New-York tribune., 1901-08-11
LUMBER SEASON DULL IN MAINE
CONFLICTING sAwMILL AND PULP MILL IN
TEREsTs-QUEsTIoN AS TO WHICH
WILL SURVIVE.

many years-perhaps the dullest since the ClNi
WARM the lumber trade on the Penobscot River.
and in all parts OF Maine there is a decided de-
preston in the industry particularly with refer
ence 10 spruce Everything about the business
this year has been unsatisfa ctory-svery condition
unfavorable. The drives have all been very late
in reaching boom some OF them not yet having
arrived: the operations OF pulp companies have In
terfered with the lumber interests; some OF the
largest mills have been burned, and. in addition
TO all of this, the market has been slow at only
fair prices with the practical certainty OF BAD
break under full supplies. Thus far the season
may be set down failure for the spruce mills
as well as for the shipping interests dependent
upon the lumber trade. and, although brisk
movement is usually looked for in the fall, the
prospect this year for any great Improvement Is
regarded uncertain.
Most Of the spruce mills. including all save one
of the larger plants on the Penobscot have been
shut down for periods varying from four to eight
weeks and the coastng vessels that come 10
Bangor for lumber frsights have lost a great deal
Of time waiting for cargoes, while lately they have
been obliged to leave Bangor, seeknG business In
other ports Last week several vessels sailed light
for Calais not having been able to get a charter
here at any terms something seldom II ever
known before and good many vessels have either
hauled up gone into the stone trade
When the river opened in April there was on
hand a stock of old logs sufficient to keep the
mills going for the usual time or until the date
when the first Of the logs generally arrive put
when the last Of the old logs had been sawed the
first of the drives still weeks away ano there
was nothing TO do but to shut down some OF the
nils managed to keep along until about july l,
and one at Orono is still in operation. having mao
a larger stock Of logs than the others but with
that exception the spruce concerns are ldle-
The smaller drives are now IN poorn' ou' 'Iie
Fast Branch with its twenty-three million feet OF
..u,loes will not be in until nearly two months
Iater than usual while the West Branch, the
largest of all the drives is away up IN the
ness at Sourdnatunk Falls. with three huhoreu
,oen making strenuous exerons to get 1t into SAFE
water Many jams reported on this driVe, ana
- &, nrocfcaIIv certain that millions Of feet of the
logs will be left behind, while the logs that come
through will be late in reaching ooom-prooaDy
the latest record
From this week on there will be enough new logs
TO supply the mills. but now new question arises
whether or not there will he any profit in saw
ing The principal markets are barely steady
now at prices afording the narrowest margin ol
nront with most of the Eastern spruce mhls smut
down and IT is regarded practically certain
tbat nrices would suffer a sharp decline under
ANYTHING like full supply This view Is taken
bv some of the largest spruce manufacturers VINO
saw that they will no lumber until SEPTEMBER
NV which time II is expected. there will be a con-
siderably increased demand, owing to yards IN the
large cities stocking up for the winter
That the sawrnill and the pulp mill cannot live In
peace on the same river is daily becoming more
apparent as in this matter of delayed log drives
wear from natural and unavoidable causes. 1t Is
also trle that much of the delay lately experienced
has been caused by the holding up OF drives at
sorting gaps, in order that pulp logs may be sorteo
ont from the others This process Of sorting out
DELAYED the East Branch drive seventeen days this
,-esr and there is no telling how long it will take
~ sort the pulp logs from the West Branch drive
There seems TO be no remedy for this necause'-
with the pulp men buying logs from many dl1erent
oera+ors located at widely separated points along
he
purchased must necessarily be mixed all through
the drive when the logs are started down the river
in the spring. 1t seems to be question OF which
uu1 survive-the pulp mill or the sawmill-and
the pulp men are richer and their business the
more profitable il is the belief of many that, ex-
cept where favored by exceptional advantages. the
sawmiIIs must soon disappear
This prospect is regarded varously by the people
| ~ Maine Some say that If the pulp the
/ more prosperous and pay higher prices for
logs than can the lumbermen it is not only logical
but desirable that the pulp mills should survive
and the sawnills go; others declare that the pulp
/ mills while of great temporary benefit to certain
| localities and to certain timber land owners of
whom they buy supplies. will ultimately bring dis
| aster upon Maine by denuding the State of its
| forests which eighty years of numbering has not
| done
| United States Senator Eugene Hale in speech
| at Skowhegan in 1891 said:
In forty years the forest lands of Maine will be
as bare of good timber is this platform upon
/ which / stand
At that time there were few pulp mills in Maine
! but ever since then those log eating establish
ments have been multiplying, until to-day there is
warfare between the pulp and numbering interests
| which shall control the rivers of the State
Calvin Moore a prominent Somerset County lum-
| herman, who has for many years operated upon
| the headwaters of the Kennebec, says:
There is no no use DENYING the he facts fac The time is
will not be available in this state II is a faet
that the pulp mills have eaten into the very vitals
the tree where once the tree was hoated the
mills II is common thing, and has been for a
number OF years. Tor pulp mill managers TO pur
chase OF lumber operators logs that the pulp man
ayers had not time 10 cut on their own holdings
al Winsow ard Gardiner cut more than twenty
million feet of logs last winter, and purchased
Fifteen years ago the ordinary lumber operator
winter II was then understood that % tba iss ON ~
township, and that he could then go over the same
land again. beginning where he had cut the first
lot and get just as good logs as before. As
rule this was true. Whatever pine the operator
passed by his first cutting over on account of
its being too small would when he made his sec
ond trip, have grown 10 good Size but when he
had cut that down he was out OF pine. for where
pine is cut a spruce growth follows
million feet in one winter easily see how
stripped OF fits spruce. The remedy is TO be found
in seeking new sources OF supply In short time
se9h,e1 IND the Iumber onerptoT v eP. 10 70 shel,
m F Fgn5a for his logs WHAT the Iumbe naye 20 & go
OF Maine will do in the next few years remains to
gfess is asked 10 remove the duty on Canadian
lumber. and, In any event. the Maine Iumbermen
can from this time forward large purchases hav,
ing lately been made with more I'm immediate
There is every reason to believe that lumber
rsg1is a5e ronsh ohe Se of gan 3 ms Rsy %
cons n a Maine and other Eastern sste then me fo
not before. you Will see a lumber trust formed