Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1920-07-30
CHAPTER III.

/ Throughout the happy years Of
/ Rryce's hoyhood his father continued
TO enlarge and improve his sawmill
to build more schooners, and to ac-
| quire more redwood timber. Lands.
the purchase of which by Cardigan n
/ decade before had caused his neigh
hOrs TO impugn his Judgment. now
| developed strategical Importance AS
result those lands necessary 20 con-
sulidate his own holdings came TO
him at his own price. while his adj
verse holdings that blocked the log
| ging operations of his competitors
went fIom hiDl-also at his own price.
In fact. all well-laid plans matured
satisfactorily with the exception of
/ one. and since it has very definite
bearing on the story. the necessity for
explaining ii is paramount.
Contiguous to Cardigan's logging
operations TO the east and north of
| SeQuuia. and comparatively close in,
| lay a block of two thousand acres
! of splendid timber, the natural. feas-
lille. and inexpensive outlet for which,
when il should be logged. was the
| Valley of the Giants. For thirty
| years John Cardigan had played a
waiting game with the owner of that
! timber. for the latter was as fully
obseSsed with the belief that he was
! going to sell il to John Cardigan at
dollar and q half per thousand feet
stumpage as Cardigan was certain he
was going to buy il for dollar
thousand--when he should be ready
to do so and not one second sooner.
Eventually the time for acquiring
more timber arrived John Cardigan.
meeting his neighbor on the street,
accosted him thus:
| "Laok mere, Bill. isn't 1t time we
got together on that timber of yours?
! You know you've been holding 1t to
| block me andgkOrce ME to buy at yoTr
tig,ire. III give you dollar a thous-
, and stumpage for your timber, Bill"
81 want a dollar and a half"
"A dollar is my absolute limit"
| "Then I'll keep my timber"
"And I'll keep my money. When
finish logging in my present hold
ings, I'm going 10 pull out of that
country and log twenty miles south
of SeQuoia. Remember. Bill, the man
who buys your timber will have 70 log
it through my land-and I'm not go
ing to log that quarter-section in the
valley. Hence there will be no outlet
for your timber in back"
"Not going TO log 1t? Why, what
are you going to do with it,"
I'm just going to let it stay there
until die. When my will is filed for
probate. your curiosity will be salts
fied--but not until then. Better take
a dollar. Bill. It's a good, fair price,
as the market on redwood timber Is
now. and you'll be making an even
hundred per cent. on your investment.
Remember, Bill. If don't buy your
timber, you'll never log 1t yourself
and neither will anybody else. Youll
be stuck with it for the next forty
years-and taxes aren't getting any
/ lower"
"Pll hang on a little longer, /
think
Il think so. too" John Cardigan re-
| piled. And that night, as was his
wont, even though he realized that it
was not possible for Bryce to gain a
! profound understanding Of the business
! problems to whirs he was heir. John
Cardigan discussed the Squaw creek
timber with his son. relating to him
the details Of his conversation with
the owner.
Bryce pondered. "But isn't 1t
cheaper to give him his price on Squaw
creek timber than 90 logging in the
San Hedrin and have to build twenty
miles Of logging railroad to get your
logs to the millY'
at would be, son, IL / had TO build
the railroad. Fortunately. / do not.
I'll just shoot the logs down the Hill
side to the San Hedrin river and
drive them down the stream 10 a log
boom on tidewater.s
Bryce looked at his father admir-
ingly. Il guess Dan Keyes Is right,
Dad" he said. "Dan says you're
crazy-like a fox. Now / know why
you've been picking up claims in the
San Hedrin watershed"
No. you don't. Bryce. I've never
told you. but tn tell you now the
real reason. Humboldt county hiss m