The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1907-10-04
THE BIG MILL AT zUEER

The editor Il the star. having heard
50 much Of the new industry at ZU-
Der and to make numerous promises
good, took a look al this institution
the other day and found the mil. in
all RESPECTS the up . da-e plant that
has been spoken Of ia such high terms.
We had not seen a perfect saWmiu
FOR many years and what Wa shown
Us was a revelation and illustrates
that the genuine inventive genius
OF man is ever awake and the improve
ments along all lines II industry are
IL iced wonderful and that the world
?. owes along progressive lines
The capacity of the mili is $1,000
feet but the output az present is but
- 900. mostly lumber for export. The
logs are brought in from the timber
tract that covers thousands Of acres
over the mills own railroad in tram
loads Of six cars. the train crew max
ing six trips a day. These logs ara
dumped into a canal. where a man
with a pole steers Them 10 an elevator
run by a continuous chain delivery.
which chain is studded with plates.
which have two sJeel-poiated pins on
each and some ten feet apart and
with the pins it is dragged UP the
tramway TO the receiving bed. where
three iron arms operated by machinery
takes the place Of human hands with
hand spikes and by a turn Of The ma
chinery. or rather the sawyer's wrist
at his lever. the log il hoisted from
the tram way to the receiving bed.
where the jigger niger also operat-
&c by the sawyer. is placed on the log
bed. spiked the moment il rests on the
bed or carriage and the carrier moves
10 the band saw and the log is reduc-
ed to the required size and shurted on
10 a platform ready u be placed on
the car
The jigger niger works with the
effectiveness Of half dozen men IN
placing the log on the carrier and does
with the rapidity OF thought and to
al intents and purposes j. human. eX-
cept that he differs from human help.
because he never patroaizes the COM
n'isSary
As the carriage delivers the different
pieces Of lumber as it is reeled off by
a band saw 46 feet long and six inches
wide. rotating over half dozen roll
ers and each piece according to its
kind and finds its proper destination
and by circular saws is trimmed To lis
proper length. The slabs are reduced
10 Hath length and the waste goes t.
the fuel pile. whore il creates steam
under three immense steel boilers that
drives the machinery Of this big plant
a labor saver Of at least - per cent
OF their total help in all its depart
ments Of Ice.
Connected with the plant is a dry
house. planning mill and machinery that
makes cut pine shingle from refuse
blocks that for quality and price find
a ready market and the demand cam
not be supplied.
The boilers are fed by automatic
suction fiues. The water that SUPPLIES
the canal OF 100 feet in length. a doZ-
en- feet in width and several feet deep
ana the other machinery is pumped
into an immense tank. which comes
from an underground stream twenty
feet below the surface Of the ground
and Is ineXhaUstible, lucky find bv
Mr. i. z. Williams. the genial manager
OF the mill, when he located the mill
site
We are under obligations t. Mr.. Viii
hams for showing US around and learn
ing something about the mill business
we did not know before: Undressing
upon US more and more how important
IL Is that every particle of the log that
can be utilized must be reduced into
a comm odity that finds its Way TO the
consumer and so complete is the sys-
TEN of today in big saw mill. that
the amount OF matter that goes 10 the
waste pile is very small in comparison
10 the amount that a dozen years ago
was used in the furnace To make
steam. The methods OF a decade ago
ara now make difference in the oa-
ration Of a big mill Of thousands Of
dollars yearly on the right side Of the
tGger
While at Zuber we had the plea sure
y meeting Mr.. W. q. Davis. the SUPER
Intendent OF the mill. a man young in
years. but old in experience and To
AL appearances the right man in the
right place.
The large boarding house for the
convenience II the men who work at
the mill is presided over by Mrs. G.
/. Grace.
The commiSSary. 50 Indispensable
to 50 large gathering II labo7e~s is
run by Mr.. sumter Brooks one Of The
clever and accomplished men Of thar
section and very popular with all.