24 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



its regular meeting on March 9, Theodore Mot- 

 tu presiding. The lumber situation was dis- 

 cussed and a most favorable account of the 

 trade was presented. A most enjoyable dinner 

 was served during the evening. 



It is stated that the colony of lumbermen 

 having offices in the Continental Trust building 

 will soon receive a still further accession in its 

 being made the headquarters of the E. E. Wood 

 Lumber Company. This company had quarters 

 in this building before the great fire, but now 

 that the palatial structure has been entirely 

 rebuilt on the most modern lines, it is assumed 

 that the R. E. Wood Lumber Company will have 

 still finer apartments than it had in the old 

 building. 



E. E. Price is now located on the thirteenth 

 floor of the Continental Trust building, and has 

 exactly the same offices that he occupied prior 

 to the conflagration. Mr. Price is now building 

 a handsome residence In Roland Park, Balti- 

 more's finest suburb. 



Henry T. Burt, engaged In the lumber com- 

 sion business, has secured offices In the Na- 

 tional Marine Bank building. 



Among recent Baltimore visitors was H. L. 

 Bonham of Chiihowie, Va. 



Boston. 



At a recent gathering of a special committee 

 consisting of six of the prominent retail lumber 

 dealers of Boston and vicinity the conversation 

 turned on the changes in the method of placing 

 orders within the last ten years, and each dealer 

 in turn cited his experience. One of the most 

 noticeable changes dwelt upon was the manner 

 In which orders were now received for lumber, 

 especially in Jobbing and from general manufac- 

 turing concerns. Formerly the builders, or the 

 representatives of the manufacturing concerns, 

 called at the retailer's office and spent consider- 

 able time in talking over the prospective require- 

 ments and purchases. Now the telephone with 

 a short and sometimes sharp long distance dia- 

 logue of a few minutes; duration made or lost 

 the sale, the result being that the retail deal- 

 ers, that is. the heads of the concerns, see rela- 

 tively few of their customers in these days as 

 compared with bygone years. Several of the 

 dealers present, referring to some of the large 

 piano and furniture manufacturers, stated that 

 they had not personally seen the buyers of those 

 concerns in their offices for the last two or three 

 years, the business being done almost wholly at 

 long range. 



Llnsley H. Shepard (Shepard, Farmer & Co.). 

 the Boston wholesaler, has made an ofl'er In com- 

 position of 30 cents on the dollar, and a com- 

 mittee, consisting of Hon J. M. W. Hall of 

 Wellman, Hall & Co., representing the creditor 

 banks, Charles C. Batchelder of the Boston 

 Lumber Company, representing southern and 

 western creditors, and C. W. Rodliff, formerly 

 treasurer of Shepard. Farmer & Co.. who may 

 be regarded as a "committeeman at large. " were 

 appointed. Two factions of the creditors con- 

 tended for the appointment of trustee : the con- 

 tention resulted In no choice, and the referee, 

 Emery B. Glbbs. appointed Mr. William Bacon 

 of Davenport, Peters & Co. Owing to the un- 

 usual pressure of the firm's business, Mr. Bacon, 

 to the regret of the trade, has been obliged to 

 decline the trusteeship, and another will be ap- 

 pointed in his place within a few days. 



George H. Priest of the C. A. Priest Lum- 

 ber Company of Fitchb\irg. Mass., was elected 

 coionel of the Sixth Infantry, succeeding Colonel 

 Rice, on Thursday last. Colonel Priest is an 

 able and efficient officer and is as popular with 

 the military fraternity as with the Massachusetts 

 lumber trade. 



The Rustic Furniture Manufacturing Company 

 of Quincy, Mass., which was incorporated under 

 Massachusetts laws, has elected the following 

 officers : President, J. A. Hedlng of Cambridge ; 

 clerk. N. M. Malqulst of Boston. 



The Washburn & Heywood Chair Company of 

 Ervlng, Mass., has elected president, touls E. 



Carleton : treasurer. William M. Washburn. The 

 company is incorporated under Massachusetts 

 laws, with a capital of $.50,000. 



What is probably the largest order for maple 

 flooring ever placed in New England is now be- 

 ing filled by the Boston Lumber Company for 

 the account of the E. D. Sawyer Lumber Com- 

 pany of Cambridge, Mass. The order, which 

 calls for upward of 450,000 feet of clear maple 

 flooring, is being delivered at the building known 

 as the Siegel-Cooper Department Store in Bos- 

 ton. The stock is coming forward from the 

 well known firm of Mitchell Bros, of Cadillac, 

 Mich. The construction of the building, which 

 is being erected by the George A. Fuller Con- 

 struction Company, is being rushed, and over a 

 thousand men are now at work to insure its 

 completion at the earliest possible moment. 



J. E. Rugg, treasurer of the Rugg Chair Com. 

 pany, died after a short illness at his home In 

 Pratts, Mass. 



Mr. Furber of Furber, Stockford & Co., who 

 Is traveling among his southern mills, is due to 

 arrive in Boston the latter part of the present 

 month. 



W. C. B. Robbins, secretary of the Massachu- 

 setts Wholesale Lumber A.ssociation. is expected 

 back from an extended trip In Maine and the 

 Maritime Provinces the early part of April, and 

 it is understood that he will at once commence 

 to make arrangements for the annual joint meet- 

 ing of the wholesale and retail lumber trade of 

 New England. The meeting will be held in Bos- 

 ton and probably at either the Hotel Vendome 

 or Young's Hotel. 



The Clough Lumber Company, which has re- 

 cently incorporated under Massachusetts laws, 

 with a capital of $25,000. elected as president 

 Edwin H. Buzzell. the Boston wholesale lumber 

 dealer : treasurer, W. E. Sibley, and clerk, Ralph 

 L. Page of Arlington, the three officers consti- 

 tuting the board of directors. The capital stock 

 of the company is $25,000. 



Mr. Frederick M. Stearns of the Cypress Lum- 

 ber Company of Boston left Boston on the 11th 

 inst. for a visit to his company's extensive 

 cypress plant at Apalachicola. Fla. 



Col. A. M. Benson, who has been engaged In 

 the lumber business, with railroad ties as a spe- 

 cialty, for the last thirty years, died at his 

 Boston home on last Sunday. Colonel Benson 

 was very prominent In the Grand Army, was a 

 member of the Loyal Legion and many military 

 clubs, and was also a director of the Commercial 

 Travelers' Eastern Accident Association and 

 president of several social organizations, among 

 which was the Pine Tree State Club and the old 

 Dorchester Club. Resolutions of sympathy have 

 been framed by the Massachusetts Lumber Deal- 

 ers' Association. 



Detroit. 



The City Lumber Company says that there is 

 a scarcity of black walnut, whitewood and ash. 

 This house furnishes many of the large automo- 

 hile companies with whitewood for bodies, and 

 it is keeping them on the jump to fill orders. 



The Dwight Lumber Company says that there 

 is a scarcity of plain red oak in Michigan. The 

 prices are firm and advancing. The Dwight 

 firm Is looking forwai-d to a very prosperous 

 year. It says that it will be a good building 

 year, beating out the record for 1904. 



The McClure Lumber Company says that there 

 is a scarcity In plain white and red oak. The 

 firm is busy with the erection of Its new Ala- 

 bama mill. It says the outlook for ciiy trade 

 is satisfactory. 



The Wolverine Box Company, of which Clayton 

 Gibson Is manager, has a strike on its hands, 

 the wage question being the bone of contention. 

 This concern uses a quantity of hardwood, but 

 the temporary closing of the plant does not ma- 

 terially affect the hardwood trade In Detroit. 



The Lumber Carriers' Association have com- 

 pleted all arrangemciits with the labor unions 

 for 1905, and it Is expected th;it navigation 

 will open at least fifteen days earlier than last 



year. Brownlee & Company expect a boat abont 

 April 20. 



The Dennis & Smith Lumber Company has 

 been incorporated under the laws of Michigan, 

 with a capital of $50,000, half of which is paid 

 in. The incorporators are Arthur S. Dennis, 

 J. H. P. Smith and R. M. Smith. 



The Detroit Steel Boat Company is having 

 trouble getting enough whitewood for Its fac- 

 tory. Whitewood and ash are generally scarce 

 the Cadillac Automobile Company and other 

 motor companies are finding trouble In securing 

 this material for bodies. 



The Vinton Company is handling interior 

 hardwood finish for quite a number of dwellings, 

 but say that the business is not particularly 

 active this month, as stores, factories and ware- 

 houses are not going up as plentiful as might 

 be. This company is furnishing the hardwood 

 work on three large steel freighters now build- 

 ing, one at the Great Lakes Shipbuilding plant 

 in Ecorse, and two at the Wyandotte yard of 

 the American Shipbuilding Company. 



Philadelphia, 



The usual lull before the storm was in evi- 

 dence last week and the first thunderstorm of 

 the year having visited this section every one 

 is satisfied that spring Is now here. The let-up 

 in business last week is not worrying the deal- 

 ers at all as it gives them time to figure on the 

 lists for future deliveries and also to devise 

 means to secure stock with which to meet the 

 demands upon their already broken lines. The 

 holder of a large and well assorted stock of 

 hardwoods today has plenty of dollars at his 

 <ommand. the supply being so short in almost 

 every line. The supply of most hardwoods Is 

 reported 25 per cent less than last year with a 

 (orresponding advance in price. The car short- 

 :ige is still a serious problem. 



Building is becoming more active daily with 

 the settling of the weather. One operation 

 started In the thirty-third ward for the erection 

 of 207 two and three-story dwellings will cost 

 .'54-41,200. There was also a contract awarded 

 for the building of the German theater and 

 hotel Involving a cost of $150,000. 



The Cherry River Boom & Lumber Company 

 has an export order of 1,000.000 feet of lumber 

 ready for shipment. The cut is from the com- 

 pany's West Virginia mill and is being sent 

 rapidly forward to the loading point. The ves- 

 sel has been chartered and It is expected to have 

 the cargo loaded and on Its way by April 1. 

 Clem E. Lloyd, jr., sales manager, spent all of 

 last week at the mill and says this order Is the 

 first of several that the company will ship this 

 year. 



I. D. Miller of I. D. Miller & Co. sailed on 

 one of the local steamers recently for Savan- 

 nah. He writes that he has been successful In 

 making several contracts, but finds the mill men 

 very Independent and not anxious to take orders. 



Several very large contracts have been made 

 in Tennessee for hardwoods by R. Wyatt Wlstar 

 of Wlstar, Underbill & Co. who are getting their 

 share of the business in this and New York 

 states. 



Some member of nearly all Philadelphia firms 

 are either in the south or west trying to place 

 ■ rders and they unanimously report small stocks 

 I r dry lumber, also that the manufacturers have 

 orders ahead for at least sixty days' sawing. 



W. S. Whiting of the Whiting Manufacturing 

 Company, Elizabethton, Tenn.. was in town sev- 

 eral days last week. He says the company Is 

 enjoying its share of the general prosperity but 

 fears for the early business owing to the lack 

 if cars which prevails all over the country east 

 of the Mississippi river. Other visitors were 

 Paul W. Fleck of the Paul W. Fleck Lumber 

 Ciiinpany, Bristol, Tenn., and L. D. George. 

 Peiiola. Ga. 



Soble Bros, have not been embarrassed by a 

 lark of orders at any time this year, but say It 



