HARDWOOD RECORD 



34C 



the mills wei-e able to do little or nothing. 

 Good weathei- has existed during the last fort- 

 night, however, and conditions have improved 

 somewhat. The hardwood exports are still in 

 a somewhat unsatisfactory condition, and the 

 raarlcet, though not weak, is not as strong as it 

 was a month ago. There is still said to be a 

 good interior demand. 



A site for the il.OOO-foot lumber wharf that 

 the board of port commissioners will build for 

 the Xow Orleans lumber exporters has been 

 finally .settled upon, and it is believed that in 

 a short time actual construction work on the 

 wharf will be started. The decision to build 

 the structure has grown out of the fight made 

 by the N'ew Orleans Lumber Exporters' Associa- 

 tion for a landing to be used exclusively for 

 lumber shipments. The wharf will be near the 

 head of Walnut street, just above the protection 

 levee, and behind it the lumbermen will put a 

 distributing yard with a capacity of 900 cars. 

 With the aid of this wharf the lumber exporters 

 of this city hope to divert a large amount of 

 export lumber this way, and J. H. HintOD, 

 president of the exporters* association, is au- 

 thority for the statement that New Orleans, 

 under the new order of things, will handle 

 fifty to sixty per cent of the total amount 

 of lumber exported from the South. The wharf 

 will be 2.000 feet long and constructed es- 

 pecially to handle lumber exports. As soon as 

 the plans have been approved the dock board 

 will issue bonds to cover the cost of construc- 

 tion. TTie wharf, it is estimated, will cost 

 .12.50,000 to $.300,000. 



Through the agency of William R. Taylor. 

 a local tiniberman, the E. Sondheimer Lumber 

 Company of Memphis has .iust closed a deal for 

 the purchase of 1.5.000 acres of timber land in 

 Ijouisiana. which includes a good deal of hard- 

 wood. The deal involves something over $150,- 

 000. Mas Sondheimer himself w^as here mak- 

 ing the deal but would not talk about the mat- 

 ter. H4s company is negotiating for other hold- 

 ings, and already is said to control in this 

 state timber lands valued at more than $1,500,- 

 000. 



In a deal closed the other day at Lake 

 Charles, La., the Evart Lumber Company, Ltd., 

 of that place secured for $43,200 a fine tract 

 of hardwood timber lying along the Colorado 

 Southern road north of Lake Charles. The 

 tract includes 1,440 acres of land and the price 

 per acre was $30. This is among the highest 

 priced timber that has been bought in that 

 section in some time. The vendors were John 

 S. Alley and wife of West Newton, Mass., and 

 William H. Alley and Nellie G. Alley of Santa 

 Barbara, Cal. 



Meridian. Miss., has a new enterprise in the 

 shape of a box and basket factory which will 

 devote itself to the manufacture of boxes, 

 baskets, wheelbarrows, ladders and other prod- 

 ucts of hardwood. The company which will 

 operate the factory is capitalized at $50,000, 

 and a large part of the capitalization has al- 

 ready been subscribed for. 



The crisis in the fight between the railroads 

 and the exporters has been finally reached. The 

 i-ailroad companies have flatl,y refused to grant 

 the request for thirt.v days' free time and an- 

 other conference of exporters has been called 

 to take up the matter. The fight for the free 

 time extension has already attracted a great 

 deal of attention, and the exporters hoped to 

 be able to secure a ruling that would extend 

 the free time and give them a better opportunity 

 to handle export shipments. Some time ago a 

 conference of exporters, in which the New Or- 

 leans Lumber Exporters' Association took a 

 prominent part, formulated a demand for thirty 

 days' free time on cars. This demand has been 

 finally answered by the railroads with a flat re- 

 fusal to grant the request. Another confer- 

 ence of exporters has been called, and it is now 

 regarded as probable that efforts will be made 

 tc effect a compromise. 



Charlotte, N. C. 



That North Carolina is fast becoming one 

 of the leading states in the Union in the 

 lumber industry is being attested just now as 

 never before. New concerns are being char- 

 tered every few days for cutting or sawing 

 or marketing in some way or other the val- 

 uable forests of the state. In the western 

 section of the state especially this industry- 

 is of importance. Interested parties who have 

 looked into the situation have been convinced 

 that a surprisingly large amount of the wealth 

 of the state is to be found in the standing 

 timber. "In Jackson county," said one gen- 

 tleman recently, "I talked to a prominent 

 lumberman who said that he purchased a 

 walnut tree a few years ago for $22. The 

 tree was cut and measured 10 feet 2 inches 

 at the base. It was hauled 22 miles to a 

 railroad, placed on the cars and marketed. 

 The net profit to the dealer by the sale of 

 that tree was $117. That same tree today 

 would bring between $300 and $400. "On 

 Caney Fork in Jackson county," he continued, 

 "lumbermen told me that they had seen 

 poplars standing which would measure nine 

 feet in diameter. I believe that the United 

 States government has found that these were 

 the largest trees in the country aside from 

 the redwoods of California. Last year a 

 IJoplar was cut in Macon county that sawed 

 out IS. 000 feet of lumber, which at $33 per 

 thousand would iriake that tree good for 

 more than $600." The finest grove of poplar 

 in the state belongs to the Highland Forest 

 Company of Jackson county, situated in a 

 little cove of several acres. Experts estimate 

 that a million feet can be sawed out of this 

 little bunch of poplars which would net the 

 owners a small-sized fortune. 



One of the largest deals in lumber made 

 recently was consummated a few days ago 

 when S. Montgomery Smith of Waynesville 

 disposed of his holdings on Jonathan creek 

 to the Sprucement Lumber Company for 

 $30,000. The sale includes about 30.000.000 

 feet of timber, largely balsam, hemlock and 

 spruce, together with the large mill erected 

 by Mr. Smith at the head of the flume built 

 for the Waynesville Transportation Company. 

 Mr. Smith retains a large interest in the 

 concern and is also manager of tlie fiume line 

 which promises to become one of a most 

 active agency for the development of that 

 part of the state. Other sales of timber in 

 lesser quantities, however, have been made on 

 the flume line and it now seems probable 

 that within a short time as many as ten mills 

 will be operating and offering their products 

 for transportation. This is one of the largest 

 lumber milling sections in the state. The 

 company is now building a large planing mill 

 which will handle the rough timber from the 

 sawmills in operation. Mr. Smith has recently 

 erected a big gang sawmill, the first in this 

 section of North Carolina. The planing mill and 

 the gang sawmill will produce all kinds of 

 building material. In this vicinity it is said that 

 there are 25,000,000 feet of spruce, hemlock and 

 balsam, and 12,000,000 feet of hardwood. Enor- 

 mous developments will follow the work of 

 this company, in which Mr. Smith is so 

 directly associated. 



E. Lee Wilson of Dallas has about rebuilt 

 and equipped the new plant which he has 

 erected to replace the old building destroyed 

 by fire some weeks ago. About 15.000 feet of 

 fine lumber was burned together with a large 

 amount of machinery and general equipment. 

 Mr. Wilson operates a large sawmill. 



Charles Edgerton. special agent of the 

 Bureau of Corporations of the Department of 

 Commerce and Labor, is making a tour of 

 North Carolina inspecting the lumber in- 

 dustry. Mr. Edgerton is working in accord- 

 ance with the bill introduced In Congress by 

 Senator Kittredge asking for an investigation 

 of the sawmills. 



The Branning Manufacturing Company of 

 Kdenton has recently purchased a tract of 

 25.000 acres of timber land in Bertie county, 

 the consideration being $80,000. Tlie properly 

 was bought from the South Atlantic Lumber 

 Company, a coi-poration foi-med by the con- 

 solidation of the South Atlantic Lumber Com- 

 pany and the large holdings of B. E. Cogbill, 

 with headquarters at Richmond. Va. 



The mammoth plant of N. C. McDuffie. Inc., 

 of Columbia, S. C. is about ready to begin 

 work. This establishment will have an out- 

 put of 50.000 feet per day. Heretofore, this 

 company has been engaged in the wholesale 

 and commission business, but from now on 

 will devote much time to manufacturing. 

 Several sawmills are now being run under the 

 control of the interests of which Mr. Mc- 

 Duffie is the head. 



The Champion Fibre Company of Hamilton. 

 C. is building an enormous plant at Canton. 

 N. C, which upon completion will stand as 

 one of the lai'gest in the world. A total of 

 .33 buildings, covering 15 acres, will be erected, 

 at a cost of about $2,250,000. About 400 cords 

 of wood will be consumed daily when the 

 plant is in operation. 



The plant of the hardwood firm of J. H. 

 Wearn & Co. of this city is being improved 

 and enlarged. About $5,000 is being expended 

 on a building in which mantels and other 

 products will be exhibited. This is one of the 

 most prosperous establishments of its kind in 

 the state. 



L. J. Peacock. Webster Koonts and otlier 

 gentlemen of Lexington are contemplating the 

 establishment of n. company in the near fu- 

 ture for the manufacture of fine upholstered 

 goods and cedar products. A large amount of 

 the capital has been subscribed. Two large 

 buildings will be erected. Lexington is com- 

 ing to be one of the first towns in the state 

 in the industry. The Lexington Manufactur- 

 ing & Development Company has just been 

 chartered to manufacture furniture and hard- 

 woods of various kinds. Demet Shomwell is 

 the leading stockholder. The company is 

 chartered ai $25,000. 



The Kent-Coffey Manufacturing Company 

 of Lenoir will be ready to begin business 

 shortly. This company has just been organ- 

 ized with an authorized capital stock of 

 $50,000 for the manufacture of furniture, 

 hardwood novelties and house building ma- 

 terial. 



Connelly & Teague of Statesville. whose 

 lErge veneering plant was destroyed by fire 

 several days ago. are preparing to rebuild and 

 begin business anew. Machinery and a quan- 

 tity of lumber and veneer were destroyed at 

 a loss of about $8,000. 



Work is progressing on the new plant of the 

 Statesville Safe & Table Company which was 

 recently organized. The plant will consist of 

 three buildings, two and three stories high. 

 William Rhew of Wilmington has recently 

 been made superintendent of the factory. 



C. C. Teal of Wartesboro has completed his 

 new woodworking establishment and has be- 

 gun business. The plant is fully equipped with 

 modern machinery. There is some talk of 

 K. A. Waddell of Ansonville. who operates a 

 large plant, combining with Mr. Teal. This 

 would make one of the largest establishments 

 in that part of the state. 



The new woodworking factory of Asbur>- & 

 Finger in this city, to replace the one recently 

 destroyed by fire, is nearing completion. 

 These gentlemen v.-ill be in the field again 

 shortly with a new building and the latest 

 machinery for turning out a high class of 

 hardwood products. 



The Checah Lumber Company of Asheville 

 is the latest addition to the manufacturing 

 interests of that city. This company is char- 

 tered at $100,000. H. B. Stevens and J. B. 

 Anderson being the leading stockholders. 



