HARDWOOD RECORD 



45 



was called to order by President John W. Love, 

 who asked for the report of the Transportation 

 Committee. Chairman Arthur Ransom said the 

 committee was unable to report at that time, but 

 hoped to announce better conditions with the 

 railroads before the time of the next meeting. 

 A subject which was discussed at length was 

 the lumbermen's baseball team. It was finally 

 decided that the ball team be fitted out at the 

 expense of the club and the management of the 

 team was given the right to draft into service 

 any player that looked good enough. Wade 

 Kirkpatrick, who is managing the baseball end 

 of it, opined that he would give the lumbermen 

 a team that would be about the "best ever." 

 ISecently it has been determined that Nashville 

 and Memphis should play a great ball game, and 

 the date has been fixed for Just two days prior to 

 the meeting of Jeffries and Johnson, or, to be 

 exact, on July 2. The place has not been de- 

 termined as yet, but it will be either Nashville 

 or Memphis. Clarence Dews is captain of the 

 Nashville team. 



The concatenation was an unqualified success. 

 Some fifty "cats" were on hand to lend their 

 aid to the initiation, and the following "kittens" 

 were initiated : C. M. Morford, T. B. Johnson, 

 Olin White, J. R. Mcllvane, C. R. Boyd, A. L. 

 Fry, S. T. Myers, F. G. Fetzer, M. S. Roberts, 

 Jr., W. M. Farris, L. H. Farris, B. H. Mocker, 

 W. E. Hagan, Hickman Beckner. R. E. Thrasher, 

 C. E. Dews, L. G. Lewis, T. R. Leseuer, all of 

 Nashville ; L. D. Patterson of Johnsonville, Tenn., 

 and J. F. Craig of Franklin, Tenn. Following 

 the concatenation a Dutch supper was served. 

 The Entertainment Committee on this occasion 

 was composed of C. L. McConnell, Olin White 

 ai. Frank C. Guthrie. 



Meeting Baltimore Exchange 



The Baltimore Lumber Exchange held its quar- 

 terly meeting on June 6, followed by a dinner, 

 which was served at the Merchants' Club. There 

 was rather more than the usual amount of busi- 

 ness to transact, among the matters taken up 

 being the report of the special committee on 

 trade relations, which was appointed at the last 

 annual meeting in December, 1909. The ap- 

 pointment of this committee was prompted by 

 complaints on the part of yard men that whole- 

 salers were ignoring them and selling direct to 

 consumers. This assertion brought out the charge 

 from some of the wholesalers that the yards, 

 instead of recognizing the wholesalers, placed 

 orders direct with the mills. It was alleged by 

 retailers that their business was being injured 

 by the operations of scalpers, who, with the con- 

 nivance of wholesalers, would sell lumber direct 

 to consumers on a small commission, and that 

 such practice was being encouraged by certain 

 wholesalers. The wholesalers again asserted that 

 retailers would buy from the salesmen sent out 

 by the mills, thinking that they would get lum- 

 ber more cheaply than if they bought through a 

 wholesaler, when, as a matter of fact, the whole- 

 saler's knowledge of trade conditions enabled him 

 to supply the retailer at the same or even lower 

 price than he was paying, and In addition gave 

 the retailer the advantage of his experience and 

 furnished a better grade of lumber. This com- 

 mittee was also directed to pass upon the claims 

 of certain concerns to be classed as retailers, 

 wholesalers or consumers, and it has been at 

 work ever since formulating a report. The re- 

 port went over the whole situation and was 

 listened to with close attention. President John 

 L. Alcock occupied the chair. 



when high winds and dry weather make a for- 

 midable combination in favor of fires. 



Spontaneous combustion, among other things, 

 Is a frequent and unnecessary cause of many 

 fires. When once any discarded machinery or 

 refuse of any nature is put away in a corner, 

 this corner will soon become a dump heap for 

 all sorts of cast-offs. In the course of time, if 

 there is any old clothing, overalls, or similar 

 garments among the refuse, suSicient heat will 

 be generated to cause spontaneous combustion. 

 Fire of this sort usually smolders for some time 

 and is as liable as not to break out in the dead 

 of night when there is no assistance at hand 

 to suppress it. Well ventilated clothes-closets 

 should be provided, and anything which Is not 

 in use should be properly disposed of. 



Many a serious fire has been caused by a par- 

 lor match ignited by mice or by the heel of an 

 employee. Workmen should be especially warned 

 to use all due care to prevent fires of this na- 

 ture. Matches should never be left in the pockets 

 of work-clothes or any other place where they 

 are liable to fall to the floor, or to be visited 

 by rodents. 



Watchmen's lamps of inferior make are often 

 responsible for conflagrations. There are so 

 many different kinds of absolutely safe lamps, 

 burning non-explosive oils, that accidents of 

 this sort appear inexcusable. 



Carelessness in boiler houses is very often 

 responsible for a great deal of trouble. F^jei is 

 frequently piled entirely too close to the boiler 

 front, a sudden back draft emitting sparks which, 

 unless promptly extinguished, might easily start 

 a serious blaze. Firemen are not always care- 

 ful to see that feed-pipes are removed from fire 

 holes in the boilers the Instant they are not In 

 actual use, or whenever fans are stopped. In 

 this way sparks frequently run back to dust col- 

 lectors. Dust accumulated on boiler tops is very 

 often known to dry out and char to such an 

 extent as to ignite and spread fire to surround- 

 ing woodwork. 



Frequently fires are caused by friction from 

 overheated bearings. The danger from this 

 source is so evident as to require but little dis- 

 cussion. Proper oiling and examination for 

 frictional irregularities is about the only remedy. 



The small fire-fighting apparatus usually 

 found in connection with a sawmill should al- 

 ways be kept in complete repair. Not only 

 should the main parts be kept ready for Imme- 

 diate use, but such small things as hose coup- 

 lings, wrenches and nozzles should be frequently 

 examined. Rusty iron nipples on hydrants can 

 be put in proper shape with kerosene oil or, bet- 

 ter still, they should be replaced by brass nip- 

 pies. Hose should always be kept attached to 

 the hydrant, and an extra supply be conveni- 

 ently near for immediate use. 



Scattered or badly piled timber in yards or 

 sheds is not only unnecessary, but a dangerous 

 proposition. Sparks are always more or less 

 in evidence in the atmosphere around a sawmUl, 

 and the more compact the piles are the less 

 danger there is of ignition. 



As a final suggestion, this bulletin states that 

 more time and labor is lost each year in filling 

 empty barrels, from which water has been lost 

 by evaporation or by other causes, such as stock 

 drinking or by trash accumulating in the barrel, 

 than would be consumed in providing suitable 

 covers for all. 



ten years later, with Edward Buckley, he estab 

 lished the Buckley & Douglas Lumber Company, 

 which has continued to grow until it is now one 

 of the largest concerns in the country. Mr. 

 Douglas was also interested in other lines of 

 business and was one of the prominent capital- 

 ists of the state. The Buckley-Douglas interests 

 own the Manistee & Northeastern railroad, one 

 of the prosperous lines of upper Michigan, of 

 which Mr. Douglas was president. Mr. Douglas 

 leaves a widow and four sisters to mourn his 

 loss. 



Building Operations for May 

 Official returns from forty-four cities through- 

 out the country regularly reported to the Ameri- 

 can Contractor, Chicago, show an aggregate loss 

 for May, 1910, of seventeen per cent as com- 

 pared with May, 1909. The decrease in the 

 great building centers. New York and Chicago, 

 some twelve million dollars, must accept nearly 

 all the blame for the shortage. One-half of the 

 cities represented in the table show a loss of 

 from one to seventy-three per cent, others show 

 a gain of from two to 199 per cent. Cities show- 

 ing a gain of fifty per cent or over are : Bir- 

 mingham, 199 ; Columbus, 59 ; Denver, 96 ; Los 

 Angeles, 79 ; Portland, Ore., 57 : Wilkesbarre, 

 175. The particulars are given in the following 

 table : 



May, Slay, 



City. Cost. Cost. Gain. Loss. 



1910. 1909. Per Cent 



Atlanta $ 683,627 ? 546.462 25 



Baltimore 955.419 972,700 .. 1 



Birmingham 350,487 116.990 199 



Bridgeport 294,755 431.776 .. 31 



Buffalo 869.000 767.000 13 



Chicago 7,450,000 12,609,400 . . 40 



Cleveland 1,258.468 1,828.539 .. 31 



Columbus 576.167 381.160 59 



Dallas 356,754 412,987 .. 13 



Denver 1,615.060 824,000 96 



Des MoUies 252.105 424.375 .. 40 



Detroit 1.343.480 1,183,300 18 



Duluth 283,399 262,525 8 



Grand Rapids 387,468 492.716 .. 21 



Hartford 498.561 668,920 . . 25 



ladianapolis 653.780 1,029.365 .. 38 



Kansas City 1,418,385 1,306.325 8 



Los Angeles 1,811,160 1,006.764 79 



Louisville 298,090 255,002 17 



Memphis 370.002 291,251 27 



Minneapolis 1,836,190 1,533.965 19 



^[obile 43,350 39,335 10 



Newark 993.540 3,715.881 .. 73 



New Haven 375,124 371.092 2 



New Orleans 459,816 385,145 19 



Manhattan 13,378.926 16,006.346 . . 16 



Brooklvn 3.353.925 6.610.350 . . 48 



Bronx " 3.975,810 4,519,995 . . 13 



New York 20,708,661 27,136.691 .. 23 



Oakland 536.819 528,183 2 



•Omaba 859.760 1,362.195 .. 38 



Paterson 205.244 175.077 17 



Philadelphia 4.482.515 4,974,260 . . 9 



Portland. Ore 1,803.645 1,142,400 57 



Rochester 1,119.084 872.073 28 



St. Paul 1,263.048 1,324,287 .. 4 



St Louis 1,581,717 1,823.926 .. 13 



Salt Lake City... 474,050 592,000 



San Francisco 140,247 352,125 .. 82 



Seattle 1,327,750 1,590,045 . . 18 



Spokane 824,425 807,225 2 



Toledo 423.950 565.350 . . 25 



Wilkes Barre 275.089 100,000 175 



Worcester 344,105 361,245 . . * 



Total ?81,804.356 $75,494,057 .. IT 



•Omaha one permit of $1,000,000 May, 1909. 



The Little Things Which Cause Mill Fires 

 In bulletin No. 36 U. S. Epperson & Co., Kan- 

 sas City, attorney and manager for the Lumber- 

 man's Underwriting Alliance, points out the 

 various causes of sawmill fires, which, owing to 

 their commonplace nature, are usually over- 

 looked by mill owners. These suggestions are 

 particularly pertinent at this time of the year, 



Death of Prominent Michigan Lumherman 



William Douglas, junior member of the Buck- 

 Icy & Douglas Lumber Company of Manistee, 

 Mich., died at the Palmer House, Chicago, on 

 June 4. Mr. Douglas had long been a sufferer 

 from asthma and last fall went South for his 

 health. He was on his way home from this 

 trip and stopped in Chicago for a short visit, 

 when he was stricken with a complication ol 

 troubles which resulted in his death. His body 

 was taken to Manistee for interment. 



Mr. Douglas was born at Chatham, Ontario, 

 in 1848, and went to Manistee in 1870. About 



The Use of Hickory in the United States 



The United States Department of Agriculture, 

 in cooperation with the National Hickory Asso- 

 ciation, has recently completed a canvass of the 

 chief users of hickory in this country to ascer- 

 tain the annual consumption of this wood. 



The rapidly decreasing supply in recent years 

 has caused no little alarm among the manufac- 

 turers of products requiring hickory ; however, 

 it has been Impossible up to the present to get 

 statistics which could be considered authentic, 

 either as to the yearly consumption or the total 

 remaining stand of this wood. This can he 

 attributed partly to the large number of small 

 mills, which after cutting all the hickory within 

 a reasonable distance, are either sold or moved 

 to new localities. The large amount split Into 

 billets for spokes, handles, etc., instead of being 



