HARDWOOD RECORD 



25 



ling apparatus has been installed throughout 

 the plant, and a Are sufficient to heat the pipes 

 will release a flow of water in any part o£ the 

 building, the pressure being secured from the 

 compan.v's special tank. 



The engine and boiler rooms are of brick 

 and detached from the main structure, as are 

 also the dry rooms. Dust and refuse are auto- 

 matically conveyed by a blower system to the 

 fire boxes. The plant is lighted by its own 

 electric lighting tystem, and tramways, roller 

 conveyors and elevators are used iu every con- 

 ceivable place for the handling of the veneers. 

 The main building is .S4x2S8 feet in dimen- 

 sions, three stories high. 



The Jtoddis Lumber & Veneer Company en- 

 joys a wide patronage, principally due to the 

 fact that it manufactures a high class product 

 and can be relied on to make good its claims. 

 All kinds of native woods are used in the 

 manufacture of its products, and a special lino 

 of mahogany veneers is turned out. The com- 

 pany ships to every state in the Union, and 

 large shipments abroad are not infrequent. 



Big Fire at Bay City. 



The greater part of the plant of W. D. Young 

 & Co.. Bay City, Mich., was wiped out by fire 

 on the night of September 2. The flames, start- 

 ing iu the dry kiln, spread with such rapidity 

 that almost before the alarm was turned in the 

 plant was doomed. Good work was done by 

 flremen, as evidenced by the saving of the large 

 warehouse just south of the flooring mill, which 

 latter was entirely destroyed. 



The fire was an exceedingly spectacular one, 

 the dry material burning with great fierceness 

 and sending long columns of flame into air, 

 while the burning of the huge water tower and 

 tank afforded illumination of the destruction be- 

 low. The reflection of the fire was plainly seen 

 in Saginaw, and that city offered assistance in 

 checking it. There was lamentable lack of water 

 pressure, though had it been even approximately 

 what it should, the plant would undoubtedly 

 have been destroyed. 



The sawmill had been in operation day and 

 night, and while its loss is well covered by in- 

 surance, more than 200 workingmen are thrown 

 out of employment. The fire started about G 

 p. m., and almost as soon as discovered in the 

 dry kiln had gained a tremendous advantage, 

 which the wind favored, fanning the flames 

 directly into the flooring factory and toward the 

 warehouses, which contained 2,000,000 feet of 

 finished hardwood flooring. At S p. m. the 

 boilers fell and shut off the power from the 

 pumps and hose which were keeping the flames 

 from the band mill, so that it was soon ablaze. 

 Several firemen had thrilling experiences, ami 

 B. P. Whedon, the company's manager, recalled 

 that about $3,000 and some valuable papers wen- 

 in the safe of the mill, so under cover of a 

 stream of fire he bravely took a desperate chaucf 

 with falling walls and roof, entered the oflic 

 and secured the valuables. Flying sparks 

 threatened property and houses opposite thr 

 mill, which were only kept from burning by 

 turning streams on their roofs at intervals all 

 during the fire. 



The kilns contained about 320,000 feet ni 

 maple, while about 25,000 feet of rough ami 

 dressed lumber was in the flooring mill. Mau:i- 

 ger Whedon announced that the loss would reach 

 $2.~)0.000. The company had a new Corliss en- 

 gine of about 600 horsepower and another almost 

 as good. The machinery was all in fine shape, 

 and had been added to, improved and cared for 

 always in such a manner as to make the plant 

 one of the finest of its kind. The sawmill had 

 a capacity of 100,000 feet a day and last year 

 cut over 19,000,000 feet. The planing mill had 

 an output of 50,000 feet a day. The loss from 

 inability to fill standing orders will be close 

 to that of the plant itself, as a large amount 

 of business was standing on the books at the 

 time the fire occurred. While W. D. Young is 

 now in Europe, it is safe to say that the entire 

 plant will be rebuilt in the near future. 



Veneer Men at Munising. 



The Rotary Cut Veneer Club, a subsidiary 

 organization of the National Veneer & Panel 

 Manufacturers' Association, met in Munising, 

 Mich., August 21, with the following in attend- 

 ance : D. E. Kline, Louisville, Ky. ; P. B. Ray- 

 mond, Indianapolis, Ind. : D. W. Williamson, 



MEND CARDS PRINTED ON BIRDSEYE 

 MAPLE. 



Baltimore, Md. ; William Seiher, Central City, 

 W. Va. ; O. C. Lemke, Wausau, Wis.. S. B. 

 Wadley, Nashville, Tenn. 



Burdis Anderson of the Great Lakes Veneer 

 Company acted as host, and the program which 

 he arranged and carried out for the entertain- 

 ment of the visitors was a delightful one. After 

 the meeting they inspected the Great Lakes 

 Veneer Company's plant and expressed them- 



»iHtJ SIC irjp 



IS HnNOB op TltE 



VENEEir-MANUFACXraEa'S CIIU 



Aniowl 3I«. tmyi Musialaa. MIrJilaea 



CilPplD 



_MI9S M.V& C^Biati"; 

 R<^ilU and Arts 



(3 LL'U-'Jia A.VDSftSO:i 



■.. ri;jnSiUCK ^"BTAKS 



MRS. n.'.troT ANo ?IX aKoers i:: 

 HeWiu-aPrlfici: 



L-- M.AO'I rjtrWwW la Mlnr- 



MRS TOnffflftlCK W. Bi.Ali£ 



UR. BDIUllS A^IDC'- 



SOUVENIR rUOGRAM PRINTED ON BIRCH 

 BARK. 



selves in flattering terms regarding its fine 

 equipment and capable management. 



A musicale was given for the veneer men 

 and a few invited guests in the Beach Inn 

 parlor ; the unique program is herewith repro- 



duced, as is also the souvenir menu card pre- 

 sented at the charming little luncheon which 

 lollowed. Mr. Anderson proved an entertaining 

 loastmaster as well as musician, and many of 

 the speeches which he called forth from his 

 guests were exceedingly clever, though im- 

 promptu. 



The morning of the following day, August 22. 

 the guests enjoyed a launch ride and dinner "at 

 the Hotel Williams on Grand Island, which is 

 part of the great natural zoological park of 

 13,000 acres located at the entrance of Munising 

 harbor— the most beautiful one along the shores 

 of Lake Superior. Grand Island abounds in 

 attractive scenery and fine drives, and the 

 veneer manufacturers will not soon forget the 

 royal good time enjoyed at the hands of Mr. 

 Anderson. 



African Furniture Market. 



The South African Export Gazette says that 

 there is a market in that country for increased 

 sales of furniture. Last year's furniture re- 

 quirements, exclusive of domestic ironmongery 

 and earthenware, were valued at ,$4,300,000, 

 one-third of which represented the product of 

 local factories and the remaining two-thirds im- 

 portations from foreign countries. It is said to 

 bo admitted by South African manufacturers 

 that in spite of the customs duty of 12 per 

 cent on furniture from the United Kingdom and 

 on that from foreign countries of ID per cent, 

 colonial goods are barely holding their own iu 

 competition with foreign makes. 



It is stated that British furniture manufac- 

 turers have met with success in South Africa 

 to a large extent owing to the way they pack 

 their goods. The United Kingdom furnished 

 nearly 78 per cent of the South African im- 

 ports of furniture in 1906, Germany 4.61 per 

 cent, the United States 8.66 per cent, and other 

 countries 8.76 per cent. The value of the fur- 

 niture sent from the United States last year 

 was nearly ,$250,000, while that of the United 

 Kingdom was .$2,100,000. It is stated that 

 what remains of the market to American man- 

 ufacturers is very largely in roll-top desks and 

 revolving oflice chairs, lines in which English 

 firms are now offering keen competition. 



In the matter of ordinary domestic furniture 

 it is stated that the up-country Boers favor 

 cheap Continental and American makes, which, 

 imported in a "knock-down" condition, are 

 quickly put together with the aid of glue and 

 screws on arrival. There were |i270.000 worth 

 of bedsteads imported into South Africa last 

 year, of which the United States furnished about 

 .$1.S00 worth. Of billiard ware there were 

 .$60,000 worth imported, of which the United 

 States supplied $2,000 worth. In picture frames 

 the United States supplied one-fourth of the 

 entire amount imported and one-fifth in value 

 of the $100,000 worth of school furniture, show- 

 ing that there is a field open in South Africa if 

 lu-operly looked up. It is stated that the "knock- 

 down" method of shipping goods followed by 

 the British manufacturers is a triumph of in- 

 genuity and helps to increase their business. 



American Railway Mileage. 

 Statistics recently compiled by a German 

 periodical published in the interests of railway 

 science show that the mile-ige of railroads in 

 the lUnited States alone exceeds that of any 

 other country in the world, and also that of 

 all Europe. The United States consul at Eiben- 

 stock, in commenting upon this article, says 

 that the total length of the railways of the 

 world on January 1. 190G. according to its 

 writer, was 563,771.7 miles, of which this coun- 

 try represents 215,713.39 miles and Europe 

 only 192,247.52 miles. The total mileage of 

 this continent is estimated to be more than 

 half that of the entire world. Railway con- 

 struction during the year 1905 added 12,524.33 

 miles to the world's total, 2,485.48 of which 

 were in Europe alone, while Germany shows 



