The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1898-07-01
tEOCN . AAAS take, easy to operate. 25c
Mason County.

The following brief article on Mason
County industries, appeared IN the
acknowledgements greater Washing
ton edition:
Mason county, covering the most
sOuthwesterly arm of Puget Sound, is
the leading numbering county of West
ern Washington, the average daily
output of merchantable logs from the
numerous logging camps within It's
borders amounting to more than $780,
900 feet. The Peninsular railroad,
terminating at shelton, and the Port
Blakely railroad each daily handle
over 100000 feet of logs, while the
Shelton Southwestern, also dumping
its product in the harbor at Shelton,
hauls about half that amount, and the
individual loggers working in small
crews and hauling their logs to the
water in other parts of the county
handle as much more
The largest concerns are S. q. Simp-
son & Co., Mason County Logging
Company, Simpson Logging Company
and the Summit Logging Company,
their ratio being about in the order
named The three railroads, includ-
ing spurs, are from twenty-six to thir-
ty-five miles in length, standard gauge
and fully equipped for the heavy traf-
fic. These logging concerns are the
heaviest operators in the Northwest;
they are alive to the value of labor
saving improvements, and use all the
latest methods of handling logs to the
best advantage.
The number of men employed in
the logging industry is close to $50.
and the amount disbursed for wages
each month is never less than $780,
600 and often reaches 100000, the
Simpson companies alone paying their
men $40, 900 in wages for the month
OF May. The wages range from $35 to
$50 per month, and out of this S.
week must be paid for board.
Logs are shipped to all the big mills
on the Sound. and having extra facili-
ties for getting out large logs or long
spars for special order, on short notice,
some of the finest specimens that grow
are forwarded from Shelton and find
their way to all parts of the world.
Clustering has been one of the main
industries of Mason county for many
years, Oyster bay being the home of
the pioneer oystermen. About all the
suitable grounds in that and adjoining
waters has been purchased from the
state and is being planted and Guilt
waited in oysters, so that the output is
rapidly increasing each year. Nearly
all the Sound oysters, known as
"Olympias," come from Oyster bay,
and the shipments reach 400 to 500
sacks 2 week during the shipping sea-
son.
Fishing is another source of revenue
to many residents along the bays and
on Hood canal, where some species of
salmon $ running nearly all the year
round. Considerable fish are shipped
to marEt and the canneries, while a
portion is dried and smoked here or
made into fertilizer.
Within the past few years consider
able attention las been turned to fruit
raising and farming and substantial
has been made in that
Most of the hay and veget-
ables reqU: d to supply the large con-
il the logging camps is now
raised Titlii.' the county, and practic-
ally all The large and small fruit used
at home while in season considerable
surplus IS raised for shipment to down
Sound niarkc'S. Although fine dis
trict for Profitable stock raising, not
enough is raised to supply the home
demand, bat shipments of hogs are &C.
casionally made.