Jdnb 10, 1918 



The Sawdust Trail 



A Visit to French Lick 



In the spring time, also in the fall, there are a number of lum- 

 bermen who wend their way toward French Lick. They do that 

 to rest and take advantage of the wonderful waters of that resort. 

 It is rather a peaceful place and has other attractions than the 

 fountain of youth. 



It is noticeable that the same men who carry a rule as a general 

 thing about four or five days a week, either to look over scaling a 

 bunch of logs or inspecting a carload of lumber, when they get to 

 French Lick they buy a cane. We have always been able to buy 

 one for twenty-five cents, but like all good things the canes have 

 gone up too, and now are fifty cents. That is a good excuse for 

 some of our friends bringing their canes of last year or several 

 years before. I noticed several prosperous lumbermen do that stunt 

 recently. 



It is interesting to note the picture printed on this page of our 

 mutual friends John W. Dickson of Memphis and Fred Mowbn^ 

 of Cincinnati, the end man of this picture. The centrally locat< I 

 gentleman is also a politician. He is one of the Tammany tril t 

 but do not remember his name. This trio of gentlemen also ai 

 regular visitors at French Lick. But in the old days before the \ 

 became important folks at French Lick they traversed to Hut 

 Springs each year about the time that mother used to give us 

 sulphur and molasses and sassafras tea. I saw this picture the 

 other day and could not refrain from introducing some of then 

 old friends as well as their new to these political gentlemen. They 

 are the same old pals and in conversation with them recently I 

 was impressed with the increased values in oak in the past three 

 weeks. 



From a trade I overheard made in which John Dickson was then 

 umpire and Mowbray the customer and another Fred from Missis 

 sippi was seller, Mowbray said to Fred, "Have you anything to 

 sell?" Konn said, "Got some cull oak." Mowbray remarke 1 

 "What do you want for it?" "Eight dollars, Mississippi." Sonu 

 body said, "Fred, will you have to use a scoop shovel to load this 

 on the car?" Konn said, "No, good cull oak." And the sale was 

 made. DeLaney, who happened to be present, said, "Well, I will 

 buy that stuff, as anything you can shovel into a car in oak lumber 

 is worth eight dollars a thousand. ' ' And the trade went on. 



Uncle John had Doc Heines at French Lick; he is a laundryman 

 but believe me his prescriptions work on Uncle John, as I am told 

 that f air-haired gentleman almost lost his life when he arrive i 

 home after a week's sojourn at ex-Senator Taggart's place. I do 

 not believe it is quite so bad as that, as John promised to come to 

 the National meeting as he lost something — see if you can guess 

 what. 



Among those who played golf and enjoyed the buttermilk stands 

 last month were Col. Wick Eansom of the Gayoso Lumber Company, 

 Memphis, Tenn. Wick did not know he had been made a ' ' Colonel, ' ' 

 but when he arrived he was somewhat under the weather and when 

 he left he was looking about ten years younger. He was disabled 

 while there and unable to play as much golf as usual and did not 

 get very well acquainted with "Brown." Now Brown is a man 

 who used to handle piece stuff when you could buy all you wanted 

 at $7 or $8 in Chicago and boards at $10 to $12 and up, and he 

 used to distribute about 20,000,000 feet into Indiana after bringing 

 it by cargo from Muskegon and other sawmill towns. I knew Brown 

 right well. I was shipwrecked with him once, and after I had 

 gone out of the upper berth head foremost and he rolled out on 

 top of me from the lower berth, and the mnd was blowing and the 

 seas were rolling almost over the captain's cabin, he suggested 

 a game of pinochle. I reckon that is why he finally gravitated 

 toward French Lick, as it furnished the name for the men's "Spa" 

 at the springs. 



W. E. DeLaney of Lexington, Ky., spent a few days at the springs. 



and he admitted it did him a lot of good, but what he did we cannot 

 say; he does not play golf, gets all the walking he wants in look- 

 ing over timber and his lumber operations in Alabama and Ken- 

 tucky, but he claims he had a good time. 



W. H. Eusse of Memphis, Tenn., dropped in about the same time, 

 and he was just filling in a little time between a trip to Georgia 

 and the exporters' meeting at Cincinnati, but notwithstanding the 

 fact he had to move around several times, in order to have a room 

 at all. He and DeLaney must have had some busy times somewhere; 

 it may have been with Brown, no telling. 



INTRODUCING J. W. DIcKSON AND FRED MOWBRAY 



Then along came L. D. Leach of Leach Sc Co., operating hardwood 

 mills in Louisiana and Arkansas with main office in Chicago. He 

 really had the rheumatism or something else, which necessitated his 

 visit to French Lick, and he did not get very well acquainted with 

 Brown, but had a peaceful time for a couple of weeks and said it 

 was worth the trip. 



J. 0. Nesson of the J. O. Nesson Lumber Company, Chicago, spent 

 a few days at the springs; he has operations in North Carolina, and 

 their lumber boats in Michigan are a great transportation feature 

 with many of our friends in the hardwood trade. J. O. remembers 

 Brown, but instead of believing seven come eleven, he was born on 

 the eighth of some month, for that is his friend. He liked the 

 buttermilk on the hills down there — it seemed to be quite a favorite 

 with many of our friends. 



Walter B. Burke, general manager of the Lamb-Fish Lumber 

 Company, Charleston, Miss., accompanied by Mrs. Burke, was 



