The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1899-11-18
Sixty-one Million Feet
of Logs Handled.
Cut VIII Exceed 175 Million
Feet This Winter.
sPxcrAL 70 THE PRKss.1

i
Bangor, November 17.-Operations for
to season OF 1897 at Bangor boom were
concluded on NOV. 8, and this week Will
liam Conners, the boom contractor,
figured up the business OF the year. Work
began on May 10 and ended Nov. 3. max
ing little more than 40 working days.
with Sundays and holidays out. A crew
mum bering at different times from So to
1906 men was employed. at average wages
of 81. 80 a day. and about $40, 900 was pal
out In wages. The men also get their
board, which adds considerable to the
cos. of labor.
There were ten drives from the Penob-
scot boom above Old town to Bangor
boom, aggregating 81, $50, 900 feet OF lo0s
In 1893 the drives aggregated 81, 1000
fest, and In 1897 the fg ures were n, 0Oo.-
600 feet, the largest on record at the boom.
The average for i2 years past has been
60. O00, 900 feet. The record of 1857 would
have been broken this year but for the
fact that the owners Of the steam mills
on tidewatAr were unable to buy any
more logs. there being none for sale, be-
yond the quantity driven. on account Of
the large purchases by owners Of up-rivsr
mills.
The remarkable and almost unprecs-
dented condition is witne ssed this year OF
the Penobsoot boom beips empty Of logs,
while on the entire river, In the hands
OF all manufacturers. there Is not to
exceed 2i,00o. 0C0 feet to carry over to the
| spring Of 1900. Last year about Is. 0Oo, 600
feet of logs were wintsred in Penobsc,t
boom, and In nearly every year Of which
| there Is any reoord considerable quantl-
ties Of logs have been winterei there,
whiIa it has been customary TO whit er on
the river from 30, Coz, 900 to As. COO 600 feet.
In boom aud at the various m Ills for
spring saving the following year. This
year +. W. Aver s. Co.. will wintsr
land, 9, 500, 900; The Stems Lumber Co.,
,0O0. 900 and Morse Sc 90. loco. coo.
making q total OF IL. 600, 900 for the It'd s-
water mills In and below Bangor. The
up-river concerns have about 100000
| feet, divided about equally be twte1
James Walker s. Co., Lowell 81 Ensel,
the Jordan Lumber Co. and Adams s.
Co.
Seldom II ever before has the Psnobscot
been SO completely stripped Of both logs
and manufactured lumber. Not only 10
the stock for next springs saving very
light. but the wharves are almost bars
of lumber, with the prospect that nos
a stick will be left here when the river
closes. Operators seem TO hive fifth
that prices Of lumber will be high next
year. and that, accordingly, there will be
| brisk demand for y largely increased out
| of iogs. and 1t Is liksly that the oat on
Penobscot waters this winter Will sx-
cssd 175 900, 001 feet. =
The recent rains have raised this Penob-
! SCOT about three feet, enough for all pur-
poses, and several mills that had shut
down are now In operation again, and
| will saw through the season. The drouth,
which lasted nearly all the season, con-
siderahly decreased the lumber output all
| over the State, and much valuable time
| has been lost In a busy year.
There seems 70 be no doubt that the
lum termen CT the northeast will soon
follow the example CT thcss Of the north
west and discard the axe for the saw In
| Telling trees. Already on the Kennebeo
| they ara saving trees Instead OF ohopping
them down, and the matter Of employing
saws 10 being seriously considered on the
Penobscot. The Iracsdie Lumber Co,
composed Of Bangor men, uses saws IN
| Its operations on the Tracsdie river, New
Brunswick, where they cut about IL, 600,
|
| lind tn 9 saws preferable In .very way to
axes. This company is soon to erect
| mill for the saving CT pine into box
| boards, TO manu- acture 100000 TO
| 8. 000, 90 feet annually.
On the Union river. Maine, this win
ter. more logs Will be cut than for many
seasons yet A large number OF men are
| already In the woods. and there is brisk
demand for others. 1t Is likely that this
winter will see the beginning or opera
tions in the great hardwood forests OF the
upper Union river, where. on one town
| ship, 1t Is estimated, there are standing
| today not less than rs, 600. 900 fest Of good
hard wood timber. The trees are tall and
| straight, and include many large naples.
| About 500, 900 feet Of this timber viii
be cut this season, and the experiment
will be tried of painting the butts NJ the
logs, to keep the air In the grain and the
water out. and thus make them, as 1t 10
| claimed, as buoyant as spruce. Hereto
fore great difficulty has bee experienced
In driving hardwood logs on account of
their sinking.
4. p. Viiss, the Oldest lum alderman on
the Kennebeo river. Is Of the opinion that
the pulp mills of the future will be built
far back In the woods, on the upper
| reaches Of the rivers, where they could
utilize as material q great deal of timber
that cannot now be used. Poplar, which
10 considered good for everything except
manila paper, oAnnet be driven because
10 Is too heavy. and then there Is vast
supply Of small timber, vut into four
foot lengths, that cannot very well be
driven TO the mills as now located, but
which would be available and valuable
for mills Ioca ted where 1t grows. Mr..
Vilss also states that there IL more water
power away back near the heads Of tbs
rivers than below, and he oites the ease
of Grand Falls, where there 10 . tall OF
10 feet in distance Of 100 feet, and where
Connscticut parties are negotiating for .
pri viieas and pulp mill site.
The Berlin Mills 90. will closs their