20 



THE HARDWOOD RECORD. 



THE CHICAGO MABKET. 



We i-omembtT a l>it'i->- in Me-Giiff(>y's 

 Fifth Reader wliich began, "Rume was an 

 ocean of flame," and we will begin tbis 

 report on the Chicago market by saying 

 that the sti-eets of the lumber disU'icts, 

 especially the Twenty-second street dis- 

 trict, are an ocean of nnid. The weather 

 has not done much of anything in Chicago 

 for several weeks past except to rain, tbus 

 rendering the transaction of the lumber 

 business very difficult and disagreeable. So 

 much so as to seriously impede and inter- 

 fere with business. 



Besides this, Chicago is going through 

 one of its numerous strikes, all the freiglit 

 handlers being out. which also has some 

 effect on local shipments. 



In addition to those conditions which are 

 not to be expected. Chicago is in the midst 

 of the dull season, which usually prevails 

 at this time, and taken altogether business 

 is rather quiet. 



There are other features of the Chicago 

 situation which would be peculiar and un- 

 explainable in any other market except Chi- 

 cago. It seems that the Chicago market 

 is different from any other in the world. 

 In the fact that prices are lower here than 

 almost anywhere and yet everyliody comes 

 to Chicago, and, while berating the market, 

 continue to sell. 



Poplar is sold at a less price here than 

 in Cincinnati. Quartered oak brings but 

 little more than it does at Memphis, and 

 so on, and yet the Chicago consumers have 

 no ti-ouble in supplying their needs. How 

 they do it and where the lumber comes 

 from is a mystery. 



Consumption of lumber here in all lines 

 continues very good considering the sea- 

 son, but prices are unsati.sfactory, as they 

 always are in Chicago. The lumber comes 

 from somewhere or other and the lumber- 

 men from out of town come into our office 

 and complain about the prices, but thev 

 keep comflig and keep selling. Quarter- 

 sawed oak is holding its own here very 

 well at as high price as any that ha^•e 

 obtained during the past six months. 

 ' '-''i sawed oak is offered somewhat freely 

 with prices shaded a trifle. Cottonwood 

 bolds its own and the sales of gum are 

 increasing greatly in volume. Northern 

 hardwoods remain unchanged as to de- 

 mand and prices. There seems to be a 

 fairly good consumption at steady prices. 

 There is at this time a good prospect 

 that the strike of the freight handlers may 

 be settled soon, but if it is not, it will 

 have a very bad effect upon the lumber 

 business, because of the fact that the 



manufacturers of furniture and other wood 

 products will be unable to move their 

 freiglit. and unless the strike is settled in 

 a very few days they will be forced to 

 .shut down. 



Conditions generally this week are about 

 what they usually are at this season— if 

 anything being somewhat worse because 

 of the excessive rains and the prospect of 

 the strike continuing. 



ST. LOUIS. 



Interviews witli a number of the St. 

 Louis wholesalers brings out the informa- 

 tion that things have changed very imma- 

 terially during the past two weeks. One 

 important point they all mention in this 

 respect is that prices are almost exactly 

 the same as at last report, and that mid- 

 summer is on does not seem to weaken 

 things in the least. So much less lumber 

 than is desired is arriving on this market 

 that no difficulty is experienced in holding 

 up to the present basis of values, and pre- 

 dictions are many that the present basis 

 will hold until the fall trade sets in, and 

 that there will then be a material advance. 

 However this may be. there is evidence in 

 this direction, as the wholesale yards are 

 doing their utmost to increase their stocks 

 and admit that they are having no success 

 worth mentioning. This condition is not 

 normal at this season of the year, when it 

 is usually a very easy matter to increase 

 stocks as much as desired. This year the 

 number of buyers in the southern country 

 is larger than ever before, all markets, both 

 East and West, being represented, but the 

 lumber is not to be found in sufficient 

 volume to satisfy the demand. Recent wet 

 weather in the southern mill country has 

 further curtailed the production and the 

 receipts during the past week have been 

 lighter than during any week of June. 

 This, coupled with the fact that the ship- 

 ments out of this market have remained 

 heavy, shows the condition of slocks in 

 St. Louis. 



While it is true that there has been no 

 increase in business during the past two 

 weeks, it is equally true that there has 

 been no decrease. For nearly thirty days 

 past the furniture interests have purchased 

 lumber in smaller quantities than during 

 the sijring, this being the result of the prep- 

 aration for the two annual expositions, but 

 trade in other lines has remained the same, 

 or has improved to such an extent that 

 the majority of our dealers report an in- 

 ability to take ca're of as much of it as is 

 offered. The receipts are almost entirely 

 made up of green lumber and the country 



demand is fur dry. which has resulted in 

 there being a very fair stock of green lum- 

 ber in the. city, while that of dry is well- 

 nigh exhausted. Never before in the his- 

 tory of the trade has it been as hard to 

 flnd dry lumber at points of production as 

 at present, the aggressiveness of the buy- 

 ers lieing such that they are taking up the 

 lumber as soon as produced, having long 

 ago secured anything that had been on 

 sticks for any length of time. As to 

 strictly local trade, conditions are entirely 

 normal. The consumption of stock is 

 rather heavy and there is no line of con- 

 sumption that is not buying freely and 

 paying all that is asked for lumber. 



The oak market remains on a very firm, 

 basis. While there is practically no dry 

 stock on this market, and none can be pro- 

 cured at points of production, the buyers 

 are willing to take in all the greeu offered 

 and are exerting themselves very strenu- 

 ously to increase what they have in pile. 

 Quartered white remains the particularly 

 strong item, while it U closely followed by 

 inch plain white and retl. the latter, espe- 

 cially, being very desirable. Thick stock 

 in white is wanted at high figures and 

 there is also a call for thick plain red, 

 (svhich is larger than the supply. Quartered 

 red is not coming in very freely aud report 

 has it that it is not being produced at the 

 mills in any volume. While it has pretty 

 well recovered from the conditions pre- 

 vailing last year, it is still somewhat in- 

 active. 



Poplar and cypress are very strong, the 

 present call being for select and better in 

 poplar, and almost any grade and thickness 

 in cypress. One-inch shop is the only 

 item in cypress which could be called slow 

 sale, and even it is moving in fair volume. 

 The mill production of both of these woods 

 seems inadequate to meet the consumption, 

 and local stocks are rather low. 



Of the other woods which are handled in 

 this market, ash has improved considerably 

 of late, but is in very light receipt. Quo- 

 tations show that 2y2-inch and thicker ash 

 will bring .$3+ and ?24 in St. Louis, while 

 1-inch stock is (pioted at $28 to $29, and 

 1% aud 2 inch at .$30. common being $10 

 less. Cottonwood is on a very firm basis 

 and is so hard to secure at first hands 

 that prices are morally certain to advance 

 in the near future. Gum, sycamore, hick- 

 ory and the other woods are about as last 

 reported. 



A. A. Teel, nortln\ estern representative 

 of E. C. Atkins & Co.. has moved his resi- 

 dence from Appleton to Creen Bay, Wis. 



