LUMBEE RESOURCES OF PENNSYLVANIA. 



465 



an active business in the lumber trade along its route, which continued 

 till the money crisis of 1837. 



The lumber business began at Lock Haven about 1850, and at Will- 

 iamsport about 1852. Phelps & Dodge began at Pine Creek in 1849. 

 At the beginning of 1866 there were 30 mills at Williamsport, with 

 1,229 saws, and emploving 763 men. The capacity of these mills was 

 995,000 teet; 84,000 shingles, 187,000 lath, and 24,800 palings a day of 

 twelve hours. At the beginning of 1876 there were 26 mills, with a 

 capacity of 316,0U0,000 feet per annum. 



This region has since maintained its prominence in the maufacture of 

 lumber, as will be seen from the following statements : 



Shipments of lumher from Williamsport, Pa., since 1869. 



The production in 1875 was 39,501,000 at Lock Haven, 17,743,695 

 south of Trov, 9,240,515 at Renovo, and 2,990,434 at Larry's Creek, 

 making 254,657,005 lor the whole valley. The loss by fire in 1875 was 

 reported at 2,000,000 feet. 



The season capacity for day sawing at Williamsport is 382,000,000 

 feet a year, and at Lock Haven 71,000,000. The number of establish- 

 ments and kinds of saws used are as follows : 



The West Branch Boom Company of Lock Haven was organized 

 March, 1849, and has a capacity of 72,000,000 feet. The Sunbury boom, 

 built in 1872 and remodeled in 1873, was constructed by lumbermen at 

 Williamsport as a protection against accidents at high floods, and has 

 a capacity of 100,000,000 feet. 



The West Branch Lumbermen's Exchange was incorporated under an 

 act of the legislature in March, 1872, and has its ofiQce at Williamsport. 



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