November 25, 1915. 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



33 



taken to his late home. Indianapolis, Ind., where the funeral service was 

 held Wednesday, November 10. 



Samuel Dean Spellman was one of the best known men in the mahogany 

 manufacturing and Importing ti'ade, having been identified with that indus- 

 try since early boyhood. He was a native ot Ohio, born in Butler county, 

 tfiat state. December 22, I860, He went with his parents to the neighboring 

 state of Indiana, where the family settled in Shelby county and remained 

 there until he was ten years old, when the family moved to Indianapolis. 



It was while attending school in Indianapolis that he first became associ- 

 ated with the lumber business, his vacation time being spent in minor occu- 

 pations with George D. Emery at Indianapolis. He continued with the 

 Emery interests at that place until he was twenty-one years old. at which 

 time he resigned to accept a position as bookkeeper with the .1. L. Rumbarger 

 Lumber Company, then operating at Gosport, Ind. After a few years, how- 

 ever, he returned to George D. Einery, and since that time has been promi- 

 nently identified with the affairs of that extensive enterprise. 



In 1887, at the age of twenty-seven, he was made superintendent of the 

 Emery operations at Elueflelds, Nicaragua. lie continued in the tropics for 

 twenty-three years, returning to the States in 1910, when he was elected 

 vice-president of the George D. Emery Company with office at New York. 

 A year later he was elected president of the company, which office he occu- 

 pied until the time- of his death. Mr. Spellman married Miss Emma Prange 

 of Indianapolis in 1882, who, with one daughter, Mrs. Robert H. Tyndall ot 

 Indianapolis, survives him. 



Sam Spellman, as he was known to the mahogany and cedar trade of two 

 countries, was a thorough business man, brought up in the school of expe- 

 rience. Early In life he was attracted to the lumber business, and that he 

 was peculiarly fitted for it is evidenced by his success. He very soon demon- 

 strated his fitness for places of responsibility in the Emery business, and 

 when the demand arose for a man to go to the tropics to superintend the 

 company's operations there he was chosen for the place. 



One can well imagine that conditions for lumbering there were vastly 

 different from those in the States. Many new problems were presented ; 

 the country was rough, labor was scarce and unskilled. He was sent there 

 to do certain things, and about his only equipment was a firm determination 

 to succeed in the allotted task. His first attempts did not meet with suc- 

 cess, but they furnished good experience for later trials. In due time new 

 plans were made ; camps laid out. crews organized and properly coached, 

 until finally the entire works were organized so that mahogany and cedar 

 logs were brought out in large quantities at a cost that made the whole 

 undertaking one of profit. The operation at Bluefields grew until It became 

 one of the largest there, employing at one time about 2.000 people. Mr. 

 Spellman's capacity for hard work made it possible for him to keep in close 

 personal touch with almost every detail of the work and the men engaged 

 with whom he was a great favorite. 



He was a man of simple tastes, quiet and of retiring disposition. His 

 life was devoted to his business and he made a reputation for fairness and 

 integrity that won him the confidence and friendship of all with whom he 

 became associated. 



'v :J5<a!t^^5M!i»TOiiiTO!)A W)MatTOma»it^^ 



Pertinent Information 



Chester Korn Writes on Possibility of European Trade 



Chester F. Korn of the Korn-Conkling Lumber Company, Cincinnati, 

 O., sent the following very Interesting letter to the Chamber of Commerce 

 of Cincinnati. 



I shall not attempt to herein discuss the great questions leading up 

 to this terrible war or their political effects. What I am solely interested 

 in is the industrlnl and economic side. Without mentioning conditions 

 existing in England, which I have studied carefully for two months, it 

 Is really marvelous the splendid position of Germany after fifteen months 

 of war, in regard to her industries, public utilities and general comfort 

 and welfare of her people. I could never have believed such conditions 

 possible in a country with so large a population completely shut off 

 from communication with the rest of the world. Nothing needful for 

 its subsistence is lacking and none of the slight inconveniences suffered 

 by the people in daily life can be called a serious hardship. 



My trip on the continent has developed many things worthy of consid- 

 eration by our .\merican business men, and without a personal investiga- 

 tion such as I have made it is difficult to understand how unnecessarily 

 our American industries are suffering from the war at this time when 

 only a part of our factories are engaged in supplying the urgent needs 

 of the world's markets. It is not generally known how completely our 

 American commerce is cut off from continental Europe by blockade in 

 neutral waters. Our rights as neutrals to trade with other neutrals, 

 viz : Holland, Norway, Sweden. Denmark. Spain and Portugal, is placed 

 under such restrictions that trade on the continent is practicallv sus- 

 pended. Our -American consuls at neutral ports have repeatedlv brought 

 the facts before our Government, often at the risk of endangering their 

 positions through incurring the ill-will of hostile interests, but little' 

 good has yet been accomplished. 



I have gathered much authentic information on this subiect through 

 uur consvilar agents as well as through my own foreign business connec 

 tions and other independent sources, and am now preparing a formal 

 written protest to our state department at Washington, particularly com- 

 plaining of the restrictions placed upon American commerce by our for- 

 eign policy. I am neither pro-English nor pro-German, hut I am intensely 

 pro-American, and it is time our American manufacturers, merchants and 

 exporters are demanding the right of unrestricted free trade between 

 neutral nations. I do not question the right of our American citizens 

 to furnish supplies to any belligerent country, but if any nation is 

 permitted to enter our ports to obtain such suppUes she should be com- 

 pelled to respect our rights as neutrals to trade with neutral nations, 

 where and when we please, and allow neutral vessels to proceed through 



neutral waters without interference. Our country is in a splendid posi- 

 tion to maintain these rights, but the indifference on the part of our 

 business men is not only depriving our country of immediate benefits, but 

 is building up a sentiment against us abroad that will reflect lasting 

 injury to our foreign commerce. 



After another week I shall return to Holland and later to England, 

 to close up some unfinished matters, sailing for America some time during 

 November. 



Mr. Korn's comments certainly give reason for very deep thought on the 

 part of merchants In this country engaged not only in the lumber busi- 

 ness, but in every other line of effort that would be interesting from an 

 export standpoint. ! 



Fire Retardant Shingles Assured 



A method of rendering shingles fire retardant has been developed at 

 the Forest Products Laboratory, Madison, Wis. It consists essentially 

 in treating the air-dried shingles with a solution of borax in water. 

 The shingles are then dried to about ten percent moisture and a second 

 treatment with a zinc chloride solution is applied. The shingles are 

 again 'dried and are then ready for use. 



Theoretically, the process depends upon the formation of an insoluble 

 salt by the zinc chloride and the borax, namely, zinc borate. This salt 

 is practically insoluble in water and when heated to a high degree fuses 

 and coats the cell walls, rending them fire retardant. Shingles treated 

 in this manner and soaked in running water for two weeks stiU retained 

 their fire retardant properties. When subjected to high temperature the 

 treated shingles will burn, but without a flame so fire will not spread from 

 one portion of the roof to another, in case fire brands fall upon it. 



The chemicals required cost about fifty cents per thousand shingles, but 

 the solution must be applied under pressure and a comparatively expensive 

 equipment of cylinders, pumps and tanks is required. For this reason 

 the method is recommended only where large quantities of shingles are 

 being treated. 



It is btlieved by oflicials that 'such a process may do much, however, 

 to cut down the fire losses in Wisconsin and other stales. 



The Wrong Lumber and Plenty of It 



It has developed in the last two or three days that an immense 

 quantity of lumber bought by the city of Chicago for use in the construc- 

 tion of the Mayfair pumping station is not according to specifications. 

 There are some 700,000 feet of yellow pine on the piles, this being one of 

 the first purchases of city lumber in large quantities that was bought in 

 carload lots. The sale was made by a local firm and according to the 

 information on the subject the speeiflcations called for long leaf pine. 

 In place ot this, however, it has just been discovered that the entire batch 

 is loblolly pine and of a mighty poor quality at that. 



The situation is being investigated by the city engineer. John Brickson, 

 and L. S. Morse, chief engineer for the testing department of the depart- 

 ment of public works. It seems probable that misunderstanding has 

 caused the error as the recently adopted ring rule contest for definition 

 and classifications of yellow pine is probably not yet known in all pur- 

 chasing circles. 



Baltimore Exports Unfavorable 



The statement of exports of lumber and logs tor October, compared 

 with the same month in 1914, plainly reflects the unsatisfactory condition 

 of affairs prevailing on the other side and bears out all of the unfavorable 

 reports that have been received from abroad for some time past. It 

 shows the effect of the congestion that ensued soon after the spurt to 

 forward stocks during the early part of the war in the belief that 

 exceptional requirements would have to be taken care of, and indicates 

 the extent to which the movement of lumber is interfered with by the 

 scarcity of tonnage, high ocean freight rates and restrictive regulations 

 on the other side. For the first time since comparisons between war 

 months became possible the exports this year have actually fallen below 

 those of last year, when the shock of the conflict was supposedly 

 heaviest, a circumstance of course attributable to the interference with 

 the movement. The difference between last month and October of 1914 

 is not large, amounting to only about $3,000, but since heretofore each 

 successive month has shown a gain over the same month of 1914, the 

 situation in the foreign markets open to the American shippers must be 

 very trying. Oak and poplar declined, the exports of poplar being 

 hardly more than half as large, though the classification "all other 

 woods" shows a good increase. Staves also appear to have been in good 

 demand, with furniture and trimmings moving in increased quantities. 

 The comparative statement is as follows : 



— October, 191.5 — — October, 1914 — 

 Quantity Value Quantity Value 



Logs, hickory 23,000 ft. $1,210 



Logs, walnut 6,000 ft. 392 



Boards, gum l.S.OOO ft. .$ 484 



Boards, oak 428,000 ft. 14,990 444,000 ft. 17.147 



Boards, white pine "" '"'^" "' 



Boards, short leaf pine 32.000 ft. 1.010 



Boards, poplar 146.000 ft. .'"..233 



Boards, spruce 46.000 ft. 1.941 20.000 ft. 739 



Boards, all others 233.000 fl. .S,968 67,000 ft. 3,35(1 



Shooks, all others 14.165 1.000 



Staves 214,503 10,265 124,220 6,20(1 



Lumber, all others 2,234 •■-"..41.^. 



Doors, sash and blinds 12."> 



Furniture 3.456 -WU 



Trimmings 1.343 ■ ■ ;.i ■ 



Wood, manufactures of 3,560 11, 7c 



0.000 ft. 620 



..i:3n •2'48!(i(j() ft. V2'.25(; 



3.560 

 .5:54,611 



$57,368 



