The Alaska citizen., 1916-12-11
PAST SEASON
 BEST IN YEARS
 FOR LOCAL FIRM

In an interview given to repre- sentative of The Citizen, Roy Fergu- on. acting manager of the Indcpcn- dent Lumber company, gives some very interesting figure. on the busi- ness of the firm during the past year. When the season opened the yard was fully stocked with all classes and kinds of material It is estimated that there was fully 500.000 feet of lumber on hand This con isted for the greater part of rough. undressed stock, but the firm also had a large quantity of dressed and finishing lumber. Great piles arose on every side, and the sheds were full to oyerflowing The sea son being late, before the first drives of logs were in, nearly all of this stock was gone Fully a half-mjle of new booms were put in, and after the water got high enough drives kept continuously coming in. At the end of the season the records showed that fully 1,O0O,000 feet had been cut. Notwithstanding this enormous production and the large amount of stock on hand, when the mill shut were entirely sold out, and the mill was unable to fill a number of or ders on account of lack of stock. It is estimated that out of the 1,500,- 900 feet handled during the season, only 100000 feet was left for a winter stock However, there are on hand 1,500 logs for the opening of the mill early next spring.
 MT. Ferguson stated that there were several contributing factors to this extraordinary sea-on. The fore most of these, perhaps, was the opening of the new railroad town at Nenana where numerous large or ders were shipped, and from which place came several orders that the firm was unable to fill on account of not having the goods. Another factor was the building of many sidewalks in Fairbank-. Daily truck loads of material for these walks left the mill and, many people had to postpone building from time to time by having to wait until the lumber could be cut. However, all requisitions for this were filled.
 The third and probably the most vital factor, from the local viewpoint, was the many dwellings in town that are being put up, which are making Fairbanks a city of homes and giving an atmosphere of per manency to the town. Just what are the figures in this last class could not be ascertained, but MT. Ferguson claims they are ahead of any previous year.
 In discussing the plans for the coming season MT. Ferguson stated that the output would equal, if not exceed, that of last year. They have at least enough logs contracted foI to produce 100000 feet of lumber, and pos ibly more. He also states that there will be no signs of timber shortage for several years to come, although lots of it is some distance r.om town. In fact, most of the logs this year will come from a distance of from 40 to 60 miles above Fairbanks.
 In addition to the saw mill, this firm last season installed and put into operation an up to date wood saving machine. This is the first of it's kind in Fairbanks, if not in the entire territory. It eats up logs like Fail banks does election news. There is seeming y no end to it's appetite.
 
 This machine is situated just above the mill on the bank of the Cinema slough, in which is boom which brings the logs, cut into 16foot lengths, directly opposite the plant. The logs are taken, in continuous stream, out of the slough by an ar rangement of endles chains to which are attached mechanical dogs at distance of four feet apart. They are dropped on to platform which is equipped with series of chains that carry them directly into three 52-inch circular saws, set 4 feet apart thus cutting each log into four-foot sticks of wood From the saws they fall on to second platform, on which are set four gplitters, each attended by one man, who seizes the sticks and places