The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-01-10
TIMBER IS GETTING SCARCE
DULUTH DISTRICT STANDING PINE
BEING BOUGHT UP By
OUTSIDERS
SHIPMENTS WILL DECREASE
Duluth and Superior Not Expected
to Have Over 2OO,OOO,OOO Feet
for Eastern Shipment
Next Summer.

DULUTH, Mimi, Jan. 9.-By far the
puIk or the pine standing in this district
has been taken possession of during the
year by mill operators or heavy loggers,
who, If they do not care to cut for their
own mills are prepared to cut or contract
for logs delivered at booms, ETC., and they
are about all so heavily strengthened
with the sinews of war that their timber
is not likely to be on the market. One
interesting and important feature of the
year in this district has been the en-
trance of loggers for mills in district far
Their distant than had ever coIN% here
before, emphasizing the growing scare
ity of timber elsewhere and cutting away
from the lumbermen OF Duluth a good
share of the ground they had been stand
ing upon. Large tracts or timber on the
north shore, naturally tributary to this
city or to new mills to be located tlong
the shore, have been bought during the
year by Ashland interests some for spec
ulation and some for numbering. A part
of the speculative tracts have already
been sold, not to Duluth or Minnesota
men, but to Ashland mill firms or to
firms that have Wisconsin interests.
Some of these tracts are still held by
the speculative interests, and are show
ing large profit on the investment that
should have been made by Duluthians.
Some 100000 feet have been pur-
chased the first instance when these men
have come from so far away for timber
to operate their mills. With these lum-
bermen the question resolved itself into
this: Should they be content with small"
er profit than others cared to make on
the same timber, and thus continue in
operation their mills, or should they tear
up and move or quit business. SO the
timber near Duluth has been sold and
will eventually reach lower Iowa. Sew
eral other deals of the same character
are under consideration, but they have
not yet been closed.
Among the largest timber purchasers
of the year in the district have been the
Weyerhaeuser interests at Cloquet, Al
ger, Smith & Co., of this city, the Mer-
rill-King Lumber company, the estate OF
Thomas Nester, etc. These are some OF
the old stand-bys Of the district firms
that have had mills here for years and
are wealthy and well acquainted with
the conditions, who have let others take
the standing pine until they have not
enough stumpage for their mills. Some
of these concerns are this winter hardly
able to lumber a sufficient quantity to
keep their mills busy next year. One
firm that a year ago spent large
amount in refitting and overhauling Its
mill is not now able to log 100000 feet
for mill that should cut three times that
in 1901.
FEW SHIPMENTS WEST.
The new year opens with no change in
market conditions Duluth still ships al
most exclusively to the East. Mills are
going West to such an extent that the
possible territory there is being further
and further reduced. The advent Of the
Milwaukee road has rad little effect In
opening a larger fed to the southwest,
as was at first expected. But the East is
greater and greater consumer, proper
tionately. and there is little sleep lost
here ever the curtailment of the Western
| territory.
For the past few years local demand
has baen almost nothing; few structures
| of any kind have gone up. This should
shortly change and Duluth and Superior
should consume nearly 50 per cent of
their own cut. Instead of having 100000,
not likely to have more than 250,0C0OOO
feet, perhaps not so much Heavy local
construction is more and more of Pac f1c
timber and the receipts of that material
for the year have been very large. West
crn shingles, too, are coming here III I'M
mense quantity. The figures are almost
| impossible of getting accurately, as GUS
tom house data are notoriOusly incom-
plete but it is claimed that more than
AGO. 0OC, coo Of these shingles have been
shipped East via Duluth in the year.
The year has been a further Develop
ment of the logging railway. and a great
er portion of the logs for mills hereabouts
will come in by road than in any previous
year.