50 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



October 25. 1920 



Woods Lumber Mill Burns 



Fire destroyed the hardwood mill of the Woods Lumber Company, Mem- 

 phis, Tenn., several miles east of the city limits, some days ago, entailing 

 a loss of approximately $30,000, partly covered by insurance. Origin of 

 the fire is a mystery, on which neither officials of the company nor others 

 have been able to shed any light. 



No announcement has been made by the management as to its plans 

 for the future. Eugene Woods is president and C. SI. Gooch is vice-presi- 

 dent of the company. 



Buffalo Company New Mill Operating 

 The Buftalo Hardwood Lumber Company has now been operating its 

 new mill at Forestport, N. Y., for nearly a month. The first log was sawn 

 on September 1 and the mill has been sawing steadily since on birch, beech 

 and maple. The company has acquired a considerable tract of timber 

 near the mill operation containing genuine old-fashioned birch ; beech, 

 noted for its freeness from worm holes, running largely to red, and small- 

 hearted maple, running well to sap and white. The company expects to be 

 able to operate the mill on Its present timber supply for a number of years. 



Hardwood News Notes 



CHICAGO 



A striking evidence of the building slump in Chicago is the estimate of 

 experts that 50 per cent of the men in the building trade in this city are 

 out of regular employment. September building was the smallest for any 

 corresponding month since 1913, except for the two war years, 1917-191S, 

 when operations were suspended. Statistics published by the American 

 Contractor show that in the valuation of building permits Chicago suffered 

 a drop of $1,500,000 in September as against August, .\ugust had regis- 

 tered a decline of $1,000,000 from July. The valuation of permits in Chi- 

 cago during .\ugust was 70 per cent less than for September, 1919, while 

 building contracts let during September in the central west — Illinois, 

 Indiana, Iowa. Wisconsin, Michigan, Missouri and parts of Kansas and 

 Nebraska — had a big drop from the August figures. 



The deep .sag in building has stimulated contractors to fresh efforts to 

 encourage investors to go ahead with their building plans. One of the 

 former, E. M. Craig, secretary of the building construction employers, 

 recently issued a statement in which he urged the present as a good time 

 to build, because the "efiiciency of building labor is now well up towards 

 old levels in many crafts. They are doing a real day's work for a day's 

 pay. Labor is abundant ; efficiency always increases when men are looking 

 for jobs. He's a wise man who takes advantage of this." 



Mr. Craig declared that there could be no advantage in waiting for 

 building material prices to drop, because land, which could not be expected 

 to go down, generally represents 20 per cent of a building investment, and 

 labor 40 per cent. The increased efficiency that can now be obtained from 

 labor will more than compensate for the comparatively small percentages 

 that might be saved by waiting for building material reductions. A 50 per 

 cent cut in materials, which would put prices back to pre-war levels, and 

 which is not to be thought of, he said, would only mean a reduction in the 

 cost of building of 20 per cent. A drop of 20 per cent, which might be 

 expected, would only mean an S per cent saving in the total cost of a 

 given building. 



However, prospective builders, who in the middle west are holding in 

 abeyance fully $1,000,000,000 worth of building, hold that labor and 

 material costs are still too high in the face of curtailment of real estate 

 loans and high interest rates demanded. They maintain that the first 

 step toward restoring the confidence of the building public lies in the 

 stabilization of labor. It is said to be not so much high wages as it is 

 jurisdictional disputes and loafing on the Job that have made labor costs 

 unbearable. 



The building public seems still to be generally unaware of the fact that 

 construction lumber has been reduced in price approximately 33% per cent 

 since July 1. 



The sum total of building contracts for the month of October in Chicago 

 will show in big figures by virtue of the fact that contracts have been let 

 for the construction of a $6,000,000 post office terminal for parcel post 

 and transient mail in conjunction with the new Union Station. ,\rrange- 

 ments have been made to begin \vork immediately. The building will be 

 constructed by the Union Station company and leased to the government 

 for a term of twenty years. 



An involuntary petition in bankruptcy was filed against the Vltanola 

 Talking Machine Company, a Chicago concern said to be capitalized at 

 '$2,000,000, in the district court a few days ago. The bill states the 

 company owes $1,000,000. Claims of only $1,172 were listed. A bill in 

 equity for $42,000 was filed simultaneously against the Saginaw Cabinet 

 Company at Saginaw, Mich. 



Attorneys for the talking machine company assert Its assets exceed 



$2,400,000 and that all claims will be satisfied. W. W. Wheeloek was 

 appointed receiver. 



Frederick W. Chickering, junior member of the firm of Chickering Broth- 

 ers, piano manufacturers of Chicago, was buried this week. Mr. Chickering 

 succumbed to heart disease in the ball room of the Hyde Park Hotel. He 

 was born in Cincinnati, O., March 1, 1865, and came to Chicago twenty- 

 nine years ago. Two j'ears later he helped establish the firm which bears 

 his name. 



Mrs. L. J. Pomeroy, wife of L. J. Pomeroy of the Landeck Lumber Com- 

 pany, has returned from a visit to North Dakota. It is expected that Mr. 

 Pomeroy will shortly retire from his career of boulevardier and cabaretter 

 de luxe. 



Among the prominent hardwood lumbermen of North and South who 

 visited Chicago during the week of October ending the 16th are the 

 following: T. E. Jones of the F. T. Dooley Lumber Company, Memphis, 

 Tenn. ; Bert Trump of the Thomas & Proetz Lumber Company, St. Louis, 

 Mo. ; W. G. Collar, manager of the West Lumber Company, Lugerville, 

 Wis..; Frank Darke, sales manager of the J. S. Stearns Lumber Company, 

 Odanah, Wis. ; Winn Thom, sales manager of the Langlade Lumber Com- 

 pany, Antigo, Wis. ; L. M. Borgess, Steel & Hiblierd Lumber Company, 

 St. Louis, Mo. ; C. W. Fish of the Chas. W. Fish Lumber Company, Elcho, 

 Wis. 



J. F. Hlgman of the J. F. Higman Lumber Company made a trip to 

 Memphis and out points in the southern hardwood production territory 

 during the week of October ending the 16th. 



J. S. Trainer of Trainer Bros.. Chicago, has for the past two weeks been 

 visiting in Plymouth, Mass., with Mrs. Trainer. They are visiting Mrs. 

 Trainer's relatives, who are descendants of the original settlers of Massa- 

 chusetts. 



Roger W. Williamson, vice-president and sales manager of The William- 

 son "Veneer Company, Baltimore, Md.. with N. Franklin Hart, in charge of 

 [iroduction. and R. J. Cavanaugb. formerly in Jamestown. N. Y., were in 

 Chicago in connection with establishing a new office here. Mr. Cavanaugb 

 will be in charge, temporarily making his headquarters in the Hotel 

 LaSalle. pending securing adequate quarters In a convenient location. 



BUFFALO 



The annual chestnut outing of the Buffalo Lumber Exchange was held 

 at Fred Herman's farm, town of Boston, on October 14. and with fine 

 weather a large crowd turned out, which found many chestnuts and 

 enjoyed two good square meals, including a beefsteak dinner, which were 

 provided by the lumber cooks. The culinary department was In charge 

 of Fred M. Sullivan, Charles N. Perrln, Elmer J. Sturm, Eugene Nostrand, 

 Eugene W. Carson, Herbert Hill and Fleming Sullivan. Their efforts 

 served to demonstrate that it takes representatives of the Buffalo hard- 

 wood trade to show how appetizing a meal can be when served on an 

 October day in the country in the open air. 



A Buffalo lumber outing would be incomplete without a baseball game 

 and a high-class one was played on this occasion, ten men captained by 

 Ashton McNeil defeating ten who were headed by Harold Hauenstein. 

 Seven innings were played, the score resulting 12 to 7. 



Many of the lumbermen indulged in quoit pitching, and the chief game- 

 of the afternoon was between two pairs of veterans, who have been pitch- 

 ing quoits off and on for forty years or less. M. M. Wall and John 

 McLcod won three games out of four from Orson E. Yeager and City Treas- 

 urer I. N. Stewart, but a-11 did some fine pitching. 



On October 16 occurred the marriage of Miss Ruth Amanda Sykes, 

 daughter of William L. Sykes, president of the Emporium Lumber Com- 

 pany, to Dr. Richard Hamilton Sherwood, the ceremony being performed at 

 the home of the bride's parents, the Rev. Ira T. Walker officiating. Miss 

 Grace Sykes, sister of the bride, was maid of honor, and Raymond P. 

 Fowler was best man. Numerous guests were present from out-of-town. 

 Dr. and Mrs. Sherwood left for a wedding journey, and after November 1 

 will be at home at 263 Delaware avenue. 



Mrs. Pendennis White, widow of the former senior member of White, 

 Gratwick & Mitchell, North Tonawanda, died at her home In Delaware 

 avenue on October 19. after a year's Illness. She was prominently iden- 

 tified with social circles, and was formerly Miss Virginia Kent. Her hus- 

 band was killed in an automobile accident several years ago. A daughter, 

 Mrs. Lloyd Bissell, survives. 



The search for big trees in this state has disclosed a large elm at Hen- 

 rietta, Monroe county, which measures 35 feet in circumference two feet 

 from the ground and 26 feet at a distance of four feet. The height to 

 the first limb is estimated at 60 feet. The tree is hollow and the trunk, 

 it is said, will hold ten people. 



The Silverthorne case has been on here this month in Federal court. 

 The government charges overbilling on shipments of lumber to the rail- 

 roads. It is claimed that over 100 carloads of grain-door boards were 

 shipped to the Lehigh Valley Railroad Company at its Tifft Farm yards 

 and that substantial sums were paid to Egbert B. Woodworth, who had 

 charge of checking at destination. The latter will be a witness for the 

 government. He was indicted with the Silverthornes, but will not be 

 placed on trial at this time. James W. McConkey, owner of the Shingle 

 Mills Selling Company, Tonawanda, will also be a witness for the govern 

 ment. It is expected that the case will last about two weeks. 



