The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1898-12-04
ORANGE HUMMER MARkrr.
Car Famine Has Recome the wors
on Record

Car Famine Has Recome the Worst
.s ON Record.
Orange, Texas, December 3.--Nevcr In
the histors OF the lumber business a.
Orange was there a worse car famine than
the mills ere having to contend against
now and have for month past 1t seems
incredible, but so acute has the famine be-
come that the largest plant here, and one
OF the largest in the South, has had to cease
operations until supply of cars can be
secured. Ties ana lumber have been stacked
alongside the tracks at the loading sheds
Until there Is no room. aud trucks that
were loaded week ago are standing on The
trans still loaded. This state of affairs pre-
walls 1t every mill here and some OF the
planners have been putting In less than
nall lime on this account. as they can not
run without cars Can width to load the
lumber. The cotton blockade on the west
and the immense cane crop on the east
are the main factors in withholding cars
from the mills, prominent manufacturer
VINO recently made a "Trip over the road
between Orange and New Orleans, states
that he saw train after train of fiat ears
switched off into the cane plantations haul
MS she SaHe 70 the TennerleS ana a large
proportion OF the crop is yet to be har-
vested. Another, who was recently in Gal
weston, stated that in the railroad yards
there he saw what seemed to him 10 he
mlieS and miles of cars loaded with cot
ION, awaiting chance to get to the sh ps
at the wharf And while the rallroj3s are
SIT aiming every nerve to move this great
c0ttUn aud Stne clOp. u-e iW.lDer Dus.lls IS
langu.Shes for want of transportation.
Tlern NOT
the five mill yards at Orange yesterday,
though two hundred and fifty would not
sulllce to move the lumber for which they
have orders.
At all the mill offices visited yesterday
the lumber reporter was informed that o.
uisfs had been coming in this week lust
about the same as last, and an excellent
business could be done could supply OF
cars be secured There has probably been
az increase III the number of orders flom
the lndian Territory and the demand from
Texas has been general.
Oeeaa freight rates are beginning to de-
cline little and will probably ease off
enough soon to allow exporters an oppor-
tunity to handle the foreign demand for
lumber which is still very good. indeed
Indications are now that there Will be
a marked Improvement in the export trade
within the reXt few weeks
The d. mund for railroad material con-
tinMes active, but shipments are being re-
,arnisd terribly by lack of cars. A fea-
ture of the railroad business this week is
tbs voluntary alvaIce on the part of the
railroads of % cents a thousand on heart
ties. This advance will doubtless be in
creased again soon, as there Is big de-
mand and ties are scarce. All square edge
ties held by the mills here have been sold
and there are no more In the market Just
now.
Less lumber was sent away from the
mills at Orarge in November than for any
previous month during the year. Raj ship
ments would have been at least three
million feet greater had the mills been
able to secure cars. Rail shipments for
the month amouGted to 1875 cars, as against
551 in the previous month and 56S in No
vember of last year.
The big bill OF eighteen million feet of
lumber to go TO Cuba, for which bids were
asked by the government. resolved itself
into am order for eight and a half million
feet, which was awarded to Woodward
Wright g. Co. of New Orleans over a num-
Der of other bidders This firm placed an
order this week with the Lutcher & Moore
Lumber company OF Orange for part Of
the material, con iyting of 600, coo feet of
Ike, which is to be shipped as soon as yes
sells report for II at Sabine Pass. This nart
of the bill is TO have quick delivery and
will be shipped TO Havana on steamers
from Sabre Pass.