The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1914-02-03
ROPER MILL AND THE GREAT
!. INDUSTRY AROUllDs NEW BERN
Greatest Short Leaf Concern in the Word-u, "eas Il
Million Acres of Land In Fee-Tmber Growing Fol
It as Fast as 1t Is Cut.

about every fifteen years. or to count
by the year. say new crop of 33,-
3S3 acres OF new timber a year.
Timber Supply Immense.
Possibly timber will not grow SO
rapidly all over the country as it will
here in the sound country. II not,
that need not disturb anybody, for in
this country is room for many times
as much timber as the Roper com
pany is cutting. Whether the raising
of saw mill timber will attract any
body to the business is another affair.
But it is easy to recall now that all
over the Eastern part of North Caro-
lima, and away around the coast to
the south, second growth pine comes
along very rapidly if it is allowed to
grow. Fires and range hogs prevent
much from starting or getting far
along that would make timber if per-
mitted, but the people of the coast
region know that mill timber can be
! raised If it is wanted.
The Roper Lumber Company is
pursuing policy Of providing a crop
| of logs for the mills as long as the
mills will run, and the mills will run
as long as lumber is wanted. So we
have put the date far enough into the
| future to dispose Of that, which as
! sures us that New Bern will be the
seat Of a big lumber industry just as
| long as anything else will be in bust
| ness here
That accounts for the fine big mill
I the company has built at New Bern.
The construction is subsequential. The
equipment is a dream. The man from
the little mills back in the country
! would say that not an idea in this big
| mill is over a week old. 1t is a
strictly labor economizing plant. From,
the minute the woodsman gets his eye
I n ,<o Ia
up ~the biggest part Of the burden.
The log is hauled to the railroad by
a steam skidder. It is loaded by
steam, and hauled on the hundred
and fifty miles OF private railroad the
company owns. It is pulled up into
the mill by steam, rolled on the docks
by steam, shifted onto a saw car.
Niger, and after it is sawed steam
still pursues it to it's destination. nc
matter where that may be.
No Idle Movement In Roper Mill.
Shot gun feed? Listen This thing
catches them coming and going. 4
double band saw arrangement saws
, q board as the carriage moves one
way. Then as It starts to go bacl
: it discovers a saw that cuts ON tht
return trip. No idle movement O.
the carriage in the Roper mill.
: For over a century men have beer
) running saw mills in the United
s States. A log has been carried up t.
! a saw, and when a board was cut Off
: the log was pushed back and starte'
e | again up to the saw Doesn't it Civ
e you a heart thfob to think Of tn
g time and steam power wasted in rHn
J ming that saw log back without &C
p complishing anything. The Rope
8 mill cuts board as the log come
+ up, and another one as the log goe
r | I, nh doubles tho n2(.ifV of th
S mill.
e Then we sit back and laugh at til
man who carried his wheat to mil
= on the back of his horse. To max
h the sack balance ON the animals bac
l he put the grain in one end OF tn
d sack and a stone in the other an
Is threw the burden over the anima
d Saw mill men have been putting
It stone in one end of the bag for
II hundred years.
IS The Roper mill puts wheat in bot
" ends Of the sack.
X Here these folks got me again
They are not only raising crop
N trees tO meet the wants Of the mil
j. when one crop is harvested. but the
r. are> deyising new methods to hafve:
)r the crop in the most systematic an
% "a MD manner They are croWdln
ID the Job at both ends and de]iyer1n
N the finished product.
+. Nature Of the Output.
The Roper mills make principal
z. finishing lumber and box stock. The
in have equipment for turning out foo
is ing. siding, casing. and things Of tn;
as character, which is a Dig feature
n their output. They cut the lumD'
IN that makes big share OF the pa k.r
er boxes used all over the country
r Very little long leaf pine comes
"a the New Bern mill, as the long LEI
es is the tree of the higher land ~
I'd short leaf varieties are the naH'
mel IContinued on Page Eteven.D