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Builders of Lumber History 



NUMBER CVIX. 

 GODFREY VON PLATEN 



(See Portrait Supplement ) 



The state of Mic-higau has j)roduced many himlxM-iiien of notable 

 foresight, skill and success in lumber affairs, and probably shows 

 a roster of fewer failures than any other lumber producing state of 

 the Union. Involved in the history of this great lumber manu- 

 facturing state are perhaps more examples of men who have 

 achieved distinction and wealth, and have contributed more to the 

 building of lumber history than those iu any other commonwealth 

 of the country. 



The geography of the state; the high general quality of its 

 timber; its comparatively level lands, making logging economical; 

 and its location near the center of a vast area of wood utilization, 

 has made for success in lumber operations in this state that could 

 not otherwise have been so generally achieved. The state, being so 

 regularly penetrated by logging streams, and having such a great 

 number of desirable harbors along the Great Lakes, renders transpor- 

 tation of both logs to the mills and lumber to the markets cheap, 

 and these factors have contributed to holding down rail freight rates 

 when numerous railroads penetrated evei-y tiniber section of the state. 



Originally large areas of Michigan were comprehensive bodies of 

 white pine, and the greater portion of the remainder of both the 

 lower and upper peninsulas of Michigan were originally solid bodies 

 of hardwoods, hemlock and cedar. Making money, based on low 

 stumpage values in white pine, a wood in such surpassing apprecia- 

 tion, was comparatively simple, as all operations on a single variety 

 of wood are. When in later days it came to hardwood production, 

 operators have found that they had about a half dozen varieties, 

 which it was necessary to analyze, manufacture and distribute in a 

 scientific way. Hence, hardwood operations in the state of Michigan 

 have been simple problems compared, for example, with the manufac- 

 ture of hardwood lumber in the mountain areas of the country, where 

 frequently twenty or more varieties of wood are found, each of which 

 had to be manufactured and marketed under distinct and varying 

 plans. 



Friendly then, to the lumber operator, the state of Michigan 

 has been a land of opportunities, and it was necessary to only take 

 advantage of these opportunities to achieve success. This is the 

 belief of a successful man, "at once of a retiring and modest dis- 

 position, who has contributed to no little extent to the building of 

 lumber history in the Wolverine state. Eeference is made to God- 

 frey von Platen of Grand Kapids, Mich. 



Mr. von Platen was born on the estate of Gruenow, Mecklen- 

 burg, Strelitz, Germany, April 11, 1867. His father and family 

 moved to Chicago when Mr. von Platen was two years old. The 

 father entered the wood and coal business. The lad attended the 

 public schools of Chicago and was graduated in 1881. About this 

 time the family moved to Advance, Mich., w'here the son became 

 interested in the possibilities of the lumber business, which he 

 entered in 1888. As Mr. von Platen expresses it : "I found in this 

 region the opportunity, and took advantage of it, and am entitled 

 to no distinction for having achieved a modest success by anticipat- 

 ing the results obtainable by diligence in the opportunity presented. 

 Many other men have accomplished as much. ' ' 



Mr. von Platen entered the lumber business in 188S, as above 

 noted, and for years employed himself as sawyer, filer and edger- 

 inan, anti thoroughly acquainted himself with every detail of lum- 

 ber pioduction. In 1897 he erected a mill at Boyne City, Jlich., 

 and since that time has been actively engaged in the manufacture of 

 lumber at this point. A few years ago he made extensive pur- 

 chases of additional timber properties near Iron Mountain, Mich., 

 and organized the Von Platen Lumber Company at that point, of 

 which he i the principal owner, building a mill and railroad, and 

 since that time has had a second operation at this location. His 

 present hardwood lumber cut at Boyne City is approximately ten 

 million feet per annum, and at Iron Mountain, fifteen million feet. 



Mr. von Platen observes he attributes as the chief factor to the 

 making of his success as a lumberman, the thoroughly loyal and intel- 

 ligent CO operation of his subordinates. He feels that without having 

 had the aid of such faithful and intelligent associates as M. .T. Fox, 

 who is now in charge of the Iron Mountain plant, and Ima Van 

 Leuven. manager of the Boyne City plant, his success would not 

 have been nearly so marked. In fact, to these and other loyal as- 

 sistants, Mr. von Platen gives more credit for his success than he 

 does to his own individual efforts. 



However, Mr. von Platen, as before noted, is a very modest man, 

 whose name is but seldom seen in lumber literature. As a matter 

 of fact, beyond being a man of indefatigable industry, he is a 

 surpassing student of lumber affairs, not only in his own state 

 but of the country over. He is a man remarkable for the strength 

 of his opinion when once he has thoroughly digested a given busi- 

 ness problem. He is a strenuous believer in commercial integrity, 

 and de[>recates every phase of the lumber business that does not 

 insure the highest standard of commercial morality. He is espe' 

 c-ially antagonistic to any form of tampering with grade or meas- 

 urement, and believes that the success of lumber manufacturer 

 and jobber alike lies in the making of honest and standard grades. 



There may bi; other lumber manufacturers in the country who 

 believe in the same tenets in this lespect as Mr. von Platen, but 

 there are few who carry out the distinction ir the painstaking way 

 that he does :n his entire lumber manufacturing, assorting and 

 sales history. 



Mr. von Platen has a very pleasing personality, and is a very 

 forceful and convincing speaker on all topics in which he is inter- 

 ested. His reputation for integrity, both of intent and fulfillment, 

 stand second to no man's, and it is with no little gratifica- 

 tion that Hardwood Eecord has the pleasure of publishing this 

 brief, though inadequate sketch, and the accompanying portrait 

 supplement, of a man who insists that he has no lumber history, 

 nor is entitled to any credit or distinction for the part he. has 

 played and is playing in the making of American lumber history. 



The French Cork Industry 



A report from the consular .agents at Toulon, France, advises 

 that shipments of waste from the cork factories of the Toulon 

 district to the United States have abnormally increased within the 

 last two years. Cork waste bulks approximately 225 cubic feet tO' 

 the ton. 



In the process of manufacture into corks for bottles, the cork- 

 slabs produce a considerable quantity of clippings or shavings. It 

 is chiefly this waste that is shipped to the United States. In 1911 

 these shipments had a value of more than $74,000, as against less 

 than $29,000 in 1910. Cork bark was also exported during 1910 to 

 the value of more than $28,000. This waste is largely employed 

 in the United States for insulating material, the particles being 

 compressed under great heat and require no additional binder. 



It is well known that the variety of oak known as the cork tree 

 is rapidly being disseminated, and the Department of Agriculture 

 is now attempting experimentally the growing of trees in Cali- 

 fornia. It is expected the experiment will prove successful and 

 that the cork can be grown in that section of the United States. 

 It is said that last year's planting has been satisfactory, and it 

 would appear that this region has suitable climatic and soU condi- 

 tions for growing this variety of oak. Hence it wUl resolve itself 

 into a question of economic conditions, as to whether or not the 

 industry can be commercially established. United States annually 

 purchases nearly six million dollars worth of raw and manufac- 

 tured cork, the chief country of export being Portugal, with Spain 

 furnishing about half the quantity of the first named country. 



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