The Savannah morning news., 1904-05-15

stroy it,, but call the attention of the
heads of the departments involved of
your road to the same, and give us
the benefit of your best information
and suggestions.
I'VE desire to review the situation
from the lumbermen's standpoint and
hope you will consider our presenta-
ton of the matter carefully.
Car Standard Question.
Take, for instance, the want of
proper equipment of fiat cars for the
transportation of lumber. The status
of this matter can be well styled the
wonder of this progressive age.
First came the whip saw, propel-
led by manual labor, and transporta-
ton by wagon; next, the upright or
sash saw, propelled by water power,
producing 500 to 1000 feet per day. and
the early railroads with primitive
equipment.
when the first fiat-cars were placed
for loading, the manufacturer, after
putting his lumber thereon. out of
mere comradeship, and in protection of
life, at request of engineer or conduc-
tor, cut down saplings, and, hewing
the ends, placed them in sides of the
car TO prevent accident by the lum-
Der falling off. Thus was the practice
of the manufacturers eQuipping fiat
all gradations for a time so
gradual as not to emphasize this I'M
just burden, for in the 70's the fiat
cars had not gone beyond a capacity
of $4,000 to 10000 pounds, 1900 to 5000
feet of lumber, and still the saplings
were doing duty in large measure.
Large capacity cars gradually evolved
and more secure equipment became nee
essary, and protection was given from
the abundance of low grade material
then acceptable to the railroads and
not so ready of sale as now. The
manufacturer was still apparently OBJ
livious to the injustice, but progress
became rife and passed all bounds.
The 1000 feet a day mill grew to
the record of 223.000 feet in one day for
one saw, and 100000 in one day for
one mill, aggregating an annual out
put of 35,0S4, 166, 900 feet, and the lum-
Der industry accordingly became the
second in Importance in oil the land
AS a logical result, stumpage has rap
idly advanced in value, cost of manu-
facture increased, with consequent APP
probation of value of lumber. Reduce
the output as above on an average
basis of four pounds to the foot. which
is low, all woods included into tons
of traffic, and its potent position as a
factor in the prosperity of railroads
will be readily recognized. In a re-
cent case, involving a large area and
many railroads, it developed that lum-
Der constituted go per cent. of the tom
mage of some of the roads and that
the prosperity of railroads was gagged,
in a measure, by the ratio OF lumber
tonnage. Further, that the one OF
many railroads involved that was not
prosperous and making no money, was
the one that had no initial lumber
tonnage, and but little intermediate.
Railroad improvements.
During this period the railroads
have improved their roadbed, doubled,
yea, quadrupled and more, the capac-
ity of their locomotives and cars of
all kinds From the hard-seated, I'M
comfortable. unventilated passenger
coach has evolved the Vestibuled par
Tor and sleeping car of to-day, veri-
able palaces on wheels, with speed
increased from fifteen to sixty miles
per hour. Special freight cars many
of them of expensive construction,
built to meet the requirements of all