38 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



.Shortly after the fire J. W. Wells, president of 

 tUe company, who has been in the manufacture 

 of hardwood flooring for the past thirty years, 

 let contracts for the erection of the now plant. 

 The plant is not yet entirely complete ; the 

 exterior structure of the main building is fin- 

 ished and four of the eifc'ht flooring machines to 

 be supplied by the American Woodworking 

 Machinery Company have been installed. The 

 plant started operations with fifty men, which 

 will be increased as the plant is completed until 

 a force of one hundred and twenty-five em- 

 ployees are at work. 



The flooring factory is operated by electricity, 

 all machines being driven by individual motors. 

 The plant possesses many unusual time saving 

 devices and many splendid features. One of 

 the most striking is a cleverly devised electric 

 lire-roll conveyor for carrying lumber to dry- 

 kilns and rip-saws. This mechanism minimizes 

 the handling of lumber. Six dry-kilns with a 

 capacity of liO.OOO feet will keep the saws well 

 supplied with dry material. The dry-kiln build- 

 ing has a capacity of ninety loaded cars. An- 

 other excelienl arrangement is the dust house, 

 to which electrically driven conveyors and blow- 

 ers carry all ihe dust and refuse, which ulti- 

 mately is conveyed by means of a "hopper-bot- 

 tom" to the boiler rooms for fuel. In order to 

 insure uniform inspection the factory has been 

 arranged so that each piece of flooring is car- 

 ried to one point near the bundles and racks, 

 where it is Inspected by one grader. 



Work is being started on the erection of a 

 sawmill 90 by 206 feet, with a lean to for the 

 shingle, tie and wood mills, which will be 24 by 

 150 feet. The sawmill will be fitted with a 

 double band mill, 52incli Wickes gang, slab re- 

 saw, double gang, edgers, trimmers, etc. All 

 machinery in the sawmill, with the exception of 

 the band saw and edger. which will bo run 

 by steam, will be electrically driven. 



This enormous plant, which will have an an- 

 nual capacity of 12,000,000 feet of finished 

 flooring, will be devoted to the production of 

 maple flooring. The J. W. Wells Lumber Com- 

 pany owns 20,000 acres of virgin timberland in 

 Marinette and Forest counties, Michigan, about 

 thirty per cent of which is rock maple, thirty 

 per cent hemlock and the rest hardwoods and 

 pine. In addition to the holdings of the con- 

 cerns in which Mr. Wells is interested he is 

 constantly buying limber and logs, so that the 

 plant has a sure supply for over thirty years 

 at the present rate of manufacture. As a stock 

 for the production of flooring the J. W. Wells 

 company has already over 10,000,000 foot of dry 

 maple. The trade-mark of the output of this 

 Menominee factory is "Diamond Hard." 



Associated with Mr. Wells in his flooring 

 enterprise is J. M. Lomprey, who has the repu- 

 tation of being one of the expert flooring men 

 of the country. Mr. Lomprey lias superintend- 

 ed the erection of the new- plant and will have 

 charge of its operations. 



J. W. Weils is one of the best known lumber- 

 men In Michigan. Besides being president of 

 the J. W. Wells Lumber Company of Menomi- 

 nee, he Is at the head of the Bird & Wells Lum- 

 ber Company of Wausaukee. Wis. ; the White 

 FMne Lumber Company of Blind River. Ont., 

 and the (Jirard Lumber Company of Dunbar, 

 Xich. 



New Plant of the Wisconsin Lumber Com- 

 pany at Huttig, Ark. 



On October 12 the big double band sawmill 

 of the Wisconsin Lumber Company at Hutlig. 

 Ark., was put into operation. Construction on 

 the mill was started last March and at the 

 Jlme of starting was complete to the smallest 

 detail. At this operation hardwoods will he 

 manufactured exclusively, the principal varie- 

 ties being wliltc and red oak, which the concern 

 purchased from the Frost-Johnson Lumber Com- 



pany, whose plant is contiguous to that of the 

 Union Sawmill Company. 



This niodol new factory building is admirably 

 located, being about a quarter of a mile south 

 of Iluttig on the Little Itock and Monroe branch 

 of the Iron Mountain railway. The structure 

 is two stories in height, with the filing room an 

 additional story above the saws. It is a frame 

 building with concrete foundations and covers 

 an area of 00 by 252 feet. 



Not only is the building of model construc- 

 tion, but Ihe arran.goment of the plant, the light- 

 ing and the eciuipment leave absolutely no room 

 for Improvement. The machinery is of the Filer 

 & Stowc'II make throughout. It includes a right 

 and left hand band mill with eight fcMt wheels 

 carrying fourteen-indi saws. The right hand 

 carriage has three blocks and the left hand car- 

 riage four blocks. The shot gun feed on the 

 right liand side is 4 inches in diameter and 42 

 feet long : on the left hand 10 inches in diam- 

 eter and 46 feet long. A Lidgerwood log loader 

 running on tracks 24 feet apart and 200 feet 

 long handles logs from the cars or log yards to 

 the mill. The logs are handled through the 

 haul-up chain on an incline of the usual con- 

 struction and to the log deck by a double set of 

 kickers, one for each side, and in the usual 

 manner are handled by steam log turners and 

 leaders. A cut-off saw has been installed at the 

 log deck to cut butts from the logs for hub 

 stock. The edger carries five saws : the slashers 

 carry four saws and the trimmers seven. 



There ia also in the mill three small band 

 saws, two cut-off saws, two rip-saws, a surfacer 

 and equalizing machine, a bending machine, a 

 pole and roach machine, all electrically driven 

 by individual motors. These smaller machines 

 will be used in the production by wagon and 

 harvester dimension stock and their installation 

 fhows the wisdom of the company since they 

 will enable a very close utilization of all stock. 



The mill site covers forty acres, affording 

 plenty of room for storage sheds and other 

 buildings. Logging will be handled for fhe 

 present by the Union Sawmill Company. 



Power for the plant will be supplied by foui- 

 Casey & Hedges boilers, with dutch ovens, which 

 are in a building a short distance from the mill. 

 The engine room is also in a separate brick build- 

 ing and ad.ioins the boiler bouse. Electric power 

 is generated by an Erie Iron Works engine 

 driving a Westinghouse dynamo of the alter- 

 nating type. When the machinery, which is 

 electrically driven, is all running it will require 

 about 250 horsepower, in addition to which 250 

 incandescent lights and eight arc lights will bo 

 operated. 



The Wisconsin Lumber Company is a Wiscon- 

 sin corporation, the office headquarters of which 

 are located in the International Harvester build- 

 ing, Chicago. The company was organized in 

 1900 to take over the timber holdings of the 

 Internal ional Harvester Company, the product 

 of which is now sold upon the open market. 

 The company operates mills at Deering. Mo., 

 and Harlan. Ky.. In addition to this splendid 

 new mill at Ilultig. and has extensive timber 

 holdings in Missouri, Arkansas, Mississippi and 

 Kentucky. The present oflScers are H. F. Per- 

 kins, president ; F. It. Oadd, vice-president ; H. 

 F. McCormick. treasurer : G. A. Rammey, secre- 

 tary, all of Chicago. 



At Huttig the mill will be in charge of super- 

 intendent Henry I'lnglo. He has the able assist- 

 ance In the general details of the office work 

 of 3. H. Moorehouse, auditor. B. E. Buchanan 

 Is sawmill loroman. C. L. Reifenberg, formerly 

 (if Cadillac, Mich., sawyer and E. IT. Pit Is. 

 tiier. 



western part of North Carolina, and will es- 

 tablish there not only extensive lumbering mills, 

 liut a pulp plant, a tannic acid factory and 

 utlior enterprises. A large hydro-electric de- 

 velopment is planned, and the town of Robblns- 

 ville will be made an industrial center of Im- 

 portance, where 1,500 men will receive em- 

 ployment when all of the undertakings are un- 

 der way. 



The Whiting company has the support of an 

 English syndicate to the extent of $2,000,000, 

 it is said, and the entire development will en- 

 tail an outlay of not less than .$:i.000,000. The 

 purchase involves the entire town, with the ex- 

 ception of two or three small lots and two 

 churches. Negotiations also are under way for 

 the purchase of the court house, and the county 

 seat will probably be removed to some other 

 town. Robbinsville was selected by the promoters 

 as the center of the projects planned because 

 the Whiting company already owns most of the 

 timber land in Graham county, having other 

 holdings in Blount county, Tennessee. The 

 town is a strategic point, as it is on the junc- 

 tion of two streams. The Whiting company 

 will give Graham county its first railroad and 

 will open up that section generally. 



Marriage of S. C. Major 



The editor of Hakdwoud Record is indebted 

 to .lefferson Messick of Memphis, Tenn., for an 

 invitation to be present at the marriage of his 

 sister, Miss Helen Messick to Samuel Chester 

 Major at Calvary Church on Thursday evening. 

 October 27. 



Mr. Major is the well-known and popular 

 president of the Memphis Lumbermen's Club 

 and the bead of the wholesale hardwood house 

 of the S. C. Major Lumber Company of Memphis. 



It is announced that the bride and groom 

 will be at home at the Gayoso Hotel after De- 

 <ember 1, where they will I'esldo for some time. 



To the many congratulations that are being 

 extended to the popular Memphis lumberman, 

 II.iRDWooD Record wishes to add its most hearty 

 felicitations. It can assure Mrs. Major-to-be 

 that if the groom will be half as good a hus- 

 band as he Is a lumberman she will be perfectly 

 satisfied with him. 



New Nashville Concern 

 To the largo and diversified lumber fraternity 

 of Ihe city of Nashville has recently been added 

 another important concern, Douglas & Howell, 

 who will conduct a hardwood manufacturing 

 liusiness specializing in white oak and poplar. 

 Headquarters have been opened in the Stahlman 

 building, and already has got into the activity 

 of tlie city's business. The concern will be sup- 

 plied by its two mills at Cherokee, Ala., and 

 Camden. Tenn. These mills are adjacent to 

 sufficient timber to keep them supplied with 

 high-grade stock for a long time in the future. 



R. H. Howell Is not a stranger In Nashville, as 

 for a number of years he was connected with 

 ,Tohn B. Ransom & Co. and the Nashville Hard- 

 wood Flooring Company, during which time he 

 luade man.v lo.val friends among Nashville lum- 

 bermen. Richard Douglas, the other member 

 of the firm, has been actively engaged in the 

 lumber business for a number of years. He has 

 liad excellent experience, and possesses thor- 

 ough knowledge of all phases of the business. 



.\s this concern will manufacture its own 

 stock from splendid timber it will ship direct 

 from its mills to customers. It starts operations 

 undir unusually favorable conditions and will 

 und< uliloclly have smooth and successful sail- 

 ing from the first. 



Whitings Buy 'Whole Town 



News comes from .\sheville. N. C, to the 

 effect that the Whiting Manufacturing Com- 

 pany, the well-known operator with principal 

 ofllces at Philadelphia, has bought the town 

 of Robbinsville, in Oraliam county, the extreme 



In the small village of Polstead. Suffolk, Eng- 

 land, there stands a gospel oak which, it is said, 

 is 2.000 years old. The tree is 30 feet in cir- 

 cumference. These oaks take their name from 

 the fact that they served as stations at which 

 Christian missionaries preached to the .Vngles 

 and Saxons 1..30() years ago. Very few of them 

 remain standing at the present time. 



