New-York tribune., 1902-12-25
THE MINE LOG-CUT.
Early Snozo Before Hard Freeze
Not Welcomed.

| Rsnsor Me- Dec "a (SpeciaD.-Cold and snow
have both come to Maine In the last week, sting
| ing cold and moderate depth of snow. but they
| came in the wrong order, the snow arriving nrst.
| before the streams and swanps had been frozen.
| and thus preventing the freeze which. with foot
| of snow top, would have made hrst rate ios
| hauling Seldom If before has there oeen
sucb bitter cold in this region in the month OF De-
| cember as was experienced all last week On Mon
| dav night came blizzard. with the mercury sink
ing to 20 degrees and even 25 degrees below zero
and, with the exception of one short interval OF
moderate temperature, the weather continued Sc
we're through the 18th Vessels were towed out or the
port of Bangor Saturday afternoon. December
g. and on Sunday morning the river was frozen
four inches thick with ten vessels imprisoned IN
the ice Ever since then the ice has been th1cken-
ing and although there is talk of an attempt to
clear the in order to get better surface for
ice harvesting there is small prospect of success
In such an enterprise. unless a long thaw should
set in
Taken as a whole the numbering industry
the Penobscot this year has been fairly successful
A large Iog-cut approximatng 21O00O,Oo0 feet, to-
sether with some millions of logs left over near
the headwaters in 1901, was driven clean TO the
booms, and all manufacturers Of lumber and pulp
were fully supplied early in the The drives
were in all respects the most satisfactory In TWEEN
ty years all logs coming in early, and the same
may be said of rafting at the booms. Prices or
logs were higher than ever before in the history
of Penobscot numbering, large spruce running up
10,
prices. manufacturers of lumber found difficulty
in ma king a profit, with the lumber selling
at what appeared to be high prices. Had the man
ufacturers been able to get logs at the prices TO
merly prevailing. they would all have become rich
from this years saving; but the demand for logs
to supply the pulp mills has pushed the prices so
high on this river that the sawmill finds his
only salvation in the difference in scale. ii being
generally estimated that 1000 feet OF logs. woods
or boom scale, will out 1150 to 1900 feet of
lumber, board measure
The mills all closed for the winter, and
few of them have any considerable amount of
lumber left hand A fair stock of logs has been
shIngled up into booms and ponds for early
saving in 1903. and interest now centres in the
cutting of the crop of logs. which. from all
accounts is going rapidly. There is a foot of
in most localities. while in some places eigh
inches is reported. and hauling TO the yards
is going along we'll although good freeze of the
swamps and streams is needed to make good haul
ing long roads to the landings. The lumbermen
apprehensive that the present snow will not
last, that It will go under rain. and they
would welcome the change in many places for the
sake Of getting n good. strong freeze and hard
bottom for the deep snow of late winter Many OF
the large concerns well advanced with their |
cutting and yarding and will begin to let !
their choppers go.
Among these concerns, which sent out choppers |
in August and September and thus got early |
start, is the firm Of Davis 81 Marston, OF Green |
VILE who began operations August 13 with !
two hundred and nifty having camps |
Roach River and Moose River. They are TO get !
100000 feet on Roach River and 4.Oc0000 feet |
on Moose River. and have nearly completed |
chopping and yarding. Beginning about Decem !