The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-12-31
RARE WOODS FOR CARS.
Strips Used in PuIImans Valued at
Weight in Silver.

" eight III Silver.
In one of the large rooms at the car
shops of the Pullman company, at
Pullman, Ill, may be found thin slabs
of wood which are valued at their
weight in silver and approaches gold
leaf in cost. They compose the ma
terials the craftsmen use to decorate
sleeping cars.
No forest is too far distant for
agents of the car makers to visit. They
search everywhere for rare woods and
they find many of them. South Amer
lea has been ransacked, China has
been despoiled of her finest sticks Of
timber and even old England has
given her choice forest treasures to
make artistic cars for the American
public.
A few weeks ago the heads of the
Pullman company and the artist
craftsmen were made happy by the
announcement that a large quantity
of old English oak had been secured.
The great trees of England are guard
ed and watched over with patriotic
zeal, and it is seldom that a fine piece
of wood can be secured there for
decorative purposes.
After a long delay, as it seemed to
the men who examine rare wood as
diamond merchant pores over jewels,
the timber arrived. With it came a
story. The veneer had been made
from trees that grew in extensive
grounds about Rockingham Castle,
one of the Oldest estates in Northamp-
tonshire
The former owner of these grounds
died without male issue, and the prop
erty went to a distant relative of the
Watson family who happened to be
devOut minister. He never had &C
cumulated money or property ana
suddenly found himself in possession
of a vast estate with no funds to keep
it up, and no income from the parks.
Family pride would not permit him
to sell the castle to American and
Australian milliOnaires, who were in
the market for just such a place, and
what business instinct he had told him
not to mortgage his property. Just at
that time the American wood buyer
came along and wanted some of the
ancient trees that stood by the score
in the castle grounds.
The minister at first sDurned the
offer for his great trees He said 1t
would be like selling some of his own
changed his mind. His affairs were
getting into such shape that money
became necessity.
Then he sent for the travelling
wOOdsman, and made deal. Twenty
/ seven of the forest giants were pur-
chased, the price being about $4,000.
! When the trees were to be cut down,
! it was necessary to send to a city in
another part of the island to get men
to do the work. WOrkmen in the
vicinity refused to have a hand in the
job.
The great trees finally were felled,
trimmed and shipped to New York
There they We're made into veneer In
this operation numerous relics of Eng
/ fish history were found. 1t was found
/ impossible to estimate the age of the
+ trees by the rings of growth because
they had stood for almost 1900 years.
Embedded in the great trunks were
/ found slugs and pieces of arrow points,
recalling the days of England's great
/ crossbow soldiers. In one trunk were
found gate hooks that were placed
there at least a thousand years ago.
These trophies were collected and
given to purchasers of Pullanm cars
by Richmond Dean, general manager
of the company.