St. Louis and East St. Louis. The present 

 than- will undoubtedly relieve this and then both 

 receipts and shipments will be normal. During 

 ail of this cold period the wholesalers received 

 a fair number of orders and are not complaining 

 at a lack of business, but they also state that 

 sales would have been much heavier had the 

 weather conditions been better. 



Conditions at the mills are now beginning to 

 cause worry. In the southern hardwood districts 

 the production is always restricted at this sea- 

 son of the year, but the fact that tliere has 

 been an abnormal amount of snow and rain in 

 that territory leads to the belief that the period 

 of inactivity will be longer this year than usual. 

 Nearly all of the mills are now closed down and 

 the report comes in that practically no logging 

 can be done. The woods are like quagmires and 

 are likely to be for almost sixty days. Those of 

 the mills having stocks of lumber are inclined 

 to hold for the highest possible prices and the 

 local report is that this is having its effect in 

 strengthening prices. 



In point of preference there has been no 

 change in this market from inch plain oak. 

 Either red or white is wanted and dry is needed 

 to meet immediate requirements. Prices are 

 high and the fact that there Is little dry ium- 

 ber in St. Louis is causing all dealers to try and 

 increase their holdings. In quartered oak there 

 is a fair call for both red and white, but this 

 trade has not yet opened up In good shape. Gum 

 and Cottonwood occupy about the same position 

 as at last report, and there will probably be lit- 

 tle trading for a few weeks. This can also be 

 said of poplar. Ash, hickory and the other 

 woods are strong and are moving at fair prices. 



Philadelphia. 



This vicinity still remains in the hands of 

 the ice king, but the thermometer shows a grad- 

 ual climbing to above the freezing point which 

 is most desirable, say the dealers, after the pro- 

 longed winter weather. Considering the ad- 

 verse weather conditions the first half of Feb- 

 ruary, the books of the wholesalers and retail- 

 ers show to an advantage over the correspond- 

 ing period of last year. 



Yard stocks still show the effect of the car 

 shortage and frozen condition of the river in 

 the small amount of stock on hand, especially 

 in white oak and chestnut. Poplar stock that 

 has been held by some dealers for a long time 

 is now being moved at a good profit and many 

 inquiries are out for it. Inch plain oak. 

 firsts and seconds, is commanding a good price 

 and there is lots of it wanted if dry. Quartered 

 oak is a comer, judging from the large num- 

 ber of inquiries made. Cypress is steady and 

 moving in considerable quantities. Ash has a 

 good call and is firm in price. It is the gen- 

 eral opinion of the hardwood dealers that there 

 will be an advance very shortly all along the 

 line. 



Baltimore. 



The hardwood market has been quiet during 

 the past two weeks. Dealers maintain a wait- 

 ing attitude, for the reason that the weather 

 conditions are all against work in the sawmills, 

 little or no stock being gotten out. This, how- 

 ever, does not affect values in the least, which 

 continue firm and show an upward tendency. 

 Consumers are in the market to a considerable 

 extent, furniture manufacturers and others hav- 

 ing enough orders on hand to keep them busy. 

 Then there is locally the rush for Interior fur- 

 nishings, which requires large quantities of lum- 

 ber and will continue indefinitely. The activity 

 in this direction alone would serve to maintain 

 the trade in good shape, but to it is added a gen- 

 eral revival, the requirements in all other divi- 

 sions of the business being pronounced. Oak 

 planks are hard to get, the stocks at the mills 

 being exhausted, and considerable competition 

 prevails among dealers as a consequence. Men 



- HARDWOOD RECORD 



are out in the hardwood regions seeking lum- 

 ber, and every holding is quickly bought up. 

 This is true mainly, of course, with respect to 

 oak planks, but also holds good for other woods, 

 ash in particular, while chestnut also shows con- 

 siderable strength. The owners of timber feel 

 that they have something which is bound to be- 

 come more valuable with the passing of time, 

 and the prices of lumber are certain to keep 

 pace, especially now, when the necessities of the 

 country at large seem to be largely augmented. 

 The export movement is still of relatively small 

 proportions, in consequence of the liberal hold- 

 ings of stocks abroad as well as of the quiet in 

 industrial pursuits. The English railroads are 

 economizing in every possible way on material 

 and their purchases of hardwoods are compara- 

 tively small, which cuts a decided figure in the 

 demand for American woods. The prospect, how- 

 ever, is gradually becoming more favorable and 

 shippers here feel very much encouraged. They 

 point also to the fact that other conditions en- 

 courage shipments, ocean freights, for instance, 

 being lower than last year at this time so that 

 the margin of profit even if prices did not ad- 

 vance would be greater. But values are stronger 

 and there is every indication that they will go 

 still higher. The scarcity of sailings from Bal- 



timore, however, is a distinct drawback. Under 

 existing conditions much of the business done 

 by the exporters here goes by way of other 

 ports. 



Cincinnati. 

 The movement of hardwoods the past two 

 weeks has been seriously interfered with by 

 unfavorable weather conditions. The Ohio river 

 and its numerous West Virginia and Kentucky 

 tributaries have been frozen tight most of the 

 time and heavy snows in those states have con- 

 siderably delayed railroad traffic. In conse- 

 quence the movement from mills to here has 

 been extremely light With a fair inquiry stocks 

 have been further depleted, and at present there 

 is an actual scarcity in all lines of dry hard- 

 woods reported. Some trouble is reported In 

 satisfying wants of customers on certain woods. 

 Inquiries from export sources have been fairly 

 numerous and this may be said to have been 

 the feature of the market the last fortnight. 

 Plain oaks are in excellent shape and improve- 

 ments in the quartered grades is expected with 

 the opening of the weather. Gum and cotton- 

 wood show an advancing tendency under light 

 offerings and a fairly good demand. Poplar in 

 wide and dimension stock has found a fair call 

 at old prices. Ash steady and going out well. 



Hardwood NeWs. 



(By HABDWOOD BECOBQ Special Correspondents,) 



Chicago, 



Ira B. Bennett of Albuquerque. N. M., was a 

 caller at the Hardwood Record ofBce last week. 



L€wis Doster, secretary of the Hardwood 

 Manufacturers' Association, made a flying trip 

 to Chicago last week, in the interests of cotton- 

 wood. 



Chicago manufacturers report an excellent de- 

 mand from car builders and railroads, as well as 

 from makers of interior finish and builders. 

 Inch stuff and flooring have advanced in price. 



C, Fred Yegge of the Paepcke-Leicht Lumber 

 Company is contemplating a trip to California 

 the latter part of February or early in March, 



W. S. Johnson of the firm of Johnson & Knox 

 left Sunday night for a vacation to last a 

 month. Mr. Johnson is accompanied by his 

 wife, and their first stop will be New Orleans. 



L. B. Lesh of the Lesh & Matthews Company 

 is in Memphis looking after the concern's inter- 

 ests at that point. 



The firm of Geo. W. Stoneman & Co. of this 

 city has been merged into a new concern called 

 the Stoneman Zearing Lumber Company. Geo. 

 B. Zearing, formerly of Chicago, but for three 

 .vears past a resident of Ball's Bluff, Ark., is the 

 new member of the company. The concern is 

 operating a sawmill at Ball's Bluff with a capa- 

 city of 30,000 to 35,000 feet of hardwood daily, 

 consisting principally of oak, gum, ash and Cot- 

 tonwood. It is capitalized at $100,000. This 

 change will not interfere with the veneer busi- 

 ness of Geo. W. Stoneman & Co., which will be 

 continued under the same style as heretofore. 



W. H. White of Boyne City. Mich., was a 

 caller at the Hardwood Record on Wednesday. 

 He reports a splendid business. Mr. White said 

 maple was in excellent demand at advancing 

 prices. 



A. B. Klise of the A. B. Klise Lumber Com- 

 pany. Sturgeon Bay. Mich., is in Chicago this 

 week. He said he had no trouble in disposing 

 of his cutting at advanced prices. 



New York. 



Frederick T. Weed. 39 Cortlandt street, whole- 

 sale lumberman, who is at present representing 

 a large Pennsylvania hardwood house, has filed 

 a petition in bankruptcy with liabilities of $115,- 

 238 and assets $3 cash. The debts were con- 

 tracted principally in 1890 and 1891 at Wil- 

 liamsport, Pa., where he was engaged in the 

 lumber business. 



Horace F. Taylor, Taylor & Crate, large hard- 

 w od house of Buffalo, N. Y.. was a visitor in 

 tOH-n last week, having come down to attend the 

 aunupl meeting of the Lumber Insurance Com- 

 pany of New York and the Lumber Under- 

 writers, in both of which insurance companies 

 he is largely interested, 



R. L. Walkley, who is looking after the local 

 interests of the Crosby & Beckley Company, large 

 hardwood house of New Haven, Conn., is spend- 

 ing considerable time each fortnight superin- 

 tending the affairs at the local office of the 

 concern, 1 Madison avenue, Its trade in this 

 vicinity being increasing so steadily as to call 

 for more attention, 



F. W, Lawrence of Lawrence & Wiggin, hard- 

 woods, Boston, Mass, spent several days visit- 

 ing the local trade last week. "The man from 

 Boston," as he is familiarly known, has many 

 friends among the large hardwood buyers in the 

 local district, and as he is a good visitor he 

 keeps in touch with his local customers through 

 frequent trips to the metropolis. 



G«orge H. Holt of the American Lumber Lum- 

 Company, Chicago, who has for many years 

 taken an active interest in the National Whole- 

 sale Lumber Dealers' Association, was a promi- 

 nent visitor during the fortnight in connection 

 with association affairs. He was en route home 

 from Boston. 



Frank R. Whiting of the Whiting Manufactur- 

 ing Company. Elizabethton. Tenn.. and the Jan- 

 ney-Whitlng Lumber Company of Philadelphia, 

 Pa., was at the Imperial last week on a busi- 

 ness trip, and reports everything as very satis- 

 factory in the hardwood line. Both companies 

 In which he Is interested are enjoying active 

 business and he believes that the outlook for 

 1905 is excellent. 



Gouvenuer E. Smith, large hardwood whole 

 saler, 17 Battery place, together with his entire 

 selling staff, were among the New Yorkers who 

 attended the annual banquet of the New Jersey 

 retailers at Newark. Feb. 14. 



Spencer Miller, the distinguished president of 

 the Lidgerwood Manufacturing Company, large 

 manufacturer of logging and cableway apparatus, 

 9G Liberty street, left last week on a southern 

 trip on which he will combine business with 

 pleasure. In addition to visiting the famous 

 Tlorida resorts he anticipates a trip to Cuba 

 before returning. 



