The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1913-10-09
NEW TOWN OF DAVIS.
1agic City Erected on Site of Former
Lumber Camp.

The new town of Davis now being
established by the J. B. Davis & Sons
company, who are operating lumber
plants in Pennsylvania, Maryland and
West Virginia, is located about two
miles northwest of Jennings, near the
site of the defunct village of Cleveland
City. A number of dwellings, have al
ready been completed and are occupied
by the families of the men who are
working for the company. Besides
there is large store building occupied
by the Davis Supply Company, who
carry a large and complete line of
general merchandise, shops, offices and
storehouses. Here also is located and
nearly completed one of the most modern
and most completely equipped sawmills
in that section of country. Through
the courtesy of Mr.. S. |. Bowling, fore
man in charge of the mill, the represen-
tative of The Republican was shown
through the plant and all details of its
operation thoroughly explained. The
mill has not yet started operations,
but it is expected that some lumber to
be used in building operations of the
company will be sawed this week. The
work of cutting lumber for market, it
is expected will will not be started be-
fore the 18th of October.
Tho mill 10 NJ bl,, loo, foJ ,,,,tb No
gard to the transportation and handling
of logs from the woods. The logs will
be hauled from the woods with a
locomotive and trucks and dumped into
the large pond that has been provided
for the purpose, and from there
''snaked" into the mill and run through
the large circular saw. The interior of
the mill is so provided with labor saving
devices that little or no manipulating by
hand is required, either of log or finish
ed product, after the log is rolled into
the pond from the trucks. Also there
will be very little waste, as the slabs
are taken by endless chains to saws
that automatically cut them into proper
lengths for plastering lath, small slaves,
and perhaps other by-products. What
remains and is entirely worthless, is
transported to the boiler room where,
with the saw-dust, it Is automatically fed
into the furnaces and thus furnishes
fuel for the generation of steam. The
finished boards are taken to a long
gallery where they will be graded and
marked by an expert, thence transport
ed on trucks to the storage yards and
placed upon piles according to their
grade. A record will be kept in the
office of the grade of the lumber, the
size, date stacked, and other details, so
that when an order is received the
shipping clerk may have all details at
hand, and thus be enabled rapidly and
correctly to find the same.
The power to operate the mill is
furnished by two 25-horsepower high
pressure boilers of the very best make
and modern type 150-horse power
engine. The capacity of the mill will
range from 35, 900 to $4,000 feet daily,
depending upon the character of the
timber being sawed. The tract is
covered With the very finest kind of
hardwoods and hemlock, with limited
quantity of pine, and in extent, when
all is secured that is expected, will
range from 1900 to 5000 acres.
Up until the 9th of April last there
was not foot of lumber sawed for the
erection of the necessary buildings.
Mill Foreman Bowling set to work, and
with d small power mill, operated by
traction engine, sawed all the lumber
for the twenty-five or thirty-odd build
ings now completed. including the large
sawmill building. Besides this he had
the supervision of track construction, of
which five miles are now completed,
and in the laying of the same it was
necessary to cross the north branch of
the Casselman River just six times. 1t
is expected that in order to secure all
the timber twelve or more miles of track
will be required. The track from the
mill to the companY's connection with
the jennings road, over which they will
ship, is combination narrow and stand
ard gauge to admit of standard gauge
cars being brought into the yards with
a narrOw-gauge locomotive, of which
they have one of the 40 ton variety.
In the construction land equipplng of
this plant no detailifor efficiency is being
overlooked. An electric light plant will
be installed, and steam pump of suf-
ficient capacity to guardagainst fires will
be provided. Up to the present time
about $50, 900 has been expended, and
this amount will be considerably aug
mented before everything will be in ship
shape for operation.
The corporation is known as the B.
Davis & Sons Company, and is composed
of j. B. Davis, John Davis. Wilbur
Davis, S. | Bowling and F. W. Davis,
the later serving as the efficient general
manager, who has been on the ground
directing affairs since the starting of
the work. Mr.. Davis and Mrs. Davis,
who assist in the store, have been stay
ing at the Jennings Hotel, and going
back and forth in their touring car. T.
A. F'ike, who has had considerable
mercantile experience, is manager of
the store.
Davis is nicley located on level strip
of bottom land, alongside of the north
branch of the Casselman river, Just