34 



there being three feet of snow on a le\cl. Ai 

 present his company has 100 teams of horses, 

 three locomotives, two steam loaders and 700 

 men at work at the Laona camps, but will 

 fall short of the intended winter's cut of 

 ."..000,000 feet. 



C. L. Barnett, manager for the Anson & 

 Hixon Company. Merrill, has resigned and 

 gone to Toledo. Ohio, where he has organized 

 the Collins-Barnett Company, which will also 

 deal in hardwood fmishings. The first-named 

 concern ha^ secured the services of E. C. 

 Leaming of Indianapolis as manager in Mr. 

 Harnett's place. 



John Beck of Ashland has secured a patent 

 on a refrigerator and is now looking to the 

 organization ot a company, which will manu- 

 laoture the refrigerators and put them on the 

 market. 



The Arpin Hardnood Lumber Company, Grand 

 Rapids, is this winter using a unique contrivance 

 in logsing. It is a locomotive which runs over 

 an ordinary road, pulling after it a number ot 

 loaded sleighs. The locomotive will run most 

 anywhere, for it carries with It a portable traok 

 which is laid in front as the wheels revolve and 

 picked up again, the track being in the form of 

 an endless hoit This belt is wide enough to 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



prevent the machine from sinking into the 

 ground. Another improvement used ,is a 

 sleigh which can be hauled right onto a car 

 without unloading, .and when the ear reaches 

 the mill and is unloaded the empty sleighs 

 are returned. This saves a great deal of 

 time and labor. 



J. W. Millington, Chicago, recently leceived 

 harsh treatment at the hands of the crew of 

 the Tubbs Manufacturing Company at Ltiding- 

 ton, Mich. He was accused of acting as a 

 spy for a rival Wisconsin concern, which is 

 engaged in the same line of business that 

 of manufacturing printers' hollywood type and 

 other hardwood products. Millington was 



found taking the names oft boxes in which 

 the Tubbs company was shipping goods. He 

 was severely beaten and his whiskers were 

 daubed with green paint on one side and 

 yellow on the other. Milling is seventy years 

 of age. 



Shipbuilders along Lakes Michigan and Su- 

 perior are having great difficulty in securing 

 a supply of white oak timber for shipbuilding, 

 the Wisconsin supply being nearly exhausted. 

 They cannot secure any large quantity, but 

 l.u.v a little at a time, whenever they find any 

 for m.arket. 



Hardwood Market. 



(By HABDWOOS BECOBD Exclusive Uarket Reporters.) 



Chicago, 



The hardwood market evidences great activity. 

 Some ot the large consuming industries report 

 that they have orders booked months ahead, and 

 are experiencing difficulty in getting enough lum- 

 ber to meet their present requirements. The 

 flooring business is booming : furniture, wagon, 

 agricultural implement and car building estab- 

 lishments are rushed, and report conditions pros- 

 perous. The shortage ot hickory is something 

 of a stumbling block, but rock elm and other 

 woods are being substituted with fair success. 

 although the former is high and not very plen- 

 tiful. The demand for plain white and red oak 

 is still vigorous and mills are short of both dry 

 and green stock. Quartered white oak shows 

 some slight improvement, as is also the case 

 with quartered red. Prices ot cottonwood have 

 advani-od and the wood is in shoit supply. The 

 poplar market is steady and bids fair to con- 

 tinue .so. Northern woods are moving more 

 freel.v, birch and maple being ready sellers. 



Boston. 



There has been a general impr.ivemenl in Ihe 

 demand for hardwoods, and wholesalers are of 

 Ihe opinion that the business will continue to 

 make steady gains during the next few weeks. 

 Xo one class of buyers are responsible for this; 

 all consumers are showing Interest. I'or the 

 most part buyers are taking lots as they need 

 them and this Is more .satisfactory as it does 

 away with speculation. Keports from many of 

 the mills slate that they .lo not care to sell very 

 far ahead just at present. Many have fair 

 sized order*; on whl<-h they still owe consider 

 able. rsecan.se ot this lliey jireter to get old 

 <iders cleaned tip before taking new contracts. 

 otTerlngs ot sen.soned lumber are not large, l.'or 

 *;ome time past the export demand has ruled 

 moderate, but during Ihe |>!.st few days more 

 Imiulry Is reported. 



The demand tor plain oak Is good. While 

 some dealers have talked a scarcity of late one 

 of the leading den'ers slates that he has found 

 plenty to fill onieis ivllli, yet aiknowledges that 

 there Is n.i siir|ilus. Quartered oak Is llrmer 

 and the demand Is Increasing. A dealer who 

 recently sold a large order now has an oppor- 

 tunity lo diipllrnte the order but hesitates to do 

 so. Brown ash holds flrni and In demand. Na- 

 llvc chestnut promises to be scarce during the 

 coming .season according to nulhorlllea. Iii-mand 

 is good. Maple flooring Is In good request and 



prices are firm. Wliite wood is in fair demand. 

 Kealers state that desirable grades are not in 

 large offerings. Cypress is firmer. 



New York, 



Tlu' local luirdwood mnrket continues Iniliisli. 

 The demand is good and seems to be steadily 

 increasing for pretty much all kinds ot stock, 

 while the conditions in the matter of suppl.v 

 at mill points are having a tendency to not 

 only keep prices still' but to advance them 

 slightly. The available amount of dry stock in 

 both first and second hands is not overplentiful. 

 aiul there seems to be every indication of a 

 decidedly bullish market from now through the 

 spring months. The leaders in demand are plain 

 oak, birch and chestnut with poplar holding 

 strong. There is less tendency to crowd the 

 market than is ordinarily the case, and the 

 whole list is moving in very fair volume. Stocks 

 in the hands ot buyers and the local manufac- 

 turing trade are about nominal, and there is a 

 general teudeucy to buy all along the line, all 

 of which is viewed with much satisfaction by 

 the wholesale houses having stock to sell. The 

 whole local situation is good with excellent 

 Ijrospects covering at least (he first six months 

 of the year. 



Philadelphia. 



-Ml classes of hardwoods are in heavy dc- 

 inand. Business is good from every viewpoint. 

 It Is furthermore Indicative ot a still better 

 spring business. l'"or this season too much 

 cannot bo expected and there is no disposition 

 to complain. It is sufliclent for the Philadel- 

 phia hardwood men that building operations 

 are to begin In spring that will reipilre this city 

 to be supplied with more hardwoods iIimu ever 

 before at the name season of the year*, hi an 

 ticlpatlon of the good times to come and as a 

 relaxation after the strenuous times ot the past 

 few months most I'lilladelphla liinibernieii arc 

 taking advantage of a lull to lour the Soiali. 

 Ihe West, and some have even pbinncrl ICnroiican 

 trips. 



Baltimore. 



A brisk demand for all hardwoods contlnuis 

 and the snpplli's are not In excess of require- 

 ments, thoiigli no actual scarcity prevails, and II 

 Is possible to get lumber It one Is willing lo jiay 

 Ihe price. The range of values remains high. 

 Owing to Ihe mild weather the output has been 

 larger than Is usual during tin' winter, .iiid 



this has served to iiwk.' ilie loatter of meeting 

 the demands ot the- trade less difficult. With 

 the present range of values production is likely 

 io be stimulated to the utmost, and it is pos- 

 sible that the latter halt of the year will see 

 more liberal offerings than at any time during 

 the past fourteen or more months. It is this 

 possibility that makes conservative lumbermen 

 cautious about entering into arrangements for 

 future delivery, though no unfavorable factor 

 has developed so far and none is expected. 



Oak, ot course, leads, being in urgent request 

 and good stocks finding ready takers. The local 

 requirements are relatively large, all the furni 

 ture and office fixture plants being bu.sy. The 

 export conditions also are gradually taking on 

 a more encouraging aspect and shippers are 

 now fairly well satisfied. .\sli is a good second 

 to oak. being eagerly sought at figures that 

 look attractive to the producer. Such other 

 hardwoods as hickory and cliestuut arc moving 

 freely, while the improvement in poplar con- 

 tinues. Prices are not yet on a level, compara- 

 li\ely, with other woods. Init they are fairly 

 well sustained, and an augmented demand from 

 aliroad helps the domestic situation. Walnut is 

 si ill finding favor in the home market from 

 tlu.se who do not object to cost, and stocks are 

 readily distributed, while the foreign move- 

 ment seems to gain headway as the year ad- 

 \ances. The tendency toward the use ot ma- 

 hogany for store fixtures is still in evidence. 



Pittsburg. 



Hardwood matters are in splendid shape In 

 greater Pittsburg, in fact, there is less com- 

 plaint from these who deal in hardwoods than 

 from those who handle the pines and hemlock. 

 for the latter are liaving considerable trouble in 

 .getting stock and some of them in getting cars. 

 It looks now as if the spring trade in hardwood 

 lumber would be unusually large. 'Phe railroads 

 .ind traction companies are getting into the 

 market for an emu-mous amount of heavy lum- 

 ber, mostly oak timbers, ties and poles. A large 

 quantity ot oak will be needed for the river 

 improvements projected or already assured as 

 well as for the filtration plant at .\spinwall just 

 above Pittsburg. Tlie big freight terminals and 

 the warehoiKses tliat are assured for building 

 this spring will call for large amounts of oak. 

 l)ofh planking and construction timbers. Ground 

 has been broken for the freight terminal ot the 

 Pittsburg. I't. Wayne i: Chicago ISailroad Com- 

 pany in Allegheny whicli will be one ot the best 

 equipped freight storage places in the state. 



Local dealers are making an unusual effort 

 to pick up .good stocks of hardwood luuilier. even 

 though small, and also to get hold of the few 

 remaining tracts of hardwood timber that can be 

 easily reached from Pittsburg, l-'or this purpose 

 agents of at least a dozen prominent firms have 

 within tlie past iiioiilli made extensive excur- 

 sions over western Pennsylvania, West Virginia 

 and even up iuto Oliio in .search- of any stra.v 

 tracts ot timber wliere portable mills could be 

 set for a few weeks or nioiitlis to g<iod advan- 

 tage. Their efforts liave met with some success, 

 for some good lots ot timber north of I'lttsburg 

 have been secured and will be cut off at once. 

 In West Virginia tlii' price of hardwood timber 

 land is going up rapidly and in spite bt the 

 large forests there dealers predict that within 

 tliiee years it will be hard to get hardwood 

 tracts of any size at anything like the prices 

 that now prevail. 



The prices of hardwooils here are \ery llrm. 

 oak Is still the leader in general sales. For 

 heavv i)leces there Is an excellent demand and 

 lor the liner grades for finishing lumber there is 

 more call than the dialers can satisfy. Maple 

 lliiorliig Is iinotber lender in market ami Is .sell- 

 ing at prhos that make dealiTs feel happy, 

 rhi'stniit keeps up the brisk pace In the trade 

 that It has maintained nil winter. i u* late 

 ilciilers lla^■e reported moiT' call for birch, cherry 

 and walnut In small lots, and some very nice 

 orders have been phK'ed recently tor delivery In 

 I lie Kast. 



