The Elbert County tribune., 1900-05-24


Formerly all shingles made in the
east were split from blocks and shaved
by hand with a draw knife. Those
used In Maine. New Hampshire and
part OF Massachusetts were pine or
shaved cedar. sixteen inches long. In
other states. eighteen-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 a rough surface on
the shingles. which was said to hold
the water and make them rot quickly.
In 1865 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 a, surface almost
as smooth as II shaved and were OF the
same thickness. These machines caus-
ed 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 sixteen machines
were put in that cut 22i. 900 shingles a
day. In 1888 this mill passed into the
hands of an American company from
Calais, which erected mill in Edmuns-
ton, New Brunswick. with seven ma
chimes. The logs for the Phoenix mill
are cut in Aroostook county, Me. and
! driven down the st. John river. In
northern New Brunswick saving for
the American market began operating
at Dalhousie. The owner now has
mills at Cabano and Notre Dame de
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, Rimousk, Bonavnnture
! 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 rap
idly denuded to supply shingles and
railroad ties. and in a few years all
will be cut. Good cedar lands should
soon become valuable, as the area is
so limited.
In 1888 the first quality of shingles
sold in Boston for $500 900, in 1898
for s2.6O. in 1899 for 1910, and this
year for $40.
The shingles cleared though the
United States consulate in st. John.
N. B., are sawed from logs cut in
northern New Brunswick and Aroos
took county. Me. 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 134.0is. $50 shingles.
valued at 1921 .015.40. There was erect
ed during the year one mill. with eight
machines. in Cabano and another one
in Notre Dame du Lac. The machines
were added to the mill here, and sew
eral were set up in the woods, to saw
in winter only. The low price of six
teen-inch shingles has caused them to
be used in Vermont. Connecticut and
northern New York. where formerly
only eighteen-inch ones were sold. All
the large mills near Rimouski, Que
bee, except the new one at Cabano. are
owned by Americans.