Rogue River courier. (Grants Pass, Or.) 1886-1927, 1909-01-15

Timber Interests Mt Merlin.
There is always an inquiry about
the timber surrounding every town
In Oregon, as though that was the
principal resource to be expected,
but Merlin, with its varied resources
OF mineral, dairying and fruit rails
ing has neglected to call attention to
the seemingly unlimited timber belt
that surround 1t. During the past
year outside timber cruisers have
been busy bringing in outside locat-
ors and have gobbled up a vast tract
of probably as fine timber as can be
found in all Oregon, leaving our
natives holding the sack.
BY far the best OF our timber lies
at the head OF Jump-off-Joe creek,
about IL miles northeast OF Merlin,
and stretches from there far uD into
the mountains. Some of the esti-
mates of timber in this section have
been 80 large as to induce a smile
OF increduity upon the face of the
knowing ones, who have been equal
ly as enthusiastic upon being shown.
Personally, ! have not penetrated
far into this wilderness, but on one
occasion was taken to quarter
section upon which competent
cruiser had placed an estimate of
25. 900, 900 feet, and the timber was
so thick that there was no room for
an inexperienced man to question the
amount.
At the foot OF this timber belt
Messrs Cook, Rowland and Steel,
operating under the name OF the
Three Pines Timber Company, have
established a small sawmill and are
now pushing a hume out to the rail-
road and will be prepared to oper-
ate on a large scale in the early
spring. It is their intention to in
crease their mill capacity upon the
completion OF the fume and to erect
large planning mill and box factory
on the railroad. About six miles
OF the flume is already built and
Regis & Mitchell, the contractors,
have a large force OF men at work
on the remainder.
There are no vacant timber claims
In this district as the energetic cruls-
ers succeeded in covering 1t all with
from three to Ave applications and
there has been continuous squabble
between the claimants, at times al
most assuming the proportions of
feud. But all this will now soon be
Strengthened out and the timber put
on the market.
At the head OF Quartz creek .ex-
tending over the Hog creek divide, Is
another good body of timber, al
though not so extensive as the one
on Jump-off-Joe. In this belt there
Is large percentage OF oak, ranging
from l3 to 36 inches in diameter
and It is believed that the manufac-
ture OF furniture from this material
will some day be one of our princi-
pal industries.
Stretching along the streams OF
the entire Lower Rogue River dis
trlct there are timber belts that will
be considered valuable as the
country opens up, and Merlin is the
center of II all and will profit by its
exploitation. The townslte COM
pany offers free sites. of any size re-
quired to parties who wish to estab-
lish woodworking plants, and this
liberRllty will no doubt be the means
OF inducing the establishment of sew
eral OF them in our midst
II seems strange that the valuable
oak timber In this district has been
allowed to go to waste so long, for
II has been used for nothing but fre
wood since the days OF the earliest
settler. Everyone knows the de-
mand for oak timber. That suit
able for furniture is worth up to
$3.50 per thousand. while even the
small limbs have their uses. The
demand for insulstor pins for tele-
graph and telephone poles is unlim-
tied, and factory at Portland two
years ago had more orders than II
could possibly produce, at good
price, but had TO close down on ac-
count OF inability to secure the oak
timber