The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1922-05-04
WOOD FROM THE JUNGLE
SOLD IN U. S. BY POUND
PRECIOUS TIMBER FROM FAR
AWAY cLlMES AND SOME
OF ITS USES.

NO more Interesting cargoes are
loaded into the freight lighters in the
East river than the consignments oil
rare and beautiful hardwood from the
Caribbean coasts and islands, from
brazil from the jungles of Africa and
from the Dutch East Indies, which
sull supply a limited number OF pounds
of wood, mostly rare, small logs. says
the New York sun.
There is such a thing as precious
wood, almost as rare in comparison
with cheap lumber as gold IS rare
when compared with iron. All such
wood is sold by the pound. A block OF
one square foot may cost $25
Two kinds OF imported lumber are
not sold by the pound These are ma
hogany and cedar, mostly from Mexico,
Cuba and Africa.
There is no shortage of hard woods.
but the highest quality logs are always
scarce. They are selected in the coun-
try where they are cut by American
buyers connected with the importing
firms.
Woods of Luxurious Things.
These precious woods have name
to conjure with. Their connotations
are all of luxury. Ebony belongs with
ivory, in old inlaid cabinets, in piano
keys it is used for flutes and for violin
bridges Sandalwood belongs to the
sticks of feather fans, to caskets for
4
fashioned sewing boxes, to the bars OF
Xylophones Mahogany has inspired
the finest cabinet work
Rare wood has always been valued.
Persia demanded of Ethiopia tribute of
ebony logs preferring them to gold, in
the days before the Greeks had met
the soldiers of the orient. Earlier still
perhaps ebony was held sacred by the
Hawaiians. being used for the temples
and for the sacred inclOsure that stood
on the spot in Honolulu known today
as "Ka Palama," or the place of the
Lama tree.
There is no end to the list of indus
trial uses for these hard woods Gam
ing boards and tables, stiletto handles.
dice and dominoes, pipes. old fashioned
bowling balls. mallets of all sorts, pull
ley blocks and water wheels are as
notable as any others
The strength of the lgnumvitae
wood stern tube bearings. which are
used in the largest ocean liners and
which stand up against the pounding
of the water and the whiring shaft of
the propeller better than any metal
known, is the pride of every dealer in
hard wood. In the yards he likes to
show workmen cutting logs of lignum-
vitae into slices. making pancakes"
they say before cutting the pieces into
blocks no larger than woman's hand.
These small blocks are fitted together
to shape an exact bearing for pro-
pellor shaft. If perfectly fitted no re-
placement may be needed for a dozen
years.
Bearings Self Lubricating.
Their permanence is due not only to
the density and tenacity of the fiber,
but quite as much to the fact that this
wood has a property not found in met
ais 1t keeps it's own surface perfectly
fabricated with a smooth even film of
oily rosin that oozes from the pores,
and that seems never to dry out This
is the real secret of its strength and of
its value for use in places that cannot
be fabricated easily. It's name was not
given to it because of it's long life,
however, but because people formerly
believed that decoction of this wood
would cure all ills and was the most
potent of panaceas