42 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



law which requires that all commerce be- 

 tween American ports shall be carried on 

 in American bottoms is going to give a tre- 

 mendous, even if a temporary, advantage 

 to our competitors in Canada. Either our 

 shipping laws should be amended or the 

 government of the canal should be amended. 

 In the latter case the preference should be 

 given to American vessels or to American 

 products. Is it said that treaties forbid? 

 Perhaps so, but no treaty can stand that 

 threatens the physical or commercial wel- 

 fare of a great country like the United 

 States. 



In my opinion, the free gift of the canal 

 lo the commerce of the world is a piece of 

 altruism which goes beyond anything in 

 ioason. It looks very much as though the 

 promoters of the canal, project were so 

 anxious to do a big thing that they ignored 

 questions of substantial equity and com- 

 mon sense. The Panama canal will be in 

 fact a double canal. It will be a world 



canal, accommodating the commerce of the 

 world, and in that respect we should bo 

 neutral, favoring no other nation; but it 

 will also be an interooastal canal — a purely 

 domestic affair. In that respect, and so 

 far as our purely domestic trade is con- 

 eerned, we should no more be asked to open 

 it free of restrictions than the Mississippi 

 or the state of New York should the Erie 

 canal. 



But to go back to the original proposi- 

 tion: Unless the lumbermen of the United 

 States abandon their attitude of careless 

 optimism, of fatuous hope, regarding the 

 benefits to be received from the canal; un- 

 less they fully realize the gravity of the 

 situation that confronts them and grapple 

 in dead earnest with the problem, and un- 

 less they are successful in solving it, the 

 lumber industry of the country and the 

 cause of forest conservation will receive a 

 blow from which it will take a generation 

 to recover. Leon.^rd Bronson. 



Hardwood Record Mail "Bag 



Seeks Dimension Stock 



New Yokk, Cict. u. — Editor IIahdwood Recokd : 

 1 frequently have inquiries lor hardwood dimen- 

 sion stock and personally know of comparatively 

 lew mills which are in position to tauo care ot 

 this class of business. Knowing that you are 

 the prime mover in the hardwood dimension 

 stock, or whatevei- the title of the association 

 was, I wish to inquire if there is a list pub- 

 lished of the members of that organization, and 

 if yea can supply me with a copy of it. 



The above inquiry is from a well-known 

 New York jobber and he has been supplied 

 with the Eecord's list of hardwood dimen- 

 sion producers. Any others who would like 

 to communicate with this gentleman can have 

 iiis address upon application. — Editor. 



Wants White Ash 



Boston, Mass., Oct. 1.— Editor Hardwood 

 I(i;cohd; Enclosed find stamped envelope iu 

 which I wish you would kindly advise us. it' 

 possible, a list of maniifac-Uirevs of ash who 

 make a specialty of long ash ; for example, 

 twenty feet and up in length. 



Car Works. 



The writer of the above letter has been 

 i,uppiied with a list of producers of long 

 ash, and anyone else interested in effecting 

 the sale of this class of material can have 

 the address of the writer of the above letter 

 upon application. — Editor. 



ever heard of any complaint.? of this sort, or is 

 there any justification for their claim? If there 

 is. what can be done to evercome the difficulty ? 

 We would be most willing to do anything that 

 is possible. — Manufacturer. 



This is the first instance that has been 

 called to the Record's attention that the 

 dust from hemlock and spruce incident to the 

 sawing of dry lumber has been particularly 

 injurious to operators. Of course, dust of 

 any sort is injurious to the lungs and many 

 cases have been cited that dust from sundry 

 materials was so poisonous as to be deleteri- 

 ous to the health of workmen. If any of the 

 Eecord's readers have had similar experience 

 to that noted iu above communication and 

 have accomplished anything to remedy the 

 trouble, we will be very glad to have the in- 

 tormation. — Editor. 



To Dowel Makers 

 Cincinnati, O., Sept. 28. — Editor Hardwood 

 Eecord : Will you kindly give us a list of 

 manufacturers of wooden dowels? 



The foregoing letter is from a leading 

 lumber exporting house and it has been sup- 

 plied with the Eecord's current list of dowel 

 manufacturers. Arty others interested in this 

 line of manufacture for export can have 

 the address upon application. — Editor. 



Who Knows About This? 



York, Pa., Sept. 27. — Editor Hardwood 

 Record: Several of our employes have com- 

 plained that their work in the boxmaklng de- 

 partment has been iujurious to their health, 

 especially those who cross-cut and rip the box 

 boards. These sawyers say that. the hemlock 

 and spruce are poison, and we find difficulty in 

 keeping some of the men at work. The im- 

 mediate cause of this letter is that we recently 

 put a very healthy, stout-looking man at work 

 on the rip saw, ripping hemlock and spruce 

 boxlKiards, and there is no question about it, he 

 is visibly growing thinner and paler, we pre- 

 sume from some other cause, but the men claim 

 that it is the nature of the work. Have you 



Opening for a Competent Hardwood Man 

 New York City, Oct. 1. — Editor Hardwood 

 Record : We wish to secure a first-class, 

 thoroughly experienced hardwood salesman to 

 cover eastern territory. We want a man who 

 has handled quartered and plain oak, ash, poplar 

 and other hardwoods and has an established trade 

 in this section and can go out at once and get 

 business. If you have anyone in mind who would 

 suit these requirements, kindly put us in com- 

 munication with him. . 



The above communication is from a high- 

 class eastern hardwood house and anyone com- 

 petent to fill the position and interested in 

 it can have the address by applying to this 

 of&ce. — Editor. 



Wants Oak Squares for Table Legs 



111 I'EAMj, N. Y.. Sept. 2.3. — Editor Hardwood 

 Record : We are in the market lor ;i"x3"x25" 

 plain red or white oak squares for table legs. 

 Kindly advise who would be able to quote on 

 this requirement. 



FUKXITUIIE CuMrANI. 



The writer of the above letter has been 

 supplied with the names of several oak dimen- 

 sion stock producers. Any others who would 

 like to communicate with the writer can have 

 I he address upon application. — Editor. 



Another Seeker for Cane Ash 



Cincinnati, O., Sept. 25. — Editor Hardwood 

 ItKcoRD : We would appreciate it very much if 

 you would give us the names of a number of 

 producers of long cane ash planks in lengths of 

 from ten to twenty-tour feet or longer. 



CO.MPANY. 



The above communication is from a leading 

 lumber exporting house and has been supplied 

 with a list of sundry producers of white 

 ash. Any others interested in this line of 

 trade can have the address upon application. 

 — Editor. 



Seeks Additional Oak Supplies 



Buffalo, N. Y., Oct. 3. — Editor Hardwood 

 Record : We have a first-class yard, a good 

 trade and more facilities for handling lumber 

 than we have capital. Should be pleased to 

 communicate with manufacturers of oak who 

 can reach the eastern territory under favorable 

 freight rate to handle a considerable quantity 

 of lumber on joint account or commission basis. 

 . Lumber Cojipant. 



The above letter is from a well-established 

 and excellently reputed lumber house. Any 

 one interested in the proposition can have 

 the address by writing this otfice. — Editor. 



Balsa Wood 



Providence, R. I., Sept. 30. — Editor Hard- 

 wood Record : In your issue of Sept. 25 I note 

 that you have a client at Cleveland who is look- 

 ing for a wood known as balsa. I send you 

 under separate cover, a small specimen of this 

 wood, which was handed us by William Breen's 

 Sons of Brooklyn, N. Y., who inform us it is an 

 imported wood, lighter than cork, and used in 

 the manufacture of life preservers. They state 

 that quite an amount of it is imported into 

 Brooklyn, and I presume this is what your 

 friends are calling for. We have shown the 

 specimen to a large number of lumbermen, but 

 have never found anyone who could give us a 

 iiam3 or seemed to be at all acquainted with it. 

 . — L. H. Gage Lumber Company. 



The specimen of balsa in question has been 

 received by Hardwood Record. It is a gray- 

 ish-white wood, which, while it shows some 

 grain, has a good deal the appearance of elder 

 pith. It is extremely light in weight and 

 looks as though it might be an excellent sub- 

 stitute for cork in making life preservers. 



If any Eecord reader can give us definite 

 information about the source of supply of this 

 wood and other details, we will be pleased to 

 have it. — Editor. 



Additional Data on the Kiln-Drying of 

 Lumber 



Chicago. Oct. 5. — Editor Hardwood Record: 

 My atteution has just been called to your articles 

 on drying in the Record of Aug 25, also Mr. 

 Tiemann's reply in issue of Sept. 10, and am 

 writing you with the idea that it may clear up 



