November 10. 1916 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



33 



and overwork about four years ago. commercial misfortunes overtook him, 

 and his many friends deeply regret the suffering and untimely death of 

 this young and popular representative of the hardwood trade. 



After much investigation and experiment it has been decided to floor 

 the large new freight station at Worcester. Mass., with hardwood floor- 

 ing as the most desirable material obtainable for the purpose. 



Examiner LaRoe of the Interstate Commerce Commission will hold 

 hearings at Boston during the current month on the New England lumber 

 rate case. 



Perley R. Eaton, who has for years had his headquarters at Fitchburg, 

 Mass.. is to open a Boston oflSce at 50 State street. 



The auction sale of the entire real and personal assets of the Geo. 

 W. Gale Lumber Company of Cambridge was held October 24, and while 

 it w-as an essential step in liquidation by the committee of creditors 

 which has endeavored to operate the business without success, the re- 

 sults of the sale were unsatisfactory, as it was not possible to secure 

 reasonable bids. ■ 



=-< BALTIMORE >-= 



With the sinking of ttie Johnston Line st*^amship Rowanmore. pre- 

 sunably by a German submarine, on her voyage from Baltimore to Liver- 

 pool, a considerable quantity of lumber has been lost. How much lumber 

 ■was aboard the steamer, which practicall.v always carried shipments of 

 hardwoods, spruce and other woods, is not stated and will not be di- 

 vulged for several weeks, but as few vessels have been taking out lumber 

 from this port during the war. the Johnston Line ships have usuall.v 

 had consignments of considerable size. The embargo upon the manifests 

 was prompted chiefiy by the belief that knowledge of the contents of 

 ships' cjirgoes is conveyed to the German military authorities in some 

 way and that certain vessels are consequently singled out by the under- 

 sea craft for destruction. The Rowanmore was a steamer of about 10.000 

 tons capacity and when sunk carried a full cargo, a large part of which 

 was composed of war munitions. Ship and freight were valued at not less 

 than $2,000,000. 



The Jessamore. of the same line, which arrived here October 22, had 

 aboard thirty-one mahogany logs for the F, W. Black Lumber & Veneer 

 Company of Chicago, and the Jessraore. also of the .Johnston Line, which 

 got in the following day. brought twelve mahogany logs for the William- 

 son Veneer Company of Baltimore. 



S. P. Ryland of the Ryland & Brooks Lumber Company, which made an 

 important change in its business neiirly a .year ago when it took up 

 hardwood lumber and logs to a considerable extent, having previously 

 ■devoted itself almost entirely to yellow pine, is highly gratified with the 

 results of the change, and says the new end of the business lias become 

 far more important than the old one. and that at least three-fourths of 

 the entire trade at present is in hardwoods. Mr. Ryland adds that the 

 company has handled some big poplar logs of late, a carload shipped 

 within the last two months having been about five feet in diameter at the 

 thicker end. He says that the hardwood business on the whole is far 

 more satisfactory than are the transactions in yellow pine, but he joins 

 other members of the trade in complaints about the car shortage, which 

 serves to restrict the movement to a material extent. 



The MacLea Lumber Company, dealer in hardwoods on South Cen- 

 tral avenue, has at present perhaps the largest stocks of various woods, 

 which it has carried at any previous time, and is prepared to take care 

 of any requirements likely to develop. Daniel JIacLea. president of the 

 company, like other members of the trade, is hopeful as to the future, 

 feeling conlidently that, though delayed, the revival in lumber is bound to 

 come and will assume impressive proportions, with prices very much 

 higher than they are at present. 



The demand for lumber by ship builders seems to be larger now than for 

 .some time. On the eastern shore, including Maryland and Delaware, 

 there are at present under construction three four-masted schooners, all 

 of them being built of wood. One is on the ways at the yard of E. James 

 TuU. in Pocomoke City. Md.. for C. C. Paul & Co., a Baltimore firm of 

 ship brokers and owners, while W. G. .\bbott of Miltord. Del., is building 

 another for the same firm. -\t Sharptown. Md.. there is being built by 

 the Sharptown Marine Railway Company a third vessel of about the 

 same size for the White Shipping Company of Baltimore. 



Mann & Parker, wholesale dealers in hardwoods, have found it neces- 

 •sary to get another yard to take care of the stocks that are coming in 

 and that are needed to fill orders promptly. They have purchased a 

 place 75 by 75 feet on Ward street, in South Baltimore. 



A. A, Gassinger of A, A, Gassinger & Sons, manufacturers of tables, 

 has applied for a permit to equip the old Simpson & Doeller Company, at 

 the southeast corner of Milton avenue and Lanvale street, for woodwork- 

 ing purposes. The firm is now located at 405 W. Barre street. 



J. McD. Price, secretary of the National Lumber Exporters' Associa- 

 tion, who has been ill for some weeks, is considerably improved, and his 

 physicians expect him to gft out in perhaps a week or ten days. After 

 that they advise a trip to the seashore for several weeks to complete con- 

 valescence. 



While a definite decision has not yet been reached, it is considered 

 very likely that the next annual meeting of the National Lumber Ex- 

 porters' Association will be held at New Orleans in January. There are 

 various important questions growing out of the war, especially the high 

 ocean freight rates and the virtual embargo upon lumber exports, to be 

 considered at the meeting. 



=-< COLUMBUS >•- 



According to the monthly report of the Columbus building department, 

 building operations continue active in every wa.y. In fact a large in- 

 crease is shown over the corresponding period of the previous year. Dur- 

 ing the month of October, 1916, the department issued 305 permits hav- 

 ing a valuation of $575,630, as compared with 269 permits and a valua- 

 tion of $39,6S5 for October, 1915, For the first ten months of the year 

 the department issued 2.S13 permits, having a valuation of $4,430,735, in 

 the corresponding period in 1915. 



R, W. Horton, of the W, M. Ritter Lumber Company, declared the lum- 

 ber trade in hardwoods to be good in every way. Trade is about equally 

 divided between retailers and factories. Prices are firm and Inclined to 

 advance. Prospects for the future are considered good. 



J. A. Ford of the Imperial Lumber Company reports a good demand for 

 hardwoods with prices ruling firm. 



Columbus lumbermen generally, including both wholesalers and retail- 

 ers, are up in arms over the increased demurrage schedules filed by many 

 of the railroads in central freight territory, with the Inter.state Commerce 

 Commission. They believe that the new rates are unjust and very 

 unreasonable and will make a strong eflFort to have the action of the 

 railroads rescinded. The new rates are $2 tor the first day. $3 for the 

 second day, $4 for the third day and $5 for the fourth and subsequent 

 days, after the elapse of the 4S hours free time. 



The Findlay Carriage Compan.v, Findlay. O.. lias gone out of busi- 

 ness permanently. 



At Columbus. O.. L. L. Hay has entered the wholesale lumber business 

 at 74 Ruggery building. 



Oscar Bodley of Plain City has purchased the lumber yard in Marys- 

 ville, O., operated under the name of the Marysville Wire Fence & 

 Lumber Company, The wire fence business will be retained by the 

 former interests. 



The plant of the C. -A, Mauk Lumber Company, at Elm and Oneida 

 streets, Toledo, O., was destroyed by fire recently. The fire, which is of 

 unknown origin, started about midnight, and before it could be placed 

 under control had destroyed the sheds, staining plant and stock of the 



=-< CINCINNATI >. 



Building operations in Cincinnati during October were about the same 

 as October last year, although receipts from permits Issued were greater 

 because of the new schedule in rates now in operation. In October. 1915, 

 1357 permits were issued for buildings, the estimated cost of which was 

 $865,574, This October 1,344 permits were issued, the estimated cost of 

 buildings being $.S23,SS0. The receipts in October. 1915. were $2,678.35, 

 and in October. 1913, $4,113.90. Comparison of the first ten months in 

 1915 show the total cost far in excess of the first ten months this year, 

 due, howevt . , very largely to the fact that the new court house, estimated 

 at $2,400,000, and several large high schools and public school buildings, 

 are included in the 1915 figures. 



Considerable interest prevails in architectural, general building and 

 lumber circles in the plan of Harry Hake, prominent Cincinnati architect, 

 to use cork floors for the operating room of the "Woodburn" branch of 

 the Cincinnati and Suburban Bell Telephone Company. Mr. Hake says 

 that the use of this material has passed the experimental stage. It was 

 used on a small scale on the main office building downtown and was 

 found to absorb moisture readily througli frequent washing. One of 

 its chief assets for a telephone operating room. Mr. Hake said, is that it 

 is noiseless, although the cost is about eighty cents more per square foot 

 than hardwood. The material, a compressed granulated cork, is laid on a 

 concrete base, the upper part being a mixture of concrete, cinders and 

 sawdust. 



Cincinnati millwork concerns are much interested in news to the 

 effect that the window glass trade, an allied industry of the sash, door, 

 blind and millwork, has under consideration a contract form similar to 

 that adopted recently by the National Association of Sheet and Tin Plate 

 Manufacturers, which eliminates all conditions and provisions guarantee- 

 ing prices against market declines. A committee of the National Glass 

 Distributors' Association discussed the proposed contract with leading 

 manufacturers. No decision has been reached, but the question was left 

 open while committees on each side will make further investigation. 



The Federal Box Company recently was incorporated at Cleveland, 

 Ohio, with authorized capital stock of $20,000, by F. A. Shepard, R. G. 

 Morrison. V. Vanderhoof. Lawrence G. King and J. A. Kingsley. 



Various shippers other than lumbermen in central Kentucky recently 

 have complained that the coal famine is being augmented owing to the 

 use of coal cars for purposes other than shipping that commodity, one 

 Louisville coal company giving out a statement that many coal cars now 

 are being used by lumbermen and automobile manufacturers. Judging 

 from appearances in this district, lumbermen around here not only are 

 not getting coal cars in which to ship, but can't get any kind of rolling 

 stock. 



Woodwork made by German and Austrian prisoners of war while in 

 British detention camps is being displayed in a room at the Hotel Gib- 

 son by the Austro-German War Relief Association of Cincinnati. The 

 exhibit remains open about two weeks. Funds from the sale of these 

 articles go to the prisoners for support of their families. 



The Acme Box Company, having outgrown Its quarters on Denman 



