Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1900-08-01
OUR SUPPLY OF SHINGLES.
Comes Largely from the Forests of New
brunswick and Quebec.

brunswick and Quebec.
Formerly all shingles made in the
east were split from blocks and shaved
by hand with draw knife. Those
used in Maine, New Hampshire and
part of Massachusetts were pine or
shaved cedar, 16 inches long. In
other states 19-inch shingles were
used. In the shingle machines then
made, the saw struck the bolt at the
end, saving lengthwise OF the block.
This made rough surface on the
shingles, which was said to hold the
water and make them rot quickly. In
1860 there began to come into use
machines made in Gardiner and Ban
gor, Me-, which cut the block on
the side instead of the end. The
shingles sawed in this way had sur
face almost as smooth as if shaved
and were of the same thickness. These
machines caused revolution in the
manufacture OF shingles.
AS the demand increased and cedar
became scarce in southern Maine,
manufacturers began to move toward
the great northern forests.
The Phoenix mill in Fredericton,
New Brunswick, was changed from a
long lumber mill and 16 machines
were put in that cut 224, 900 shingles
day. In 1883 this mill passed into
the hands of an American company
from Calais, which erected a mill at
Edmunston, New Brunswick, with
seven machines. The logs for the
Phoenix mill are cut in Aroostook
county, Me-, and driven down the st.
John River. In May, 1888, the first
shingle mill in northern New Bruins
wick saving for the American market
began operating at Dalhousie. The
owner now has mills at Cabano and
Notre Dame du Lac in Quebec.
The cedar forests remaining in this
part OF the continent are in Aroostook
county, Me-, the northern counties of
New Brunswick and the counties of
Temiscouata, Rimouski Bonaventure
and Gaspe, in Quebec. Here cedar
grows large, and there are more trees
to the acre than further south. 1t is
found on the high land as we'll as in
the swamps. In Nova Scotia cedar
does not grow. In southern New
brunswick there is not enough left to
supply ties for the local railroads.
The locations named are the last of
the cedar forests and these are being
rapidly denuded to supply shingles
and railroad ties, and in a few years
all will be cut. Cool cedar lands
should soon become valuable as the
area is so limited.
In 1888 the first quality of shingles
sold in Boston for So so a 1000, in
1898 for $2.60, in 1899 for SO. 10.
The shingles cleared through the
United States consulate in st. John,
N. b., are sawed from logs cut in
northern New Brunswick and Aroos-
took county, Ne. The largest amount
OF shingles probably are manufactured
in the consular district of Campbell
ton, n. b. The manufacture is in
creasing here, and during 1899 there
were cleared through this office for
the United States 124,O2S, 750
shingles, valued at 1921, ,015. 40. There
was erected during the year one mill,
with eight machines, in Cabano, and
another in Notre Dame du Lac. The
machines were added to the mill here,
and several were set up in the woods
to saw in winter only.
The low price of 16-inch shingles
has caused them to be used in Ver-
mont, Connecticut and northern New
York, where formerly only lS-inch
ones were sold. All the large mills
near Ramouski, Quebec, except the
new one at Cabano, are owned by
America. New York Press.