Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1900-04-02
A VAST ARMY.
Men Employed in the Minnesota Pin.
cries This Winter.

lHfe VlHtcT.
Contracts for the delivery of about
500, 100000 feet Of pine logs to mills in
this section by railroad have recently
been closed. This is In addition to the
enormous quantity that will be handled
on logging railroads owned by the COM
panies that also do the logging. OF
these contracts the Wisconsin divisions
of the Northern Pacific Road has closed
a total of about $50, ,000. 900 feet, part Of
which will be delivered at this city and
part at Ashland. The Duluth g. Iron
Range Road will haul 15o 900, 900 feet to
this city, and the other iron range
roads about 100, 900 900 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 distinctively logging
corporations.
In Northern hinnesota alone an army
Of $4,000 men will attack the standing
pine. assisted by thousands of horses
and oxen. These men will receive an
aggregate monthly wage of about 34oO.-
900, 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 q 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
oh
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 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 % per
cent in the past nine months Is an in
dication of how tremendous the de-
mand for boxes has become.
I.umbermen Of this district have new
er before made sales for the succeed
ing year before late In the winter, or
until saving began in the spring. But
last week sales were made here of
30. oo0, 900 feet of the lowest grades of
at top prices. Several mills sold their
entire seasons cut of these grades, re-
ceiving 3l0.6o for what was worth Sc. 80
last February, s13 for what then
brought $3.50, and $3.50 for a grade
that in past years has been considered
worth almost nothing and that has
been figured as about paying the saw
bill. Every lumberman who will dis
~ ;v.o a,,a t.
importuned to do so, and 400, ,o00, 900
feet OF Duluth lumber could be sold in
a week to buyers from New York, New
England. Eastern Michigan and Chica-
60. This would be practically all next
years cut for the mills on deep water
in this harbor.
points out of Lake Superior will exceed
1000. .Ooo. 900 feet, and a single months
forwardings are more than was sent in
a whole summer so lately as 1887. More
than 125 ships have been engaged ex-
clusively in the carrying of lumber
from this lake to the East this year,
and at prices that have paid profits
that would buy the ships at last
springs values. Many a ship contract
ed last spring for the season with an
agreement that the lessee might buy la
ter in the year at a then agreed figure,
has already been bought under the op-
ton out of it's own net profits for the
summer. Rates have been more than
double the year before, and for most Of
the season there have been half dozen
cargoes for every available vessel.
For the hrst time railroads have in
vaded the cargo market and have car
ried scores of million of feet OF tim
ber from here to points as far East as
Pittsburs and Central Pennsylvania,
making rates satisfactory to them
selves under those the ship interests
would accept.
Timber lands have doubled and ire
bied in price the past season, and are
still advancing, with sales amounting
to millions OF dollars monthly.-Ninne-
apolis Times.