The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-10-17
LARGEST SINGLE ORDER
FOR LUMBER IS PLACED
italian Government Orders Fifty and
Half Million Feet From South
ern Woods.
NAY BE LARGELY INCREASED
Additional Thirty Million Feet May
Be Called For-Much Of Timber Is
Now Being Assembled at Southern
Ports

Now Being Assembled at southern
Ports.
Wilmington, n. c.. Oct. 1.-THE
largest single order for lumber ever
placed in the United States has Jus,
been made public, and II reaches nne
stupendous figures OF 5o,5o0,0o0 feet.
1t would require a string of flat-cars
reaching from Savannah to Jack
sonville to handle this one order. or a
fleet Of one hundred vessels carrying
100000 feet each On r1is subject
the Southern Lumber Journal. Of this
city. In it's issue of Thursday said;
Through Mr. ]. L. Phillips. of New
York city. and the Southern Pine
Company, Of Georgia. the biggest
lumber order ever given and filled
in rs1e United States has just been
made public, whereby the Italian Gov
eminent has placed an order for az
600, 900 feet of boards and l5.500.o0o
feet Of tim bers. ranging IN size from
2x4 to 12xt2. and 6,500.o00 feet OF
cross-tes In point Of volume and
size this order surpasses anything
on record. 1t has now leaked out
that this order may be increa sed 10
so, 600 600 feet
When New York city placed con-
tracts for 10000. 600 feet of lumber
and timber some months ago, that
was at mat time regarded as the re-
cord for contract sizes, but the Italian
Government order eclipses that by
100000 feet and this viii likely
be increas ed an additional 80. 900
feet The boards embrace everything
from Ike to Ixi2 inches in width.
random lengths. and together with the
timber will be used for trenf1 war
fare purposes In the conflict now GO
ing on between the belI!gerent ma
tions across the waters The size or
this order. in conjunction with the
various and sundry other orders now
on file and being placed daily. has
given the yellow pine industry ire
mendous boost from the Georgia and
Florida coast all the way around to
Texas and cleans up all available
stocks Of this character. so that any,
thing else in this line Will have 10
he cut and dried before it IS shipped,
regardless OF tho urgency of the de-
mands
1t Is freely conceded that this or
der, with It's posi- bilities OF being
increased, viii he worth at least
one dollar a thousand 10 the yellow
pine dimension and board market IN
the South Atlantic and Gulf Coast
states BAT lktIS Oh lIAS II eillSIAt2IQs
order was placed in either Georgia
or Florida for the reason that t.ae
mills in all this territory were loaded
W on this character Of business.
hence the bulk Of the order had to go
to the Southwest, where much Of the
lumber was cat and piled on sticks
ready for shipn1 emit. The inspection
is reported as easy. ard, in fact, square
edge and sound has been the prin-
cipal standard for grading this ma
ter,al Mr. StllweN OF the Southern
Pine Company, IN this city, states that
practically the entire order has been
placed barring possibly five or six
million feet and that Will no doubt
he taken IN before the close Of the
current week.
Much OF this enormous volume os
lumber is being assembled Just now
st several Of the ports where ships
will he In waiting to receive IL for
hurried transportation to the Italia Il
Government Mills west of the Mis-
lsissippi as we'll as those east, have
taken a great deal ~ this order, and
there Is much rejoicing all over the
yellow pine States OF Georgia, Florida
Alabama. Mississippi, Louisiana,
Texas. Missouri and Oklahoma over
the announcement Just made. In the
meantime. Great Britain Is buying
more or less freely, and the same is
true of the South American Republics
as we'll as Cuba The biggest thing
in this whole ira nss elton is to be found
in the fact that this order. In con-
junction with other business already
placed, relieves the Southern States
of all surplus stocks Of lumber in
pile.
With a new slate and the mills can
enter the trade now with more indie
pendence than heretofore. and in view
of the fact that the manufa cturers
in the South Atlantic States, and es-
pecia1iy throughout the yellow pine
territory. have practically all the bus
mess they can take care of for the
next sixty and ninety days. the out
look for the manufacturing lumber in
dustry takes on a decidedly more OPP
timistic and successful aspect than
has characterized the trade before in
five years, 1t has certainly been a
long lane fer the lumber people dur
ing the past three or four years. hut
unless all signs fail. the situation VIII.
soon present an aspect similar IN
many particulars To those prevailing
back in 1905 and 1907. when the high
water mark In prices was reached
Mr., VIM. B. Stilwell, secretary and
treasurer of the Southern Pine Com
pany, whose home is In this city,
where he has been engaged in the
yellow pine trade for about thirty-six
years. Is wearing that smile which re-
fuses to come off. and is being con-
graduated by his friends everywhere
upon his company's landing the big
gest yellow pine order on record.
Verify such a deal is something to
smile over. while the trade at large
Is rome less gratified, for 1t clearly
marks the turning point in the lum-
Der trade of the South for something
better
with the likelihood OF peace be-
ing early restored in Mexico by and
through the recognition Of the Car
rama element as the defacto Govern
ment in that country. the demands
for lumber and building material.
bridge and treste timbers, railroads
and car stocks. will he something enor-
nous AS matter Of fact. 1t Is pre-
dicted That with the restoration OF
peace in the Mexican Republic the
capacity Of the mills in Texas, Okla
homa, Missouri and Louisiana will be
taxed to their utmost to supply the
demands In that country there are
hundreds and thousands of miles of
railroads and trestles to be built. and
extensive repairs in practically every