The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-04-01
CREST OF THE HIGH
 PRICES IS REACHED Mississippi Lumbermen Note Slack in the Demand BIG DEALS CONSUMMATED Never In the History of Southern Tim Der Industry Have So Many Big
 Transactions Been Made In
 So Short a Time.
BIG DEALS CONSUMMATED

So Short a Time.
 Hattiesburg. Miss, March 31.-(Special) The belief prevails among the wholesale lumber dealers doing business on this, the largest southern lumber market, that the crest has been reached in the tide of high prices. and that while there may not be any perceptible decline in prices for sew eral weeks or months, while the mills are working on advance orders at old quota tons, the slackening of the demand IS bound 10 have a reflection upon values at the mills. The mill men do not share the belief that the upward tendency of values has been checked permanently. They have been as busy saving up the logs as the conditions of the weather would permit, and while they have felt some dimnution of demand as compared with month ago they regard it as mere ly temporary manifestation of market uncertainties.
 The prevailing feature of the market is dearth of buying orders for both car and building material. The purchasing agents say this cannot be accounted for on any other hypothesis than that prices have gotten so high as to be out of the ques- tion, for this Is the season at which the north usually lays in its supplies, and this is the time when orders would be piling in under normal conditions. The mill men say that the quietness Is due to the back ward season in the north, which has de- layed the sending forward of orders
 
 Up to this time there has been no midi cation of concessions in prices, except that the insistent predictions of q raise of quotations which filled the market month or so ago are heard no more now. An unauthorized revised price list that was sent out to the Yellow Pine associa- ton two weeks ago has fallen flat. Among the trade it was regarded as feeler. and it was believew that if this advanced line of quotations met with favorable recep- ton 1t would be made official But 1t has received sca1t attention. and the old offi- cial lists still accepted by mill men and buyers as representing the market values.
 Operations at the mills have been sub iect to various Interruptions during the past few weeks because of the rains. Re ports of temporary shut downs have come from every direction. The troubles of the railroads too, have had their in- fuence upon the ouput of the mills for which scant supply of rolling stock the necessity for uninterrupted delivery of such cars as were available has been necessity.
 Many Large Deals Consummated. The past fortnight has been season of wonderful developments in the way of large deals in timber milling and railroad larsar nrffn1 Mississippi and Louisiana. Although for several months the large syndicates have been quietly and steadily gathering in everything that they could use to advan- tage, and have by these enormous trans actions transformed the character of the lumber business in this area from a loose and disjointed industry conducted by many small dlsassooiated concerns to a | great system managed from certain cen ters of control, it isN doubtful if any like period has witnessed the closing of so many large deals as have been consum- mated In the past two weeks. Timber lands have changed hands by the thou | sands of acres, and millions of dollars have been employed In the way of com pensation. At the same time railroads have been laid out for construction by the hundreds of miles and if only one-half the roads that have been protected in
 
 past two weeks are built all having in View the handling of the lumber output as well as the agricultural and industrial development of the country, this territory VIII show more railroad building for the next few yeas than any other part of the country of like area
 Ihe largest tranaction that has been reported is that whereby the Long, Rell Lumber company closes It's options on the property of the Bradley-Ramsey Inmbe, company. with headquarters at Lake charles. La. at a price approXimatine s4 oW,OO0 this being the largest lumber trans action ever recorded in Louisiana and one or the biggest in the south. For this sum the Long Bell Lumber company acquires the Mount Hope and Michigan mills at Lake Charles. the big blaming mill owned by the same company the Lake Charles chemical company plant, designed to utilize the waste product of the two mills. the Lake Charles and Leesyille narrow gauge railroad exentding from Moss hay north and little west thirty-five miles. the tugs and barges owned by the Brad ley-Ramsey company. and 5000 acres of timber lands that has been partly cut over. It is geenrally understood that inc Bradley-Ramsey tram road will be stand ardized and will furnish an inlet to Lake Charles for the Colorado Southern and the santa Fe systems. J. M. Woodring of St Lotus will probably be the mana ger l of the plant when it is transferred to inc Long, Bell company.
 Active In Acquiring Properties.
 Here is South Mississippi the l.. N. | Dantzler Lumber company of Scranton | mas been unusually active in the matter | or acquiring new properties. so much so | that the suspicion has arisen that there | may De a connection between this com l pany and the J. J. Newman company in- | terests in the matter of securing rights of | way and timber holdings for q railroad | leading from Mattiesburg to the Gulf 1 The Dantzler company has just purchased | from w. $. F. Tatum of this city A tract or land extending through this Perry. and Harrison counties in the direction of Pas. cagoula, paying therefor sll6, 500. which ia | at the rate of nearly s2O per acre. Ii is | covered with virgin timber
 The Dantzler company has also inst made the purchase of the Gautier home 1 stead and the Pelham properties. which | give the company a frontage on the Mis- l sissippi Sound and the Pascagoula river. | aHording the finest port facilities to be | obtained anywhere on the gulf coast. | This tract covers about 300 acres. It is | heavily timbered and has several mills | of large and small dimensions, but above l all the property is excellently located to | .4a.l.