40 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



The bulletin publishes a letter from a member 

 of the association, who states that last winter ho 

 sold a large box manufacturer 200.000 feet of 

 No. 2 common gum. which netted him ten doU.nrs 

 F. O. B. the mill. A short time ago this box com- 

 pany wrote the concern referred to without h.iv- 

 ing been offered any lumber, stating that it 

 wanted to place an order for from fifty to one 

 hundred thousand feet more of Xo. 2 common 

 gum at one dollar advance over the previous con- 

 tract, and said it could not pay any more than 

 that and live. The lumber company in question 

 replied it was^ sold up close on No. 2 common 

 gum and would probably not be able to get them 

 any more until the fall. This merely illustrates 

 the fact that in certain items at least the mar- 

 ket is now in the seller's rather than the buy- 

 er's hands. 



A canvass of the northern territory shows that 

 low-grade box material is very scarce, and that 

 the demand continues strong. The mills state 

 that their production will not be very heavy 

 this year, but will tend to keep the prices firm 

 for the balance of the season. 



Splasii Damming 



In this issue of Hardwood Uecord appears 

 an article entitled "Splash Damming On the Big 

 Sandy." This article was written for the 

 American Carpenter and Builder by H. H. Gib- 

 son, editor of Hardw(.)od Record, and the illus- 

 trations are from photographs made by him on 

 the property of the Yellow Poplar l.umlwr Com- 

 pany, Coal Grove, Ohio. The story is printed 

 in full ns it appeared in the American Carpenter 

 and Builder. 



The Passing of Robert B. Wheeler 

 In the death of Robert B. Wheeler, one of 

 the pioneer hardwood operators of Philadelphia, 

 which occurred on June 19 last at his residence 

 in Wilmington, Del., there passes from the 

 stage a notable and exemplary member of the 

 hardwood industry. Mr. Wheeler has been ill 

 for more than a year, and a complication of 

 diseases eventually resulted in bis death. 



Mr. Wheeler was born in Newark, Del., and 

 entered the lumber business at fourteen years 

 of age, with the Causes of Wilmington. After 

 securing the rudiments of a knowledge of hard- 

 woods with this house, he went West as an 

 employe of Col. A. D. Straight, who at that time 

 was the major hardwood dealer of the country. 

 Col. Straight specialized in lilack walnut and 



his operations covered Ohio, Indiana and sur- 

 rounding states. Mr. Wheeler, within a few 

 .years, became the manager of the Straight 

 operations, and after a successful career in this 

 capacity he decided to return to his home in 

 \^'ilmington and enter business for himself. This 

 transition occurred in 1877. His success as an 

 operator on his own account, and later with 

 Horace A. Reeves. Jr., whom he brought up in 

 the business with him, is too well known to need 

 comment. 



Mr. Wheeler, according to later day stand- 

 ards, may be regarded as having done business 

 on somewhat peculiar lines. He bought lumber 

 only as he could pay cash for it ; he sold lum- 

 ber to dealers only : he specialized exclusively 

 in high-grade lumber, and for such class of 

 stock was always willing to pay a high price. 

 Xo matter what inducement might be incident 

 to effecting a sale of lumber, he never would 

 consent to the "salting" of a grade that he 

 might meet a competitive price. \A'hen this 

 method of doing a lumber business came into 

 vogue, with vehemence he asserted time after 

 time : "I will never do business on those lines. 

 The sign of R. B. Wheeler & Co. will first come 

 down from over the door." 



Robert B. Wheeler, although of a religious 

 bent, being a devout Baptist, had a remarkable 

 humorous turn of mind, and no one enjoyed a 

 pungent, sparkling anecdote better than he. 

 He was a kindly man. a generous man, and a 

 friend worth having. While he died rich in 

 this world's goods, of more moment is the fact 

 that he died respected h.v ever.v man who knew 

 him. and loved by a host of friends. 



Men of the stamp of R. B. Wheeler are not 

 in the majority in this world, and his passing 

 is a distinct loss, not only to the hardwood in- 

 dustry, but to the world. Mr. Wheeler is sur- 

 vived by bis wife and one son. and he is suc- 

 ceeded in business by his friend and partner of 

 many years, Horace A. Reeves. Jr. 



Horace A. Reeves, Jr., Succeeds R. B. 

 ■Wheeler & Co. 



The partnership in the Philadelphia hard- 

 wood, white pine and cypress Jobbing house be- 

 tween Robert B. Wheeler and Horace A. Reeves, 

 Jr., of R. B. Wheeler & Co.. expired by limita- 

 tion at the death of the senior partner. 



The business will be taken over and succeeded 

 to by Mr. Reeves, who has had charge of prac- 

 tically all tlie details of the old firm's affairs 



for the past fifteen years. To those who know 

 Mr. Reeves it will be unnecessary to state that 

 the business will be continued on exactly the 

 same lines of precept and example as laid down 

 and practiced for so many years by the late 

 Mr. Wheeler. Every one acquainted with Mr. 

 Reeves will wish him continued pro.sperity in 

 his business enterprises. He will do business 

 under the style of Horace A. Reeves, Jr., and 

 will maintain the same offices as occupied by 

 the old firm. 



Death of Frank W. 'Vetter 



The lumber trade of Buffalo received a shock 

 late last month by the news that one of its most 

 popular members — Frank W. Vetter — had been 

 stricken with paralysis, while looking after busi- 

 ness at one of the planing mills here. With him 

 at the time were I. N. Stewart and one or two 

 others, who immediately saw to Mr. Vetter's 

 removal to his home at 122 Fargo avenue. There 

 for nearly a week he lingered in an unconscious 

 condition, passing away on June 30. 



Mr. Vetter was one of the most active men in 

 the local lumber trade and with the exception of 

 an attack of typhoid fever several years ago he 

 iiad been in uniformly good health. He gave 

 close attention to business and save for an occa- 

 sional outing with his fellow lumbermen, with 

 T^'hom he was on terms of close friendship, he 

 seldom took even a few days' vacation. 



Born in East Eden, this county, in ISGO, he 

 came to Buffalo as a young man and entered 

 Canisius College, from which institution he 

 graduated. He entered the employ of Scatcherd 

 & Son, where he developed a strong fitness for 

 the lumber business and mastered many of its 

 details. A few years later he accepted an offer 

 from the wholesale lumber firm of Talbert & Co., 

 of Shelbyville, Ind. In ISfll he returned to 

 Buffalo and entered into partnership in the hard- 

 wood trade with O. E. Yeager, the firm name 

 being Vetter & Yeager. 



For the past twenty-one years Mr. Vetter was 

 prominent in Buffalo lumber attairs. In 1893 the 

 firm of Vetter & Yeager was merged into the 

 Empire Lumber Company, Mr. Vetter becoming 

 general manager. Fifteen years later he bought 

 out the Empire Lumber Company, continuing in 

 business in hardwoods from that time until his 

 death. So much was he respected and liked by 

 his fellow-lumbermen that he was chosen at dif- 

 ferent times president of the Hardwood Lumber 

 Exchange and also of the Buffalo Lumber Ex- 

 change. To the upbuilding of l)oth these ex- 



THE LATE R. B. 



WHEELER. 

 DEL. 



WILMINGTON. 



IIOUACE A. 



REEVES. JR. 

 PA. 



PHILADELPHIA, 



THE LATE FRANK W. VETTER, BI'FKALO. 

 N. Y. 



