The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1906-07-23
LUMBER SHORTAGE
MAY CONTINUE.
Hundreds of Freight Cars
Tied Up on Various
Southern Pacific Lines
DELAYS

Lumber may become scarcer than
ever this week and the dealers are
making all manner of excuses to
builders who are clamoring for de-
liveries. The Southern Pacific Com
pany declares that it is not the fault
of the railroads. and the lumberman
AYERS that it is not the mills that are
to blame.
There is a shortage of the much
needed material. however. and the
chances are that IL will be aggravated,
as the Southern Pacific Company has
been obliged to telegraph the northern
mills to cease shipping as 1T is no
longer able to handle the hundreds of
carloads of rough fir and pine that are
constantly arriving . at the Oakland
yards. The company is able to take
care of the lumber when 1T arrives here.
but It's brother line is taxed to the ut
most, and annoying delays result. The
congestion of all classes of freight in
the Oakland yards is also serious
There are seven hundred carloads of
lumber in the Oakland yards to be de-
livered. This is only about one days
supply of lumber for New San Fran
cisco. The railroads have been at
tempting to handle the shipments Of
to call a halt. The demand for freight
cars for other shipments Is too great
to give up the reserve supply of these
for lumber. Usually the steam schooners
and coast sailing vessels take on all
the mill cargoes. but the strike has
lessened their ability to place ship
ments on the -wharves here.
Another reason why lumber is scarce
is that the demands of the export trade
are on the Increase This with the
unprecedented demand for all kinds Of
lumber brought about by the San Fran
cisco fire has made the millmen stduy.
1t was found necessary to go further
back in the woods for logs and in do.
ing so new. lumber roads had to be
constructed. The loggers, also, de-
manded big prices for logs. and for a
time it was difficult to get an order
for logs filled that had not been placed
well in advance.
Division Superintendent w. R. Scott
of the western division OF the Southern
Pacific system said regarding the CON-
gested condition of the Oakland freight
yards:
IT do know that the congestion of
freight. through the failure of con-
signees to discharge cars as they have
arrived here, has become as serious at
the West Oakland yards, and at other
points on the western division. And
there is also considerable congestion
on the Sacramento division. At the
present there are between 1900 and
1000 cars loaded with various merchan-
disc in the West Oakland yards. and
there are probably fully a thousand at
various points on the Sacramento d.
vision.
Regarding a congestion of lumber
laden cars, all that I can say is, that
there are about 700 cars loaded with
lumber now in the w est Oakland yards,
and this number Is being steadily in
creased. 1t is probable, too, that owing
to the congestion at this end of the
line. a large number Of carloads of
lumber have been held back on the
Sacramento division, but how many I
have no idea.
why the consignees are so slow in
unloading freight do not know, unless
1t is because a scarcity OF warehouse
and storage facilities render 1t impos-
sible to move quicker. AS more freight
arrives the problem of handling ii be-
comes more serious, and if shippers
continue to send goods to this end of
the line, and these goods are left in
the cars, it is hard to tell how the Of
ficials of the company will arrange
to relieve the congestion. One thing
Is certain, we Gan only accommodate so
many cars, and when all the sidings
are occupied we will be unable to re-
ceive any more.
las said, there are now nearly 1000
cars at the West Oakland yards. and
these are occupying almost all the
available tracks, but whether or not
any order has been issued to shippers
to cease shipping freight of any kind
here until further notice / do not
know"