The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1899-09-29
HARDWOOD IN LUZON.
Soldiers who Are Well Informed Say
Philippine Lumber Will Prove
Source of Great Wealth.

Soldiers Who Are Well Informed Say
Philippine Lumber Will Prove
Source of Great Wealth.
The wait may be long one"
says the Seattle POst-Intelligencer,
"Out some day our truthful little
axes and our busy American buzz
saws will be knocking out tropical
lumber, as well as ths Slmian abort
gines and their defendants. Uncle
SANS new possessions, Cuba and the
Philippines, are destined to cut con-
siderable figure in the lumber trade
as soon as American methods of push
and enterprise are adopted. Cuba
possesses some of the best mahogany
and Spanish cedar in the world, and
the Philippine Islands are covered
with mahogany, ebony, camphor
wood and other valuable hard wood
forests. J. G. HiDkle, member Of
the First Regiment of Washington
Volunteers, practical furniture
maker, recently wrote to Charles II.
Sigh of Spokane from Manila as
follows:
- There are half a dozen hard
woods here that take high polish.
They are somewhat lighter than ma
hogany in appearance. [ know the
name of only one, camphor wood. |
think the others do not grow in other
places. The native names would not
enlighten you in regard to them.
Eoony is also abundant. 1t is of
mahogany that | wish to speak, and
on this point beg Information. 1t
is the bull pine or water elm of this
country, so to speak. The meanest
hOvel, as well as the plainest parti.
tion work, is of mahogany. Not
withstanding its abundance, lumber
is high here. The native works al
most for a song, but when it comes
| to whipsawing 1000 feet of boards
you can understand why many peo-
pie can't stand much of the song
There is one sawmill in the islands
The logs are cut up in the mountains
and hewed out square, then nosed,
so that they will plow through reeds,
grass, etc., down the Pasig river
There are great yards full of them,
and with American machinery and
enterprise this industry could be
made to greatly profit. A word as
to the quality of the lumber. We
are at present quartered in an old
palace, once the residence of the
archbishop Of the church. [ have
been told by some of the oldest ma
tives that it has been here fifty eight
years. In the main floor upstairs all
the boards are two feet wide and
over, none less. They are laid with
screws that have heads countersunk
and covered. There il not a single
season check or Knot in the floor that
/ have found. There are old pieces
in the altar work of the various
churches that have been built as far
back as 1743 that only change to the
darker color with the weight OF
years. / am not posted on the differ
ent qualities of lumber, but my
; Judgment leads me to think this is
the best
James A. Fitzhenry, of Company
B, same regiment, writes a Ballard
as follows:
"'They tell nee that this is th'
greatest timber country in the world
There are four kinds of timber-ma
hogany, ebony, camphor wood anC
redwood. There are some fine tim
Der claims that run right down tt
the edge of the river. Of all tn,
timber that is used here there i
only one saw mill on the island
That is run by Chinaman, and h
only saws the logs into cants, ant
the cants are sold, and the man tha
, buys them has to whipsaw them anC
make his lumber. These cants sel
for 500 (Mexican) a thousand. Ma
hOgany logs grow nearly as large a
the fir in the States. AS mahogan.
=. is the principal wood, you can SCI
for yourself how much money MAJ
. could make if he owned sawmil
here. Before the trouble with tn
insurgents got so bad, my captain
= told me that there were ten officer
+. of different regiments forming
syndicate, and were going to send t.
, the states for backing to start a saw
mill. They say that there will be
. boom in this country as soon as TIL
trouble is over. If so, this will b
I. the best place to make money. /
man can start small business ant
hire native labor for 90 cents dav
Mexican money-that is, 20 cents il
, our money!"