The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1918-07-22
A|RPLANE LUMBER
FROM LATAH COUNTY
POTLATCH LUMBER COMP ANY
HAS HALF MILLION FEET CUT
FOR THE GOVERNMENT

made in Latah county and some hal
million feet has already been cut by The
Potlatch Lumber Co., at its mills at Pot
latch and Elk river The Potlatch mil
is now being operated by the govern
ment the same as the railroads are being
operated and the mill is specializing or
alrplane lumber, but is carrying on its
regular work at the same time ItAi
estimated that to get half million feet
of airplane lumber more than four mil
lion feet of good timber was cut This
will not be wasted but will be worked up
into lumber later.
| The government inspectors go into
the timber and select the best trees for
airplane lumber and mark them and
number them. Then the timbermen cut
these trees, but it is often necessary to
cut number of other trees in order to
get to them and get out the logs Some
of the airplane trees yield one and some
of them yield several logs. Only the
very best is taken and these logs are de-
livered at the mill and sawed under the
supervision of government inspectors,
who closely inspect each piece of timber
cut 1t is then placed in special dry kilns
and kept there for from "a to 80 days.
Then it is taken out, ripped into the re
quired thickness and sent east to-the air
plane factories. In few weeks the lunl-
Der from these trees, taken from Iatah
county's forests, will be flying over the
German armies or supply depots, drop
ping bombs upon the enemies of the
world
There is great activity in the timber
and in the mills, despite the shortage of
help. None of the camps or mills have
enough men to run full time The Pot
latch mill is only running eight hours a
day but could sell all of the lumber that
could be made in three eight hour shifts
The government wants all of the 1um-
Der that can be made and is taking the
lumber as fast as it is made. c. B.
Green, of Moscow, says he was at St
Marie's recently and saw number of
long trains going east, and from 50 to
90 per cent of the trains we're made up
of carloads of lumber and that passenger
trains are giving the right of way to
these lumber trains in some instances.
Women Work in the Mill
Many women are employed in the saw
mill, the planning mill and different de- |
partments of the big lumber industry
at Potlatch and they are making good |
They wear overalls, do mans work
and get a mans wages. Some of the
daughters of well-to-do farmers and
others are working in the mill and their
work is giving satisfaction. Women run
he graders, pile lumber and do otherl
work A story is told of young wom-
IN with ambition, energy and muscle,
who was working in the mill She was
lumber and piling it on the
rucks The man who was instructing {
Ter told her to take boards of a certain
ize and carry them to certain truck.
She replied: "Wait until I get four or
i've The men carry four or five boards
t time and if I get mans pay I want
0 do mans work" and she has been
ARRIVING just as many boards at trip as
ne men carry.
There is plenty of work at the mill for
very one who applies, and there is de |
land for more men in the logging camps
nd everywhere. The wages paid are
igher than formerly. Men and women
ct from IS cents an hour, up and many
omen are getting better wages than
ley ever received. The government is
tort of lumber and which is regarded as
as much Importance as wheat in win
ng the war. All kinds of lumber is :,
eeded for ship building for buildings in :,
e army camps and for other war pur- =
,ses, but airplane lumber is needed
ore than any other kind and it is being
ven the preference over all other kinds
lumber. White and yellow pine are
ing used for airplane construction and
is said some fine timber is being Sc -
red in this county for this line of =
,rk