36 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



the properties. The prices received in 1909 were 

 less than those of the preceding year. On do- 

 mestic business, the average prices received this 

 year on all rolled and other finished product 

 shipped, were 14. ;i per cent less than the aver- 

 age received in 190S ; on export shipments the 

 average received in IDOli were 7.8 per cent less 

 than those of 1008. 



Eastern Traffic Records Broken 



The following statement, issued by President 

 \V. ('. Brown of the New York Central Lines, 

 during a recent visit to Chicago, shows no hold- 

 ing back on the part of that road, in apprehen- 

 sion of the effects of pending railroad legislation 

 at Washington. President Bi'own has no fear of 

 the deterioration in general business conditions, 

 which seems to be preventing various western 

 railroads from making very necessary improve- 

 ments. 



President P.rown states ; "We are htadling 

 the biggest business in the history of our line. 

 Not only is each month showing surprisUr, in- 

 creases, but for the last six months w^ Iiave 

 handled more business than we ever did #eforo 

 in the corresponding month. We are ru;;ning 

 short from 5,000 to 10,000 cars a day in filling 

 orders, despite the fact that we are receiving 

 new cars from the builders at the rate of a 

 thousand a week. 



"For the first thirteen days in March, the 

 latest report I have, our loaded car movement 

 for all lines in the system was 824,2.33 loads, 

 the largest in our history for that period. This 

 is an increase over March, 190(5. of 134,000 

 loads; over March, 1907, of 122,000; over 

 March, lUOS, of 215,000 ; over March, 1909, of 

 140,000. The increase is general in all lines 

 of business, but is largest in coal, ore. iron and 

 steel and their products. 



"I see no occasion for the railroads to fear 

 the administration railroad bill. In my opin- 

 ion it contains more constructive and regula- 

 tive legislation than all bills that have been 

 introduced. It increases the power of the Inter- 

 state Commerce Commission, provides for a com- 

 merce court to expedite the litigation of big 

 cases where necessarj', and thoroughly super- 

 vises the issuance of railroad securities." 



New Philadelphia Concern 



Mlngus & Hutter is the name of a new whole- 

 sale lumber house at 218 Franklin Bank build- 

 ing, I'hiladelphia, I'a., which is made up of W. 

 J. Mingus and Thomas B. Itutter. Jr. This con- 

 cern takes over the lumber sales end of the 

 late W. M. McCormick's business and will oc- 

 cupy the office headquarters of the decease i 



Walter J. Mingus has been in the employ of 

 the W. M. McCormick Company for about twenty- 

 three years, having become associated with him 

 the year following Mr. McCormick's advent in 

 the lumber business at Philadelphia. PreviouGly 

 he was in the book business, having left the 

 employ of Henry C. <'oates & Co. to take this 

 position. 



Thomas B. Uutter. .Jr.. entered the employ 

 of Mr. McCormick about twelve years ago, di- 

 rectly after he was graduated from the Philadel- 

 phia Central High School. lie is a young man. 

 thirty years of age, and married. 



Under the new arrangement it is the inten- 

 tion that Mr. Rutter will do the traveling for 

 the concern in the eastern market while Mr. 

 Mingus will look after the Philadelphia affairs 

 and the office. 



Mingus & Rutter will continue to represent 

 the Little River Lumber Company of Townsend, 

 Tcnn., and the Clearfield Lumber Company, Inc.. 

 of Clearfield, Ky. 



The product of the Little River Lumber Com- 

 pany is largely the surpassing yellow poplar of 

 cast Tennessee, hemlock, soft maple, birch, beech, 

 red oak and several other varieties of woods that 

 grow to such fine quality in that district. The 



Clearfield Lumber Company. Inc.. manufactures 

 white oak extensively in the form of boards, tim- 

 Iwr. railroad and export wagon stock. Both 

 Messrs. Mingus and Rutter are already well 

 known in the Philadelphia trade, and as they 

 have' leen so closely identified with the success 



W. J. MINGUS, PHILADELPHl.A. 



THOMAS B. RUTTFlt. .11!. PHILADELPHIA. 



of the late Mr. McCormick, there is no donbt 

 alMjut their prosperity in taking over his lumber 

 sales affairs. Both are men of character and 

 aliility and are indefatigable workers. 



Are Large or Small Kilns More Efficient? 



The size of the dry-kiln, says a writer in The 

 Woodworker, is dependent on the amount of 

 material to be dried and the length of time that 

 can be consumed in the process. Ordinaril.v, for 

 prompt work, a bank of several small kilns has 

 advantages over one large one ; various kinds 

 and thicknesses of lumber may be handled in- 

 dependently. Thin stock and soft woods dry 

 more quickly than thick or hardwood. Some 

 kinds of woods require different treatment in 

 the kiln than others, and taken all round, the 

 smaller kilns can be loaded and unloaded in 

 shorter time. Should it be necessar.v. more help 

 can be employed, and each kiln rushed to its 

 full capacity without in any way retarding dry- 

 ing or getting at any special lot of lumber. 



There is probably only one instance where the 

 large kiln has any advantage, and that is where 

 large quantities of one kind and a certain thick- 

 ness is to be handled coQstanffy. In such a case, 

 a kiln that would handle a daily output without 

 interruption could be used to best advantage. 



Speaking of kilns, how few there are who can 

 operate a dry kiln scientifically and satisfac- 

 toril.v, without spoiling lumber by splitting or 

 warping, case-hardening av checking ! The regu- 

 lation of spaces between the piles, between the 

 layers and between the pieces in the layers ; the 

 amount of heat, the moisture and the withdrawal 

 of the same, are all points that need to be un- 

 derstood to a nicety. The condition of the stock 

 as it goes in, its dryness, general character and 

 shape, size and use, all have an important bear- 

 ing on the treatment it should receive. How 

 ruany dry kiln operators take these conditions 

 into account and treat the stork accordingly? 



All could benefit by giving this subject more 

 careful thought and alitention. Lumber would 

 come out in better condition, with a correspond- 

 ingly less loss through ill treatment. 



Changes in Little River Lumber Company 

 and Allied Concerns 



Following the death of W. M. McCormick of 

 I'hiladelphia, president of the Little River Lum- 

 ber Compan.v, there have been some changes in 

 the executives of that company and the other 

 corporations in which Mr. McCormick was in- 

 terested. 



The active executives of tne estate of W. M. 

 McCormick are the two brothers. Seth T. McCor- 

 mick and Frank McCormick of Williamsport. 



Frank McCormick has been elected as director 

 of the several Tennessee companies in which 

 the deceased was interested, which comprises the 

 Little River Lumber Company and the Little 

 River Railroad Company at Townsend, Tenn. ; 

 the Ilolston Box & Lumber Company, the Hol- 

 ston Realty Company and the Muctownlee Com- 

 pany of Knoxville, Tenn. 



Seth T. McCormick has been elected a director 

 of the various Kentucky corporations, i. e.. the 

 Clearfield Lumber Company. Inc.. and the More- 

 head & North Fork RaUroad of Clearfield, Ky. 



W. B. Townsend, general manager of the Little 

 River Lumber Company, has been elected presi- 

 dent of the I^ittle River Lumber Company of 

 Townsend. Tenn.. and the Jlorehead & North 

 Fork Railroad Company of Clearfield. Ky. Mr. 

 Townsend has heretofore Ijeen president of the 

 other Tennessee corporations except the Little 

 River Railroad Compan.v. of which A. W. Lee. 

 of Clearfield, Pa., is president. 



The eastern sales office of the allied lumber 

 institutions formerly controlled by Vi. M. Mc- 

 Cormick will be continued by W. J. Mingus and 

 Thomas B. Rutter. .7r.. under the firm name of 

 Mingus & Rutter. at the old headquarters in 

 the Franklin Bank building. Philadelphia. 



Because of his impaired physical condition, 

 Mr. Townsend has decided' to take a vacation, 

 and accompanied by his wife, he will sail from 

 New York for London on the Steamship Minne- 

 apolis .luly 16. to he absent until fall. Mr. 

 Townsend's condition is by no means serious, 

 but it has been deemed wise by his associates 

 that he take a vacation from business activities 

 for some months. 



New Chicago Concern 



A new concern in the Chicago hardwood trade 

 is the Marshall Lumber Company, with offices 

 at 1630 Old Colony building. This concern will 

 do a business in northern and southern hard- 

 woods and is well equipped to handle a large 

 trade. The organization is recent, the business 

 having been started within the last two weeks. 

 K. E. Marshall is the guiding spirit and with 

 him is associated his brother. W. E. Marshall. 

 E. E. Marshall is a young lumberman with a 

 good deal of experience and energy to back him 

 in his new departure. He was for several years 



