RED ALDER OF THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST 29 
overrun. A mill-scale study conducted at a small portable mill of 
average efficiency and operating in medium-sized timber showed the 
overrun to be 20 per cent. Reports indicate that an overrun of 25 to 
30 per cent by the Scribner rule is not unusual. 
TRANSPORTATION 
Alder in the form of logs or lumber must oe transported rather 
long distances to the consuming factories, located largely in Seattle, 
Tacoma, and Portland. As a result, transportation costs, which as 
already defined do not include the first mile in the woods, represent 
a large percentage of the total cost of the lumber to the consumer. 
About 80 per cent of the logs produced are subject to transportation 
charges as such, 20 per cent of these being transported by water, 35 
per cent by auto truck, and 45 per cent by rail. Of the lumber pro- 
duced by the independent mills, which represents 70 per cent of the 
total lumber cut, about 95 per cent is transported by common-carrier 
railroads and 5 per cent by auto trucks. From this it will be seen 
that more than 50 per cent of the alder consumed is first transported 
as logs and then as lumber before it reaches the factory in form for 
use. 
WATER 
Water transportation is limited to the towing of rafts of 20,000 to 
40,000 board feet each on the Columbia River and Puget Sound. 
No definite towage rates for alder have been established by the tow- 
ing companies, doubtless because of the small quantity moved by 
water, the small size of the rafts, and the fact that alder rafts are 
usually made up at points off the regular towing routes. As a 
result, the rates vary considerably, but usually are considerably in 
excess of those quoted for large rafts of softwoods. The cost aver- 
ages from $2 to $4 per thousand feet. 
Alder logs, riding very low in the water, tend to duck under the 
boom sticks and so get away. To prevent this the logs are bound 
together in tiers by means of cables passed through eye bolts driven 
in logs, with the tiers in turn bound to the boom sticks. 
AUTO TRUCKS 
Of the alder logs transported to mills outside of the woods and 
more than 1 mile from the timber, something less than 35 per cent 
go by auto truck. Judging from present practice, it is not ordi- 
narily practical to move logs by this method for distances greater 
than 7 or 8 miles. Many of the operators own trucks, some hire 
them by the day, and others contract the work at a stipulated amount 
for each thousand feet. The cost of truck transportation averages 
$3 to $6 a thousand board feet, depending for the most part on the 
distance. 
Only a small quantity of alder lumber is transported by auto 
trucks. As in the case of logs the cost varies considerably, even when 
the distance and character of road are practically the same. For 
distances up to 80 miles, the cost ranges from $3 to $10 a thousand 
feet. 
