ~ ~
heavy gray fur o%vercoat. He wears
German socks and overalls. He has a
heavy cap pulled down over his ears
and his hands are encased I'm huge nit
tens OF wool and buckskin. His whis-
kers-a wood hauler ALWAYS has whis-
kers-are frozen stin. Big icicles hang
from every part OF his face.
As soon as his horses are fed he X
his position beside his IL II is
n cold dav. he does not have to wait
long. IL Il is "A mild da- he waits
longer-sometimes he does not sell at
all. But whether he waits long or
waits briefly. he is patient Just the
same. A prospective customer APP
proaches him.
How much today"
"Five dollars"
TOO much"
To this the woodman replies that
wood is hard to get out now: slcddin
~ had. and besides wood is selling for
s. all over. Then this especial load Is
always dry. II Is good. solid. substan-
tiai wood. etc. although as a matter Of
fact Il Is generally az wet and water
soaked as n Missouri river snag.
The customer runts a few times.
axes a look at the sides and the rear
Of the load. elances at the other loads
on the market. and finally says:
We'll. all right: send II up to ="
The wood hauler pulls out OF his
pocket a piece Of lead rencil about an
inch long and marks the number n
street On the end Of a big log. Nobody
in the world could tell what he marked
on the log. but the action OF marking
seems to helm his memory He then
bitches up his team and delivers The
wood. Afterwards he buvs a couple OF
glasses Of beer. and ~ he has had an
early sale he leaves for home about 5
O'Clock.
The wood hauler gets 81 for his load,
IL costs 81 to cut II and pile IL up. II
costs 81 more to get IL down from the
Their there is his horse feed
and his labor. Sometimes the load has
10 be transferred from sleigh To wagon