The Minneapolis journal., 1903-03-14

DAY IS CUT DOWN
Action Of the Nebagamain Com
pany Minimizes the Danger
of Labor Troubles.
Reduction of Mill Mems Wages Not
Prohable-Lake Plants in
Good Shape.
Enacial to Tha Journal.

Special to Tho Journal. ...s
Duluth, Mimi. March 14.-Indications
are for few labor troubles at mills the
coming summer, though what may be
done among the working men who use
lumber is another matter One of the last
obstacles to a complete understanding
with men at the mills has boon overcome
by recent action of the Nebagamain Lum
ber company in cutting its day to ten
hours, putting it in line with all other
mills Of the region.
1t Is aot yet settled whether there will
be slight reduction in wages, but it is
not probable, and the men will almost
certainly get as much for the ten-hour as
they did last year for eleven. The com
pany will commence saving about April
l. and is enlarging it's hot pond to a total
length Of $40 feet
All the summer mills at the head of the
lake are being put in shape. About every
mill has stock Of logs on hand for the
stages of water. They will all run heav-
lily. except, perhaps. the Clark Jackson
mill. which has no cut in sight yet. The
winter mills VIII take a short rest for re-
fitting and repairs, and will begin to close
down pretty soon.
Winter Cut Going East.
The Tower Lumber company has sold
Its winter cut for eastern shipment. The
mill is running twenty-five hours a day
and Is throwing out lumber very fast
Logs for the summers run are aCcumulat-
ing at the landing near the mill and on the
Ice Of Lake Vermillon and elsewhere, for
spring driving.
The Rathbone, Hair & Ridgeway COM
pany of Chicago. box makers, has bought
about 1O.O00.O00 feet Of As from the Nester
cut of the coming season and from Cook
& O'Briens cut this winter at the Hub
bard & Vincent mill. Other sales of the
week have been small.
3 The Pittsburg & Lake Superior Iron
company. now a timber concern exclus-
1vely has sold in the past two weeks
$150.O00 worth of telegraph poles. $72. 900
of them to the American Bell company.
The company has yard on the old Omaha
dock at Superior and handled there last
summer 100000 poles, besides an immense
quantity of ties and posts. 1t is logging
heavily on the north shore of Lake Su-
perior. as we'll as in the upper peninsula
Of Michigan. 1t will have sorting yard
at Escanaba. where poles will be handled
for the various telephone companies.
Loggers will continue hauling until the
1ce> melts. They have set no time fol
breaking up and will let the weather clerk
take care of that. The deep snow prom
fses to lengthen the season little.
Water for Driving.
The indications are for plenty Of water
IN streams for spring driving, something
the loggers have not had for several yea rs
There is a proba bilty of much precipita
tion after snow goes for much Of 1t will
evaporate and come down again in rain.
The Hines Lumber company has abou
1000 men at work in the woods of Doug,
las county and is keeping them all at i
to the limit. More will be employed as the
season grows later and camps are ex,
tended.
At Maple the company has a camp will
1,2OO men and at new camps west Of Haw
thorne there are about S00 North o
Hawthorne it has established a sidin,
called Hines spur, where it's logging roa,
connects with the Omaha road and it |
shipping from there about forty cars O
logs daily to its recently purchased mill a
Hayward. This amounts to about $500,
600 feet weekly.
The new mill Of Plummer & Ash at Vir
glnia is receiving it's machinery. H. Dit
berner, mechanical engineer for the Dia
mond Iron Works, is there making in
spection and overseeing the work of in
stalation. The mill company is buildin
trestle for unloading logs out on Silve
lake and logs are being unloaded ther
very rapidly.
lIumberjacks coming to town fas
and the bulk Of the winters work, except
4 Ing the hauling, is done. The past fe,
days of warm sun and south winds hav
! been Shooting everything to pieces
the woods