The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-06-05
BOOMING PACIFIC
COAST FIR HERE
WESTERN LUMBERMEN,s NOVEL
WAY OF PoPULARIZING TT.
They Will Open an Office in Minneap-
oils and Teach Dealers and Consum-
ers that Their Product Has Advan-
tages-Will Have an Elaborate Ex-
hibition Of Wood and Pictures.

Educational work in the advantages
OF the use OF Pacific coast fir in build
ing is to be taken up actively by the
coast manufacturers in novel way.
They will establish permanent ex-
h h5l631aa Of The Washington fir, cedar and
cifo Coast Lumber Manufacturers as
ISOLATION will back the plan. A CEN
trail location for the exhibit is de-
sired, and it. is expected that half of
the former quarters of the H. Hill &
Son bank, in the Lumber Exchange,
facing the lobby and elevators, will be
available for the purpose.
samples from the coast, finished and
unfinished, and picture gallery Of
lumber operations in the west, the ex-
hibition room will be arranged to serve
as lobby for the gathering of the
lumbermen and others interested in
building, and conveniences for letter
writing will be provided, a public stem
ographer, and the representative in
charge will be a regular information
bureau for visiting lumbermen. G. NJ.
Stafford, eastern sales manager for the
Larson Lumber company Of Bellingham
and representative Of the Skykomish
Lumber company, also Of Washington,
suggested the enterprise, and the de-
tails. have been pushed nearly to COM
pletion.
The permanent exhibit will be far
cent lumbermen's convention in the
courthouse, and it will contain some of
the exhibits shown at the st. Louis
exposition. Sections of the big trees
will display the age rings Of the forest
| monarchs, which in cases show the ma
iestic rulers of the forest to have stood
900 and 700 years. It is expected to
| hory CA 4l4 oh -
grown thru the fallen trunk Of q mon.
ster cedar. This will illustrate the du.
rability Of the wood. Attic the trunk
had lain on the ground while the other
tree had been growing for generations
! the wood was still excellent for max
ing shingles. The showroom will be 9
complete exhibition Of the Pacific coast
growth to the finished lumber and shin
| gle product.
While the advantages which fir lum
Der offers for building uses are very
evident to the western consumers, Min
neapolis architects, builders and pros
pective owners Of buildings are be
lieved not to be sufficiently informed
as to the higher qualities Of the western
fir. Altho it is used to some extent
the field is believed to be open for more
active cultivation. Its use is specially
Indicated here because Minneapolis i
in the Accent rate zone, being, in fact
the terminal of the cheap freight rate
Fir is said to be fine for building
purposes because Of its strength, ldura
bility and susceptibility to fine fnisl
in all the different stained effects. Eli
costs less in Minneapolis than any othe
finishing woods Of equal grades" sail
Mr.. Stafford. 'sFew people know tina
it is susceptible to the highest fnisl
for interior work. The grain Of tn
fir is such that almost any wood cal
be initiated, as it allows fine oak
birch, mahogany or yellow-pine effect
in any Of tho variety of finishes, am
is as strong as oak, and there tsfa cen
y stantly increasing demand for the iwoo'
in the larger cities for such purpose
as its qualities become better known
Fir lumber costs very much less thai
oak or birch Of the same grade an
also less than yellow pine for foorino
ceiling and wainscoting and other pu1,
. poses where that kind of lumber
. utilized.
TAT the lumbermen's convention W
had thirty pieces Of fir finished in q
many different styles by Pike & Cook
the contractors. The ease and quick
ness with which the samples took tn
finish was an eyeopener, to these me:
and to other Minneapolis contractor
and architects, and many of them hav
kHdvised the use of fir by clients"