HARDWOOD RECORD 



being built up in sections. This mill is built 

 in a rocky section on what is called poi-hoi- 

 hoi, or hard stone, as distinguished from 

 ah-ah, or broken lava. It cost $1,500 to 

 level off enough ground to put this mill and 

 the tracks; the hole in the ground in the 

 center was originally forty feet deep and 

 about an acre in extent and is part of the 

 log yard at present. 



No. S is the quarters where we put our feet 

 under the table. No matter what other con- 

 ditions may be, the eating is good and plenti- 

 ful. Except for the pest of mosquitoes the 

 nights are fine here; the cool mountain air 



blows at night and the salt breeze from the 

 ncean all day. We are 660 feet high and 

 tvhen the weather is clear can see the white 

 tops of the waves. 



The native Hawaiians are the souls of gen- 

 erosity, and the Hawaiian salutation, even to 

 a stranger, "Aloha nui" (my love to yon), 

 is expressive of their courteous treatment of 

 "haoles" or foreigners. This confidence has 

 been abused at times, but once they like one, 

 there is no limit to what they will do to 

 please. I shall try and send some photos of 

 trees with a later article. 



H. C. Haner, Pahoa, Hawaii. 



Makers of Machinery History. 



XUMBEK Vm. 



Thomas P. Egan. 



(,Sce Portrait Supplement.) 



The Hardwood Record takes pleasure in 

 carrying as its portrait supplement in this 

 issue a foremost maker of woodworking ma- 

 chinery history — Capt. Thomas P. Egan of 

 Cincinnati. So well known is Captain Egan 

 ill connection with this great American indus- 

 try that his name is practically synonymous 

 with woodworking tools wherever used in all 

 parts of the world. He is president of the 

 J. A. Fay & Egan Company of Cincinnati. 



The commercial rise of the J. A. Fay & 

 Egan Company ha J its beginning in the year 

 1830, when J. A. Fay commenced the manu- 

 facture of woodworking machinery for his 

 own use in a small planing mill at Keene, 

 N. H. Seeing the growing need of wood- 

 working tools and the wonderful future pos- 

 sibilities this line of production had in store 

 for it he early began to manufacture them 

 for sale, and the enterprise very soon became 

 a remunerative one. He removed to Cincin- 

 nati in the early thirties and started the busi- 

 ness of J. A. Fay & Co., which soon grew to 

 large proportions. 



In 1874 Thomas P. Egan left the business 

 of Steptoe, McFarland & Co., where he had 

 acted in the capacity of salesman for several 

 years, and established in a small way the pro- 

 duction of woodworking machinery under the 

 title of the Egan Company. This house grew 

 so rapidly that in ten years it was the equal 

 rival of J. A. Fay & Co. 



In 1893 the two companies united under 

 one name — that of the J. A. Fay & Egan 

 Company, under which title it has since con- 

 tinued. Mr. Egan was elected its first presi- 

 dent, and so continues. In the years that 

 have transpired since that date great strides 

 iiave been made in the commercial importance 

 of the house, until today it is reputed as 

 easily the largest cnncern of its kind in the 

 world. 



The business of the J. A. Fay & Egan 

 Company, both domestic and foreign, is done 

 entirely through its own representatives. The 

 preponderance of its trade is domestic, but 

 its export trade is said to be much greater 

 than that of all the other woodworking ma- 

 chinery houses in the country combined. The 



foreign br.iiu-h of the business has grown 

 rapidly and steadily for the past thirty years, 

 and now comprises nearly one-third of the 

 total output. There is scarcely a car shop 

 on the continent of Europe that does not 

 employ Fay & Egan tools. Mr. Egan is a 

 great believer in the power of the trade press, 

 and alleges that the great demand created 

 for his varied and extensive line of machinery 

 production is attributable largely to his trade 

 journal advertising in this country and 

 Europe. Beside this line of exploitation Mr. 

 Egan issues annual catalogues in English, 

 German, French and Spanish. 



Another distinct feature that has made for 

 the success of the Fay & Egan machines is 

 the care and enterprise that has been exer- 

 cised in originating new tools whenever there 

 was a demand for them, and bringing them 

 to such perfection that they became essential 

 to the successful operation of every wood- 

 worker who would keep liis manufacturing 

 cost down to the lowest possible level. While 

 every new machine produced by the J. A. 

 Fay & Egan Company is thoroughly covered 

 by both domestic and foreign patents the 

 majority of European machinery makers copy 

 the designs and improvements as closely as 

 they dare. 



Undeniably the dynamic force in this great 

 manufacturing institution is its president, 

 Thomas P. Egan. Mr. Egan is fifty-nine 

 years old, and is very active in every detail 

 of his business. No man of thirty has more 

 of the freshness of life than he. He permits 

 no business problem to worry him. He sizes 

 up a situation in an instant and is ready with 

 its solution as quickly. He has the rare 

 power of handling men, especially in the sales 

 department. He infuses into his salesmen a 

 thorough belief in the superiority of the Fay 

 & Egan tools and an enthusiasm that carries 

 them forward to achieve success in market- 

 ing them. 



Mr. Egan occupies an enviable position in 

 the commercial affairs not only of the city 

 of Cincinnati, in which he has great pride, 

 but among the leaders of commercial affairs 

 the country over. The respect and popularity 

 which he enjoys in his homo city is well evi- 

 denced by the fact that he is president of the 

 Chamber of Commerce of Cincinnati, a dis- 



tinction which reaches only the foremost men 

 of that community. Mr. Egan is also a 

 leader in the social affairs of that city. 



The great plant of the J. A. Fay & Egan 

 Company, long occupying three city squares 

 in the very heart of the manufacturing dis- 

 trict, was recently increased in size by the 

 addition of another six-story building 100x300 

 feet in size, which is used as a warehouse 

 and shipping department. This great build- 

 ing is kept stocked at all times with ma- 

 chinery ready for shipment. It is the policy 

 of the house to be able to deliver a com- 

 pletely finished and tested tool promptly on 

 receipt of an order. j 



Notwithstanding the enormous extent o!f 

 the plant of the company Mr. Egan is look- 

 ing ahead to the increased development of 

 his business and the eventual necessity of 

 securing more room for extension, which can- 

 not be obtained in his present location. This 

 has led him to recently purchase a traiit o'f 

 land at Bond Hill, a Cincinnati suburb, on 

 which he expects to erect a magnificent wood- 

 working machinery manufacturing plant to 

 outstrip anything of this character in exist- 

 ence in the world. 



Difficulties of Lumbering in Africa. 



In referring to the timbers of Africa, the 

 Timber Trades Journal of London says that as 

 regards the prospects for profitably exporting 

 timber, other tlian mahogany and cedar, to 

 Europe — under existing conditions of freight and 

 labor — it does not pay to export wood tliat 

 i-eallzes less than ."id per superficial foot. A 

 large number of west African timbers can easily 

 command from 2d to ■2'-.ii «t Liverpool If 

 presented In the form of sound, carefully pre- 

 pared and seasoned logs : but unfortunately the 

 expense of hauling the timber by human labor 

 Is too great to admit of any profit being made 

 from such prices. The timber industry of south- 

 ern XiKi'i- Clin mvci- lie dovolninHi to Its full 

 extent unless human labor Is replaced by me- 

 chanical appliances or draught animals are 

 employed. Supervision by skilled European con- 

 tractors would also be necessary. 



The Soudan Is far from devoid of forests, but 

 they run great risk of destruction by Are, and 

 the natives know no other fuel than wood, and 

 consequently do terrible harm to the forests 

 by their heedless methods of cutting. The au- 

 tliorltlcs now have certain rules and regulations, 

 but it seems almost Impossible to enforce them. 

 In the south, all along the Nile, trees are dls- 

 appo.Tring with alarming rapidity. Even the 

 opening of the Red Sea Railway did not seem 

 to Increase the consumption of coal, and the 

 boilers of vessels on the Nile still continue to 

 be heated with wood, while trees are being 

 transported down the river continually. 



Enters Business Independently. 



Albert N. Tliompsou of Momplils. who or- 

 ganized the firm of Thomp.son & McClure and 

 has lately been identified with the Bellgrade 

 Lumber Company, has severed his association 

 with these houses and engaged in business on 

 his own account, under the firm name of A. 

 N. Thompson & Co. He has purchased the 

 yard of the Bcilgrade Lumber Company and 

 will do a general wholesale and yard busi- 

 ness. He has taken ofllces in the Randolph 

 building. D. F. Heuer will be Mr. Thomp- 

 son's chief assistant In the new enterprise. 



Ml-. Thompson has been identified with the 

 hardwood trade of Memphis for many years, 

 and the fact that he lias friends throughout 

 all the great buying centers of the country, as 

 well as his well-known ability as n lumber- 

 man, will Insure his immediate sucross In 

 this new lino of effort. 



