Evening journal., 1900-01-03

a VAST Army.
Men Employed in the Minnesota Pin.
cries This Winter.

VIC" employed IN I've Minnesota Pm
cries This Winter.
Contracts for the delivery Of about
eOo.ooo.ooo feet Of pine logs to mills in
this section by railroad have recently
been closed. This is In addition to the
enormous quantity that viii be handled
on logging railroads owned by the COM
panies that also do the logging. OF
these contracts the Wisconsin divisions
Of the Northern Pacinc Road has closed
total OF about 25O.oOO.O 900 feet, part Of
which win be delivered at this city and
part at Ashland. The Duluth & Iron
Range Road win haul $50, 1000, 900 feet to
this city, and the other iron range
roads about 10O.OO0,O00 feet. These con-
tracts are for deliveries during the
coming winter. and are an indication
Of the activity in the pine numbering
section at he head OF the lakes. AS
much more will be handled in the
northeastern part Of Minnesota and the
Ashland. wis. districts this winter on
roads owned by disyinctively logging
corporations.
In Northern Minnesota alone anarmy
Of 5000 men will attack the standing
pine, assisted by thousands Of hor es
and oxen. These men Will receive an
aggregate monthly wage Of about $780,
600. and they will be employed till the
spring breakup. Lumbermen look for a
continuation of the present era Of ac-
tivity and high prices for a long time.
indeed they expect never to see the
low prices for pine Of the past few
years. The supply IS becoming more
and more limited year by year, as the
forests are entered by such an army Of
choppers, and the standing pine yet re-
naming uncut is rapidly becoming the
property of manufacturing corpora
tions large enough to hold till they are
ready to cut, while the demand is in
creasing at a rate faster than the cap
acity OF mills. A very large share OF
lumber cut in this region, especially in
lower grades, goes into boxes and pack
ing cases, and that the price of these
| grades should have advanced so per
cent in the past nine months Is an in
| dication OF how tremendous the de-
mand for boxes has become.
Iumbermen of this district have new
er before made sales for the succeed.
| ing year before late in the winter. OF
until saving began in the spring But
/ last week sales were made here Of
100000 feet of the lowest grades o
/ the cut to be made after next Apri
at top prices. Several mills sold thei
entire seasons cut Of these grades, re
ceiving Sl05O for what was worth SOS
last February, SO for what thei
brought $3.50. and $3.50 for a grad
that in past years has been considere,
worth almost nothing and that ha
/ been figured as about paying the saw
/ bill Every lumberman who will dis
! pose of his product in advance is beinl
/ importuned to do so. and 100000
4 feet Of Duluth lumber could be sold II
Il . week to buyers from New York, New
England, Eastern Michigan and Chica
go. This would he practically all mex
years cut for the mills on deep waite
in this harbor.
Shipments by water to these Easter
points out Of Lake Superior win excee
900 900 900 feet, and a single months
forwardings are more than was sent Il
"a whole summer so lately as 1887. Nor
than 125 ships have been engaged eS
II clUsively in the carrying OF lumbe
from this lake TO the East this year
and at prices that have paid profit
!, that would buy the ships at las
. springs values, Many q ship contract
ed last spring for the season with al
agreement that the lessee might buy la
ter in the year at a then agreed figur,
has already been bought under the op
ton out Of its own net profits for tn
summer Rates have been more tn
double the year before. and for most q
the season there have been half n doze
cargoes for every available vessel.
For the first time railroads have in
vaded the cargo market and have car
ried scores Of million Of feet OF tim
Der from here to points as far East a
: Pittsburg and Central Pennsylvania
making rates satisfactory to them
selves under those the ship interest
would accept.
Timber lands have doubled and tire
bled in price the past season, and al
SIN advancing, with sales amountin
to millions Of dollars monthly.-AfinnS
apolis Times.