HARDWOOD RECORD 



17 



'Builders of Veneer History. 



NUMBER 



Daniel Edward Kline. 



(&'ce Portrait Supplement.) 

 Not many years ago the demand for 

 veneers and panels was so small compared to 

 what it is today, and the business was con- 

 ilueted in such haphazard, hit-or-miss fashion, 

 and with so little mutual understanding and 

 uniformity of methods among manufacturers, 

 that it could scarce!}' of itself be called an 

 industry, forming as it did merely a small 

 and unimportant j)hase of general lumber 

 affairs. A few houses in various parts of the 

 country, it is true, did devote themselves 

 exclusively to the production of veneers, and 

 W|hile they succeeded in evolving a more or 

 less satisfactory product, they regarded each 

 other as positive antagonists — a spirit which 

 plunged veneer operations into that unfor- 

 tunate and most deleterious state of affairs — 

 "unintelligent competition." As the call 

 for this product began to increase and the 

 uses to which thin lumber was put broad- 

 ened out remarkably, some of the wiser ones 

 in the trade, recognizing the value of asso- 

 ciation work, determined to put it to the test 

 in veneer affairs. Several attempts to or- 

 ganize were made, only to be rendered futile 

 by the jealousy and lack of fraternalism 

 exhibited by the majority. Finally, however, 

 the National Veneer & Panel Manufacturers' 

 Association was successfully launched, and 

 although it has existed less than two years, 

 it has already accomplished wonders for the 

 veneer and panel industry, which has so 

 siiddenly become one of the great ones of 

 the country. 



One of the men most instrumental in 

 bringing order out of this chaos, and who 

 was unanimously chosen for temporary chair- 

 man of the association, then elected its first 

 president, and re-elected to that oflSce at the 

 last meeting — was Daniel E. Kline, of Louis- 

 ville, Ky. 



.Mr. Kline was born in Cincinnati, O., May 

 23, 1850, of German-French ancestry, his 

 paternal grandfather having been a native 

 of Germany, while his mother was descended 

 from an old Huguenot family — the Lefevres. 

 Thus, in his personality are the thorough, 

 methodical, often brusque ways of the Ger- 

 man happily combined with the artistic, 

 energetic, mercurial traits of the French. 



After an excellent education in the public 

 schools of Cincinnati, including a course in 

 the Hughes High School, which at that time 

 bad almost a collegiate course, Mr. Kline 

 gained some knowledge of business methods 

 through one or two clerical positions. His 

 first venture on his own account, however, 

 was as one of the incorporators of the Albro 

 Company of Cincinnati, which succeeded to 

 the business of the Albro family, established 

 in 1838. This house at that time practically 

 controlled the entire veneer business of the 

 country. Mr. Kline was its secretary and 

 treasurer from August, 1877, to January, 

 1889, during a peculiarly successful period, so 



that he is not only one of the pioneers in 

 the industry, but one of the best-posted men 

 in the country on the subject. The Albro 

 house is now out of existence. 



In 1889 Mr. Kline removed to Louisville 



PRINT OF ROCK ELM LEAF. 



and bought a plant which had been built 

 two years previously by eastern people, who 

 for some reason or other, had failed to 

 make a success of veneer manufacture. He 

 organized the Louisville Veneer Mills, of 



which he has always been the head, and from 

 time to time, as new appliances were put 

 upon the market, and as the business in- 

 creased, has added improvements and en- 

 larged, keeping his plant thoroughly up-to- 

 date in every respect. 



Mr. Kline was married in 1871, and has 

 two children. His daughter, Mrs. C. L. 

 Pierce, Jr., is a resident of Chicago ; his son, 

 Harold E. Kline, is associated with him as 

 superintendent and general manager of the 

 mills. In national affairs Mr. Kline is a 

 Republican, while locally, to quote his own 

 words, he is "for the ticket putting up the 

 best candidates. ' ' This spirit , is characteris- 

 tic of the man. Whatever he does, whether 

 it be for his home city, for his own personal 

 interests or for the great industry which 

 he represents, he is invariably after results. 

 No amount of energy, of money, or of time 

 is too great for him to spend in the fur- 

 therance of measures which seem to him 

 for the greatest good to the greatest num- 

 ber. Particularly has this been true in his 

 work as head of the veneer association, to 

 which he has given unstintingly a great deal 

 of thought and hard work. In whatever he 

 undertakes, Mr. Kline is characterized by a 

 certain positiveuess which at the time may 

 seem almost too pronounced, but which when 

 analyzed invariably reflects his keen fore- 

 sight and integrity of purpose toward any 

 subject with which he is conversant. 



The Hardwood Record is pleased to pre- 

 sent with this issue the portrait of a man 

 who has not only made such a pronounced 

 success in his calling, but who has devoted 

 his energies so generously to bringing it up 

 to its present high plane. 



Hardwood Record J\Iail Bag. 



lln this department it is propoeed to reply 

 to such inquiries as reach tliis office from the 

 Hardwood Rkcord clientage as will be of enough 

 general interest to warrant publication. Every 

 patron of the paper is invited to use this de- 

 partment to the fullest extent, and an attempt 

 will be made to answer queries pertaining to all 

 matters of interest to the hardwood trade, in 

 a succinct and intelligent manner.] 



and better for the making of hubs. Even 

 lirash oak will make a hub, while it requires 

 tough oak for spokes. — Editor. 



Steaming Hubs. 



High Poixt. N. C, July 13.— Editor Hard- 

 wood Record : We would like to know the best 

 way to steam hubs to prevent them from crack- 

 ing — whether to use dry steam or exhaust steam 

 and how long they should be steamed. Any 

 information you can give us will be appreciated. 



& Co. 



The best method of handling oak hubs to 

 prevent them from checking is to put them 

 in a reasonably tight steam box and turn the 

 exhaust steam on them for from twenty-four 

 to thirty-six hours. The same process can be 

 used in handling birch hubs, but this is done 

 not so much to prevent them from checking 

 as to disintegrate and distribute the color 

 and make the buyer think that the hull is all 

 heart. You will find in the manufacture of 

 oak hubs that, generally speaking, the butt 

 cut of the tree is not suitable for the pur- 

 pose, but should be cut into spokes. This is 

 the tough part of the tree and is best adapted 

 for spoke making. The higher cuts are softer 



The Gum Market. 



ruLiTDALE, Ala., .July 31. — Editor Uaruwood 

 Record : Where can I find a market for black 

 gum and what is is market value? VA reply 

 through your column.s will be very much appre- 

 ciated. J. W. 



It is possible that tupelo instead of black 

 gum is referred to. Black gum is a com- 

 paratively new wood in the market and has 

 not yet come into general recognition. Its 

 highest value is in quarter-sawed stock, as it 

 shows a very nice stripe and will eventually, 

 in the WTiter's mind, command more money 

 than either red gum or tupelo. When flat- 

 sawed it is so nearly of the general character 

 of tupelo that it should command about the 

 same price. You can get a good idea of the 

 current values of the latter by applying to 

 the Louisiana Red Cypress Company of New 

 Orleans. A concern which has manufactured 

 and sold a considerable quantity of "black 

 gum is the Bennett Hardwood Lumber Com- 

 jiany, of Memphis, which will undoubtedly 

 give you some information relating to the. 

 value of the wood and where it can be mar- 

 keted. — Editor. 



