HARDWOOD RECORD 



35 



Mears-Slayton, the Pioneer Chicago Concern 



Amons tlic lumber houses of Chicago, the pre- 

 mier distributing point of tbo country, that of 

 Mears-Slayton stands out in the foremost rank. 

 The orpianlzation of this concern can be traced 

 back to the pioneer days, when the firm of C. 

 Mears & Co., establisbod in 1851, was one of the 

 leading organizations of Us kind in the city. 



Charles Mears, whose name comes to the mind 

 of anyone going over Chicago lumber history, re- 

 tired from the original firm In the early 'GO'S. 

 Nathan Mears and Kly liates succeeded him, 

 the style of the concern being changed to Mears- 

 Hates & Co. This concern prospered for years, 

 «nd at the death of Mr. Bates Nathan Mears" 

 ■son, Charles IT. Mears, was taken into the firm, 

 which then took the name of N. & C. II. Mears. 

 In those days the mills of this concern, lo- 

 cated at Duck Lake, Lincoln and Mears, Mich., 

 were the largest at ibal lime supplying the Chi- 

 cago market. 



The yards and plant of the present Mears- 

 ."^layton Lumber Company, 1237 Belmont ave- 

 nue, Chicago, and the branch at 10,5-23 Chi- 

 cago avenue, Evanston, give evidence of the 

 broad foundation on which the pioneer concern 

 was founded. In scope this company covers the 

 entire city trade, besides doing an extensive 

 business selling to outside points. It has main- 

 lained its old reputation for superiority in all 

 lines of endeavor. The always sound manage- 

 ment of the concern, coupled with its excellent 

 supply of timber, its superior shipping facilities 

 and unusually good means for delivery, . have 

 made the name Mears-Slayton one of the most 

 potent in the western lumber trade. 



The prestige of the present concern is a force- 

 ful illustration of the power of an unsoiled repu- 

 tation. The business house which can stand 

 the trials of two score years of active competi- 

 I ion is indeed beyond the ordinary, and in pro- 

 portion, one which has passed successfully 

 through sixty years of active endeavor, is even 

 more remarkable. That the Mears-Slayton Com- 

 pany has come down through sixty long years of 

 its existence and still maintains a leading posi- 

 tion in its line of trade is a sure indication 

 that it has passed through the initial stages of 

 • ■speriment and formation to which its younger 

 competitors of the present day have yet to mako 

 their way. The mere name itself is a stronger 

 sales argument than can be advanced by the 

 most ingenious salesman of a concern with a 

 lesser reputation. When a house can show the 

 names of patrons which it has carried on its 

 books since its inception it needs no further 

 endorsement in the minds of any sane business 

 man. Its quality is surely established, and 

 hence the Mears-Sla.yton Lumber Company is 

 entitled to the purple of commercial aristocracy. 



similar position for another prominent Chicago 

 wholesale dealer and spent much of the time 

 during 1906 atid i;i07 at southern points. 



In the fall of 1907 he entered the employ of 

 the National Hardwood Lumber Association as 

 an Inspector in the Chicago district and a short 

 time later was transferred to Philadelphia as the 

 chief deputy inspector for that market. During 

 the past three .vears Mr. Hoover has had entire 

 charge of the IMiiUideiphia inspection work for 

 the National Hardwood Lumber Association and 

 has also handled many at the more important 

 Inspections at New York City. Boston and Haiti- 

 more. 



H. A. Hoover Appointed Chief Inspector of 

 the National Association 



On Octolier 1, 1910, II. A. Hoover was ap- 

 pointed chief inspector for the National Hard- 

 wood Lumber Association, succeeding F. P. 

 Southgate. Mr. Hoover's headquarters will be 

 at the executive offices, 1012 Rector building, 

 Chicago, 111., but it is expected that he will 

 spend most of his time during the first year at 

 least, among the inspectors of the association 

 who are stationed in all the principal producing 

 and consuming markets throughout the United 

 States. 



Mr. Hoover was born at Oil City, Pa., in 1872. 

 His first experience in the lumber business was 

 in 1890, at the early age of eighteen, at which 

 time he engaged in the hardwood sawmill busi- 

 ness at Nashville, Mich. In 1904 he entered 

 the employ of the Studebaker Brothers Manu- 

 facturing Company at South Bend, Ind., as hard- 

 wood buyer and inspector, wliere he remained 

 about one year, resigning to accept a position 

 with the Leavitt Lumber Company as southern 

 manager and buyer. He continued In that 

 capacity about one year, when be accepted a 



New Power Feed Band Eipsaw 



We are illustrating on this page a type of 

 machine which is daily coming into greater 

 demand. It is from the shops of William B. 

 Mershon & Co., Saginaw, Mich., the well-known 

 manufacturers of band resaws and band rip- 

 saws. They write us as follows : 



"The cut which we are sending you today 



it was desirable should be operated from this 

 l;oint. 



"Ill the present instance you will note that 

 the method of attaching the table to the ma- 

 chine is such as to really add to its stability. 

 '1 he table support being rigidly Joined to the 

 main frame of the machine, gives an added 

 spread of base thereto, and makes the machine 

 stand much more solidly and securely In posi- 

 tion than If there were no table estenBlon at 

 all. Further, the table extension Interferes In 

 no way with the removal of the saw blade for 

 sharpening, etc. 



"We would call attentiin to the following 

 points : 



"The press roll is Instantly raised and lowered 

 or set for the ripping of different thlcknesseg 

 of boards, planks and timbers by the two rods 

 and handles shown in the upper left hand for- 

 ward corner of the table. 



"The feed Is stopped and started and Increased 

 or diminished by the two handles seen beneath 

 tlie table, and the guide or fence Is set so as to 



W . 1!. MKUSH()N & <H) 



represents the results of our latest labors in 

 the line of band sawing machinery — in many 

 respects, we believe, it represents a decided 

 improvement over anything heretofore attempted. 

 Previous to this our No. 1 band ripsaw has 

 been built with the ordinary square table top, 

 which, for most purposes. Is all that Is needed 

 and is entirely satisfactory. 



"At the same time there arc some classes of 

 work for which the long table in front of the 

 saw blade is desirable, and it is to meet this 

 demand that our preselit ripsaw with the ex- 

 tension front has been designed. 



"Heretofore these table extensions have 

 proved a source of weakness to the machine 

 proper, as they would sag and get out of line 

 and would thus render it difficult to make those 

 adjustments which were operated from the ex- 

 treme front end of the table, or, rather, which 



S .\i:W BAND RIPSAW. 



lip any desired width by a lever with dog at- 

 tached engaging with the notched bar, also shown 

 at the front end of the table. 



"It will be noted that all of these adjustments 

 are made from the one position, and that Is a 

 convenient one. In other words, all the adjust- 

 ments arc made from the natural working posi- 

 tion of the operator. Notches for setting the 

 fence each represent a quarter of an Inch move- 

 ment thereto. The patented spiral dog which 

 engages these notches permits a second move- 

 ment through Intervals of one-sixteenth of an 

 inch. This constitutes a very Important point 

 of superiority over all other makes of ripsaws — 

 renders It possible to rip accurately strips of all 

 widths — something which is not possible where 

 the position of the fence is determined by a 

 needle passing over a scale and the locking of 

 the fence Is accomplished by the clamping of a 



