HARDWOOD RECORD 



17 



The wooil of western honilock is light, Iiard 

 ami tinigh ; tlio lieartwoixl is pale brown, 

 tinged with yellow; the sapwooil thin ami 

 nearly white. It is said by some lumber ex- 

 perts to be stronger and more durable than 

 the wood of any other American hemlock. The 

 wood is straight and even grained, and has a 

 sour odor. There is not the considerable dif- 

 ference in either color or hardness between 

 the spring and summer wood, that is seen 

 in Douglas fir. It does not split readily and 

 is thus specially suitable for box manufac- 

 ture. The knots, though rather frequeut, as 

 above mentioned, are usually tight and sound. 

 though often very dark colored. The regu- 

 lar and even structure of the western hem- 

 lock and the total absence of pitch, render it 

 capable of rapid kiln drying at hi)2;li t.Mu 

 perature without injury. 



For flooring, molding, panels and other in- 

 side finish this variety of hemlock makes a 

 superior lumber, not easily scratched, and 

 capable of taking a high polish ; in afldition 

 it shows excellent wearing qualities. It is 

 suitable for all except the very heaviest struc- 

 tures, since it possesses great strength. 



It is difficult to grade western hemlock by 

 the grading rules in use for Douglas fir, as 

 these rules would throw most of the lumber 

 into the grade of "seconds." New rules 

 should be put in force for hemlock iu order 

 to bring timber of bettor quality into the 

 " uiorchautable" grade. 



The photograph with which this article is 

 illustrated was made in one of the Cascade 

 forests by the Kiser Photo Company of Port- 

 land, Ore. 



'Builders of Lumber History. 



NUMBER LX. 



Edward Heath. 



(,Sic Portrait Huptilcmctit.) 

 The H.\EDW00D Record presents as a sup- 

 plement to this issue the portrait of a promi- 

 nent Chicago lumberman who, though well 

 known through his extensive interests, has 

 nevertheless been a somewhat unfamiliar fig- 

 ure among the trade the past few years — Ed- 

 ward Heath of the Heath-Witbeck Company. 

 Mr. Heath has practically retired from active 

 business and spends the greater portion of 

 his time abroad, keeping in close touch with 

 his associates, however, and with lumber 

 affairs in both the home and foreign markets. 

 Mr. Heath was born iu Amsterdam, N. Y., 

 March 21, 1865. His mother came of patrician 

 Holland Dutch stock, her ancestors being 

 among the original settlers of the Mohawk 

 valley. His father was of Scotch descent; 

 he practiced law in Amsterdam, and was one 

 of the prominent attorneys of the state, serv- 

 ing at one time as judge of the Supreme Court 

 of New York. 



Edward Heath had several brothers, all of 

 whom received collegiate educations; but be- 

 ing full of energy and the impatience of 

 "young America" to be up and doing and 

 making money, he refused to acquire more 

 than a common school education, and at the 

 early ago of sixteen left home and went to 

 Osage, la., where he worked upon a farm for 

 a year. He then came to Chicago and en- 

 tered Willoughby Hill's clothing store as a 

 salesman, remaining six months at a salary 

 of about $10 a week. A relative iu the sash 

 and door business in Chiciigo offered him a 

 position as bookkeeper and clerk, which he 

 accepted and filled so Avell that in a few 

 months he was put to work inspecting hard- 

 wood lumber in the yard and later was made 

 buyer. In about a year ho returned to Am- 

 sterdam, N. Y., and bought a clothing and 

 furnishing goods store, which he kept about 

 one week, finding it far "too slow" after 

 the different atmosphere of the big city. 



After selling out, Mr. Heath went to Alba, 

 Mich., and purchased a half interest in the 



Alba Handle Company. He bought consid- 

 erable maple timberland iu the vicinity, and 

 the company did a very profitable business 

 in lumber and broom handles for about three 

 years, when it was burned out; unfortun- 

 ately Mr. Heath was able to secure only about 

 ten per cent of the insurance due him, there- 

 by losing nearly $30,000. He rebuilt the 

 l)lant, however, and on a much larger scale, 

 continuing to operate it for another year, 

 when he came back to Chicago and pur- 

 chased an interest in the Carsley & East Man- 

 ufacturing Company, makers of interior fin- 

 ish and lumber. Mr. Heath was made secre- 

 tary of this company and handled the entire 

 lumber department of the business. While 

 there he rented twenty-five feet of ground 

 fronting on Laflin street and started a small 

 yard, carrying all kinds of hardwood lumber 

 in stock. 



Kichard T. Witbeck was at that time sales- 

 jiian for the T. Wilce Company, and he de- 

 cided to sever his connection with that con- 

 cern and join Mr. Heath in the lumber busi- 

 ness. The latter gave up his work with the 

 Carsley & East Manufacturing Company and 

 the partners established an office at the yard. 

 This alliance was the foundation of the pres- 

 ent large business of the Heath-Witbeck 

 Company. Mr. Witbeck had entire cliargo 

 of the sales department up to the time of his 

 death, which occurred about five years ago. 



Meanwhile Mr. Heath had incorporated 

 the Evansville Lumber Company, on his own 

 account, establishing its headquarters and 

 yards at Evansville, Ind. Upon the death of 

 his partner the assets of the latter company 

 were absorbed by the Heath-Witbeck Com- 

 pany. 



About four years ago Mr. Heath turned 

 over the active management of his lumber 

 affairs to C. H. Wolfe and C. T. HoUe, as- 

 sistant treasurer and secretary of the com- 

 pany, respectively, and in 1907 Clarence 

 Boylo became its vice president. 



The Heath-Witbeck Company does not 

 maintain a Chicago yard. Its dry kilns are 



located at Thebes, 111., which is its main dis- 

 tributing .point, and where a stock of all 

 varieties of hardwood is constantly kept on 

 hand. It controls the output of several mills 

 — yellow pine being manufactured at Con- 

 stance, Ark., poplar at Clarksville and Mc- 

 Ewen, Tenn., cypress at Melville, La., and 

 hickory, oak and other hardwoods at Prescott 

 and llallev, .\rk. The company owns consid- 

 erable valuable yellow jiine land and controls 

 the stumpagc on about 30,000 acres of hard- 

 wood timberland — enough to keep its mills 

 running for seven or eight years. 'Ihe output 

 of these mills averages about 18,000,000 feet 

 a year. The company does a considerable ex- 

 port business, chiefly through the Antwerp, 

 Bremen and Glasgow markets. Oak is its 

 principal output and it supplies large quanti- 

 ties to the furniture trade and to retail yards. 



Mr. Heath belongs to the National Hard- 

 wood Lumber Association, to the Chicago 

 Hardwood E.\change, and to a number of 

 clubs, among them the Chicago Athletic, the 

 Glen View Golf and Edgewater Country Clubs, 

 and the Tennessee Club of Memphis. He is a 

 \eteran traveler, a golf player, and, though 

 an automobile enthusiast, hjis not lost his 

 fondness for the horse, aiming to take a 

 "constitutional" on horseback every day. Mr. 

 Heath is married and has one daughter, whom 

 he is educating in Paris. He and his family 

 liave lived on the Continent most of the time 

 for nearly three years, and many are the de- 

 lightful trips which they enjoy motoring 

 through Italy and France. 



Mr. Heath is possessed of a pleasing and 

 forceful individuality which at once conveys 

 the impression of great activity in any line 

 toward which his energy may be directed— 

 whether it be mental or physical labor, or the 

 pursuit of business or of pleasure. He has 

 always been a success and it is worthy of note 

 that even when he was half owner of a flour- 

 ishing and extensive lumber concern he was 

 still too young to execute deeds or conduct 

 negotiations in his own name. He has the 

 reputation of open, square dealing iu every 

 transaction with which he is connected, and 

 indeed a man whose moral and financial stand- 

 ing have long been so well established needs 

 no panegyric at the hands of anyone, and may 

 be said to represent the very highest type of 

 the American business man. 



American Lumber Products In France. 



I'aul II. Tram, vice-consul-general at Mar- 

 seilles, l'"r.ince, in replying to Inquiries received 

 regarding the Trench market for American box 

 shool<s and building lumber, says tbat there Is a 

 demand there for red Bum, at prices ranging from 

 75 to 12.") francs (franc, 10.;{ cents) per cubic 

 meter (.■!.-,.:n4 cubic feet) c. I. f. Marseilles, ac- 

 cording 111 qunllty and thickness. As to wood for 

 box making, local dealers say that they find suf- 

 llclcut for their needs In either France or the 

 Island of Corsica, and .\mcrlcan exporters must 

 lie prepared to meet qnotnllDus ranging from 35 

 to 40 francs per cubic meter In order to do 

 business In this line. The rise In the price of 

 American oak bus resulted In diminished Im- 

 portations of that wood, wblch Is selling at lOU 

 to lOU francs pep cubic meter c. I. f. .Marseilles. 

 This Is not an Importing point for apple and 

 rbcrry woods. The retail Arms do not under- 

 take Import business, and offers should be made 

 to wholesale dealers, whose names can be ob- 

 tained from the Tnltcd States Bureau of Manu- 

 factm-es. 



