Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1904-03-05
SEASON CLOSING.
The Signs Point Toward High PRICES
for Lumber. +


over the kennebec system comes }the
information that they are closingjup,
which refers to the lumber operations
on all streams and rivers tributary to
the Kennebec. To the old lumberman
this seems strange at this season with
weeks of good Shedding ahead! There
has been enough snow in the woods
during the past winter to make haul
ing logs easy and convenient, and there
has not at any time been 100 much
snow or enough to retard the work of
getting the logs to the yards and land
inss. TINS winter operators have taken
special pains with their logging and
tote roads, employing men and teams
in levellng and hardening the paths.
Last year, In many sections or scenes
of operations. millions of feet of lum-
Der were left on the yards and in n few
instances logs were never moved from
the landings by reason of the extreme
low watei'. When the drives were over
last season it was estimated that one
quarter of the winters cut had been
left behind.
On the Dead river system. which is
the largest tributary to the Kennebec
river south of Moosehead lake. last
year the operators kept pounding away
at the jams and dry river bottoms until
nearly the whole cut of the winter had
reached the Kennebec. 1t cost the Dead
River Log Driving Co. a heap of money
to do the trick. but the lumber was
needed at the mills. Moose river and
MoOsehead lake operators suffered the
most. as the water dropped away and
left millions of feet high and dry on
gravel beds and lodges. The pulp and
paper mill Arrangements were most
worried lest they should fall short of
lumber sufficient to keep the mills
grinding all through the year. Nature
again stepped in and demonstrated that
even with logs at the mills power was
necessary for the grinding. and. today.
at the back door of every pulp mill on
the kennebec river there are great piles
of unsawn logs waiting until the water
rises from the low point it reached
early last fail. and where it has con-
tinued ever since
The pulp and paper mill owners have
cut about the same amount OF lumber
curing the past winter as was cut the
year before and in some Instances
more has been cut. For example, the
HollingsWcrth & Whitney Co. with
bills at Gardiner and Winsow, has
cut during the past winter about So
o00.G0O feet of logs, which is rather
more than was cut in the winter OF the
previous year. Many of the company's
logs were left on yards and landings
and of course must come down. this
year. thus making the amount of logs, |
should all reach the mills in the spring, |
at the door Of the company's mills |
greater by far than ever before.
This leads UP to the natural query
why the operations in the lumber
camps are being closed when there are
several weeks yet of the best of haul |
ing aud the very best opportunity to
get out the trees. The bare fact that |
operations are beirg closed along the
tributaries of the kenntbec. when ev-
erytiiing is so suspicious for several
weeks Of continued successful opera
tons indicates to the close observer
of the lumber market that the scheme
of the operators. this year. is to keep
the price of spruce lowering around
the $19 per thousand mark.
Somehow people abroad must have
the Maine spruce, pine, GEAR. !lr ana
hemlOck, while not few are crying
for poplar. Today. Maine contractors
will say theX can get southern pine
landed on the building spot of the di-
mension for mill construction. cheaper
than they can buy Maine spruce.
Certainly there will be no glut in the
lumber market during the coming sum-
mnr. snow or no snow, water or no
water. Everything looks promising for
successful driving season of nature
does her part. but lumber will cost as
much if not more this year than it did
last year. when operating was a hard
ship.