Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1906-12-20
SHORTAGE OF W00D.
Due to Several causes. Supply
Will be Light All
Winter,

1.-The recent rise in the price OF
wood is felt by all and while there is
some grumbling it does not appear to
be the local fuel dealers fault. lam
arack wood is worth SO cord--in the
local market, maple $40, birch $3.50
delivered. Wood sawed is worth ST a
cord extra for saving and splitting.
Hard coal s.l!s for 81 ton and soft
coal $3.50. The dealers claim they
are making no great profit at these
figures. Concerning the reported rea-
sons for the scarcity Of wood the Val
y'.City Times Record prints the fol-
lowing:
There is a shortage Of wood, trace
able 10 several causes. Last year
snON, came before the swamps were
| froZer over and the wood could not
be Banked on the railroad tracks.
The reserve.was used and serious
| shortage confronted the dealers,
which they imagined would be re-
lieved by the opening of this season.
| The Nv inter began this year in the
same:manner as last and there is lit
tie wood being banked. The price OF
]ath has scared during the past two
years and the owners of timber suit
able for cord wood could realize more
from it by working it into lalh
blocks. This has been done to a large
extent and there have been hundreds
of little lath mills established in
northern Minnesota which have USED
up timber which would have made
thousands of cords of wood. At pres.
ent wood cannot be bought in north
ern Minnesota except by accident OF
on contract, as there is no wood to be
had. McCulluch & Mudgett had {
man in northern Minnesota for two
weeks and he did not by enough woot
to keep them going week. Capt
Mudgett bought 500 cords Of bilct
wood on the M. & /. north of Brain
erd last week and paid 81. Is cort
Tfor it delivered on the car. It cos
eight cents per 100 pounds to get th'
wood to Vale, City. This mean.
about SO per cord. When another dol
lar is added for saving, splitting ant
delivering, there is left 25 cents pro
1T for the dealer at nine dollars {
cord. Maple costs SIS cord and al
$3.50 means profit of SO cents ;
cord. So it runs down the line. Thu
dealers made more money under th'
old prices. 1t is often thought that ;
dollar cord for unloading, saving
splitting and delivering is high bn>
all dealers testify that they lose mon
ey on quarter and half cords lot
when the margin is but dollar. 1
is the belief of local dealers thai
there will be no wood to be had b,
March l, at any price.
Capt. Mudgett IS quoted as saying
II do not believe that there will b,
coal famine but 1 do think tha
there is little more wood to be had
do not figure on much more thar
$50 more cords for Valley City. Thi
will last about month. We have
sold Is per cent more wood this yea
than we had sold last season at thi'
time. This is due to the soft and lig
mite coal shortage. Many people have
rad to use wood more or less owinf
to the shortage Of Ignite. In speak
ing of coal, l do not think that there
will be any trouble. There Is al
kinds Of coal at the head of the lakes
There is plenty Of hard coal and plen
ty of domestic soft coal, however
believe there is a shortage of otheI
Goals which may be felt towaro
spring.