Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1904-01-22
Forest Wealth That Remains
to the Territory Despite
Heavy Inroads.
GREAT INDUS
Important Achievements Of the
Sacramento Mountain and
American Lumber Cos.

Although large forest in New Mex
leo have been cut down for timber, es-
pecially in the Catskill region, Colfax
county, on the TERRA Amarillo grant
in Rio Arriba county, and at other
points, and many millions of acres of
mechantable timber are included in
forest reserves, vet there are still vast
tracts Of good timber in Rio Arriba,
Valencia, Mckinley, Otero and other
counties The lumber industry in New
Mexico is an important one, employ
ing many men and representing IN in
Yestment Of several million dollars, not
only in mills, machinery, and timber
lands, but also in railroads, such as
the Sacramento Mountain railway, the
Catskill branch Of the Colorado &
Southern. the TERRA Amarillo rail-
road. now under construction, and the
timber line from Thoreau into the
Mitchell tract, just being completed.
The New Mexico pine is declared by
expert lumbermen to be nearly the
equal of the Michigan white pine as
any timber in America, and in view
Of the rapid disappearance Of the white
pine forests Of the Great Lake regions,
the industry in the territory is found
to grow in importance with every year.
The territory is the owner OF vast
tracts Of heavily timbered lands, the
value Of which has increased rapidly
during the past year. The growth OF
the lumber industry threatens no dam
ger OF the wiping out Of the Forests,
since the finest timber lands in the
territory are protected within the gov
eminent forest reserves.
A writer in n of the Denver Sun
day papers says: AT A~lamogordo, in
eastern New Mexico, the Sacramento
Mountain Lumber company is employ
ing several hundred men in its two big
saw mills and box factory. To reach
the pine forests which cover the peaks
of the Sacramento Mountains, the com
pany has built the Sacramento Noun
tain railroad connecting with the III
Paso and Northwestern at Alamogor-
do. This eighteen miles of railroad
is one Of the most picturesque and di-
ficult feats OF railroad engineering IN
the west. With an average grade OF
four and one-half per cen It is still
necessary to use two s~witchbacks TO
reach the summit of the range. Inc
forest in the Sacramentos are practi.
cally as limitIess as are those in west.
ern New Mexico.
The American Lumber company is
composed of Chicago and Detroit CAPT
talists and lumber manufacturers and
has a capital Of 49, q 900. Its mills
in Albuquerque are turning out the
finished product at the rate of 1901 00
feet for every "a hours run. The mill,
which made the first run in october
last, is said by experts to be the most
modern and complete plant OF its kind
in the United States. The company
controls more than 100000 acres Of
land in Valencia and Mckinley coun'
ties in the western part of the terri
tory. on which stands timber estima'
ted at 1000, 0OO, 900 feet. A box fac
tory will soon be built to use The waste
product Of the mill. The company
has built eighteen miles Of standard
guage railroad into its forests, con
Meeting with the Santa Fe Pacific a.
Thoreau, 60 miles west OF Albuquer
que, and two trains Of 30 cars OF logs
each are hauled into Albuquerque ey
cry "a hours to keep the big plant go
ing.
"In addition to these y big cor
porations numerous smaller compan
les are now working in New Mexico
Small plants are being established
along the Denver & Rio Grande In tn
northern counties. and several sinai
mills are running along the Santa ~
Pacific line, while everything nov
points to further increase in the IN
dustry during the present year.