40 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



50 per cent divldenils to the creditors, several 

 of whom are hardwood eoucerns. 



Bulldlnn activity in the twin cities at this 

 lime Is fully as heavy as last year. In both 

 cities the Inilldlng permits Issued during Novem- 

 l.er were lieavier tliau last year. The total 

 estimated cost In Minneapolis was .'(iriir).;jl."i. 

 compared with S'>-l!l.l.!ii in .Novemher last year. 

 In St. rani they came to .fOSlt.SUO, compared 

 with $5SC.7S0 last year. The totals for eleven 

 months were $0,002,850 for Minneapolis and 

 .<T,5:!.s.(iS5 for St. raul. compared with SS.nSS.- 

 140 for Minneapolis and Si;.551.421 for St. I'aul 

 in the same months last year. 



The Mercer-De I.alttre Lumher Company i>f 

 this city has started Its new sawmill at C'alder 

 wood. Micli.. witli 4.11011.001) feet of loRs bankcrl 

 and rail facilities to keep the supply soinj:. 

 The mill is a single band and expects to cut 

 dose to 10.000,000 feet a year. It will be large- 

 ly hemlock, but will include a variety of hard- 

 wood, mainly birch, basswood. maple, ash and 

 elm. Their maple timber is especially fine and 

 thty have already placed a good share of the 

 product for use in special purposes, such as 

 dair.v machinery, wagon stock and heavy fltwr- 

 Ing. They are also going to c\it hardwood lath. 

 They liave five miles of logging road connecting 

 with the Northwestern line at liarclay. Mich. 



Hardwood stocks held by Northwestern job- 

 bers are more than oue-tbird bircli. while soutli- 

 ern white oak stands next. There are fair quan- 

 tities of red oak. maple and basswood. but not 

 large, and elm and ash are practically snki clean. 



Toledo. 



.John Nctcher of Urccn Spring, well known 

 among hardwood people of tills section, passed 

 away at his home in that city last week at the 

 age of 75 years after an illness extending from 

 August 2. Bright's disease and heart t rouble 

 were responsible for his demise. Thirty-five 

 >ears ago be entered the lumber business at 

 Creen Spring and fur many years he owned 

 and conducted a Inili and spoke factory in that 

 city. 



The Ea.st Side Lumber Company of this city 

 is in the hands of trustees selected to handle 

 the business. The linancial difficulties grew out 

 of the entanglement of the Kelley Lumber & 

 Shingle Company of Traverse City. MIcb., who 

 are also large stockholders in the local concern. 

 At a recent meeting of tlie creditors L. C. Slade 

 of Saginaw. Mich.. Hobort II. Jenks of Cleve- 

 land and Uathbuu I-'uiler of Toledo were chosen 

 trustees, the effort being thus made to keep 

 the matter out of the courts. 



Nearly all the local plants are curtailing 

 operations to some extent, while a few have 

 closed down altogether. The Milburn Wagon 

 Works, which ordinarily employs in the neigh- 

 borhood of 1,000 men, after being closed for 

 inventory since December 1. has again started 

 its plant, but with 300 employees, and a prom- 

 ise to put the rest at work shortly. 



Ashland, Ky. 



T. N. Fannin of the Keeii-rannin Lumber 

 Company has gone to I'bocnix. Ariz., to look 

 after his extensive mining interests and will be 

 absent about a month or six weeks. 



S. M. Bradley of Morehead was among the 

 lumbermen who visited Asiiland recently. 



Fire destroyed the plant of the I'arkersburg. 

 W. Va., mill company and the manufacturers' 

 Interior Woodwork Company on December IS 

 at rarkersburg. \V. Va. Loss. $100,000. 



G. W. Baker, cross tie dealer of Washington 

 Court II<«ise, O., was in Ironton recently in 

 conference with C. C. Clarke of the Ironton 

 Cross Tie Company and Inspectors Henry Farm- 

 er and .^ndy Hall, who buy the ties for the 

 Louisville & Kasbvllle and ^lichigan Southern 

 railroads. Because of the usual winter cessa- 

 tion of work on railroads, etc.. there is an 

 oversupply of ties on the market and steps were 

 taken to check the output. 



The W. 11. Dankins Lumber Company's new 

 mill at Ironton, O.. began operations Decem- 

 ber IS. This is the largest single band mill 

 between Cincinnati and I'lttsbing and is a 

 modern plant in every particular. The company 

 has cnougli timl)er on hand to run the mill until 

 .\pril and It is expected to run all winter with- 

 out Interruption. 



Charles Wilson of the K. G. I'age Lumber 

 Company has gone to South Bend. Ind.. accom- 

 panied by his wife, for a two weeks' vacation. 



.L W. Martin. Big Sandy representative of the 

 U. (I. rage Lumber Company, has been In north- 

 ern nhio for the past week, but will be home 

 in time for Christmas. 



H. (i. Irwln, local representative of the Lick- 

 ing Kiver Lumber Company, has returned from 

 a liusiness trip to nttsburg. 



.1. H. Morlarlty Is here from Foley. W. Va., 

 where he has extensive lumber interests, to spend 

 Clu-istmas with his family. 



Charles Kitchen of Vansant, Kiicbcn & Co. 

 is a probable candidate for Congress on the 

 democratic ticket. Mr. Kitchen is one of the 

 most pi'ominont men in tliis section and will 

 make a good race. 



K. C. I'age has returned from a business trip 

 to Blugbamiitou, N. Y., in bis firm's interests. 



Last week while Captain Ilose, in charge of 

 tile fowboat .\ndre M., was on his way to Ports- 

 mouth. O., with a big consignment of ties for 

 W. E. Tripp, the local dealer, the raft began 

 lu'eaking up and in spite of the efforts of the 

 crew close to :i.(HtO ties were lost. Since then 

 a for<-e of men have been engaged in picking 

 them up and tbe.v will be about all recovered. 

 -Mr. Tripp is preparing to abolish bis outlying 

 agencies amd will centralize ills business in 



I'ortsmouth. It has grown from a small be 

 ginning to a mammoth Industry and Mr. Tripp 

 feels he can manage It from a central base more 

 easily. W. K. Steinhamer. who looks after ilr. 

 Tripp's Big Sandy Interests, will be removed to 

 I'ortsmouth. 



W B. Bennett of Pittsburg Is now In pos 

 session of a tract of land formerly owned by 

 the Carter County Mining Company and which 

 lies along the Chesapeake & fihio railroad In 

 Carter county, Kentucky. The land has been In 

 litigation for eleven year% It is rich in coal, 

 timber and lire clay. A branch railroad six 

 miles long went with the tract. 



A big land deal has Just been made at Bar- 

 boursvllle. K.v.. Col. .Tohn E. Golden selling 

 15,000 acres of coal anil timber lands In Leslie. 

 Perry and Letcher counties to ,T. .T. Iloblitzell 

 of Meyersdale. Pa. Mr. Iloblitzell and partinu's 

 will hold the land for future development. 



The Harvey Improvement Company of Hunt- 

 ington. W. Va.. has just been diartered for buy- 

 ing, leasing, owning, trading In and selling lands 

 and other properties in tlie sttite of West Vir- 

 ginia and eisewiiere and for the purpose of de- 

 veloping tile same, with the right to build and 

 construct houses, tenements, plants and fac- 

 tories within the stale of West Virginia and 

 elsewhere. Incorporators. W. .1. Harvey, E. If. 

 Enslow, Henry Simms. F. Enslow. .Ir., and L. A. 

 Slater, all Huntington men. Cajiital stock, $50,- 

 OOO. 



.Toliu S. Lynd. owner of the Ironton Wagon 

 Works, has filed a petition in voluntary bank- 

 ruptcy. In the petition Mr. Lynd gives his 

 liabilities as $iy.:!5!).l!l. wilb assets of $0.- 

 205. 4S. The factory was closed down several 

 days ago. 



Hardwood Market. 



(By HABDWOOD BECOBD Exclusive Market Bepoxters.) 



Chicago. 

 Dullness has marked local bardwoo<l conditions 

 for the last fortnight, with very little prospect 

 of orders for the next week. Salesmen report 

 that many buyers are arranging to place orders 

 immediately after New Year's and the corre- 

 spondence of the average house shows a large 

 number of inquiries for stock. The manufac- 

 turing wliolesale trade is ver.v hopeful tliat there 

 will be a fair volume of business during January. 

 Tliere is very little price cutting, as sellers have 

 awakened to the fact that there is little dry 

 lumber in sight, and with a very moderate 

 renaissance of demand they will not be able to 

 replace lumber at a price to show any profit 

 below current price list. The trade generally is 

 feeling very hopeful of good business for 190S. 



offering. Before business in general fell off plain 

 oak was plentiful, but now the surplus is even 

 more noticeable. Quotations range from $40 to 

 $53. White ash is not in active request, lint 

 prices are still fairly well held. Demand for 

 cypress is not large. Some of the cypress mills 

 are offering stock at lower prices. Whitewood 

 mills are curtailing. Buyers are not large opera- 

 toi's. One incli is quoted at $59 to $G0. 



New York. 



Boston. 



The market for hardwood lumber has not 

 shown any improvement during the past ten 

 days, ilauufacturing plants have found it diffi- 

 cult in many instances to get read.v money 

 enough to make up their pay rolls and curtail- 

 ment of i)roduction lias been the result. In ad- 

 dition to tills several orders for hardwoods have 

 been countermanded. Practically all consumers 

 are using up everything they have on hand rather 

 than buy fresh supplies. When business does 

 start up orders should be of good size. In the 

 alisence of business of any volume prices have 

 become easier in many instances. Manufacturers 

 of lumber feel the pinch of the times and have 

 offered stock of n desirable character at prices 

 considerably under those in force two and three 

 months ago. Large producers have curtailed 

 production so that, although demand is not 

 active, accumulations are not growing rapidly. 



Offerings of quartered oak have increased of 

 late and prices are, lower. One inch, ones and 

 f«-os, Is quoted at $79 to $83. Very little busi- 

 ness can be done at the top figure. Several sales 

 are reported at $79. Plain oak is also in large 



Trade here is very quiet, and while prices do 

 not show any material fluctuation, there are 

 slightly increased reports as to competition on 

 such desirable business as is offering. The con- 

 sensus of opinion is that the market curtailment 

 of hardwood production and the limited supplies 

 of manufactured material available for market 

 are going to have an important bearing upon 

 prices after the turn of the year, and especially 

 with the approach of spring, provided there is 

 anything like a normal demand. This is cer- 

 tainl.v logical reasoning and. further, ii is 

 making present holders of hardwoods loathe to 

 let stocks go except at good prices. In a recent 

 interview one of the shrewdest hardwood men 

 in the East, and one who is thoroughly in toucli 

 at all times with the hardwood situation in all 

 its liranches. stated that he coincided with the 

 above opinion and that so far as he is con- 

 cerned the stocks which he has in pile at his 

 southern wholesale yard can stay there all 

 winter, and he will be satisfied to take bis 

 chances with the development of early spring. 

 Of course this man is able to finance ills affairs, 

 and such action can hardly be expected among 

 the rank and file of present hardwood holders. 

 However, those who will have to let their stock 

 go for what they can get for it are in the main 

 smaller people, and while the aggregate of the.se 

 small holdings is quite large and such forced 

 selling may reflect unfavorably on hardwood 

 values for the next few weeks, the larger manu- 



