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About The west shore. (Portland, Or.) 1875-1891 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 1, 1889)
THE WEST SHORE. growi Id grot qaantity along tbo bottom lands of the various stroaras Ibwing into Vagd sound, and tbii ii oat by the settlors and loRgors and sold to tbe compa ny. Igi are taken to tbe mill in rafU or on barges, cut to twice tbe length of a stave, and are known ai "stave bolts." In tbe appointment! of tbe new mill rapidity and economy of handling material have been well considered. A atam engine located on a ledge oparate from the mill building! inppliea power to draw tbe bolts out of tbe water, ran the machinery of the mill and ojwate an eloctrio dynamo by which tbe entire town and worki will loon be lighted with both aro and iucaudecent eloctrio light. The bolt are hauled np an incline, at tbe head of which they en counter a aaw that quickly aawi them into lengths for Uvea. After being ateamed, another cut them to the proer tbickne, and a third machine ahapea them to that when pat together tbey will have the re paired bilge in the center. They are then tied np in bundle, loaded on can and pawed through the dry kiln, where tbey are thoroughly aeaaonrd, and are then atorrd away for use, lleada are made from bolt of a different length, The alaba, after being aawed out of tbe bolt and being thoroughly kiln dried, are laid at proper width on another machine and aawed into round and perfect heads, throe piece usu ally going into one head. The head are then bar. reled np and laid away for future use or for shipment, it Mug tbe purpose of the company to supply staves and beads for the general market, also. Shingles and boi material of all kinds will also be made in order to mi md it. keep the saws busy when they hare anmulatej ma Uial beyond the capacity of the other machines, In ths cooper shop a busy and interesting aoene i. wit. nee4, and ths ring of ths hammer, on the reonMl Urwta U hervl from oos ,d of the long .hop to ths other. The coopers work in sets of four, grouped about a stove, upon which the barrels are heated after being " set up " and before " hooping." From a pile of staves the cooper selects enough to make a barrel and places them in position by confining the upper ends in a heavy hoop and letting the lower ends rest upon the ground. Another hoop is then driven down toward the center of the barrel. The barrel is then reversed and the upper ends of the staves, which are narrower than the center and are about two inches apart, are drawn together by a rope loop placed over the ends and tightened by power from a treadle or windlass sufficiently to permit another strong hoop to be slipped over the top. The barrel is then set over a drying cylinder on the stove, and when sufficiently dry tbe regular hoops are adjusted, the heads set in, the edges of the staves planed, ohampered and crozed, and the completed barrel is then rolled along an in dine to a warehouse, where it is stored for seasoning. Hoops are made of hazel, vine maple and fir, and are in the main out by settlers during leisure hours in the winter season, put into bunches of one hundred hops each, and traded to store keepers for goods, from whom they are purchased by barrel manufacturers. An immense stock of materials and completed barrels is always kept on hand, the company usually carrying a stock of one hundred thousand sets of staves and heads, five hundred thousand hoops and twenty thou sand barrels. Mr. Andrew Fauble is foreman of the cooperage department As soon as the new wharf is finished a quarry will be opened for the purpose of getting out baiiding stone, of which this marble supplies the finest qual ity. The marble is of a beautiful gray tint, with white crystals scattered through it in veins and groups, and takes a very high polish. For mantola, table tops, and furniture of all kinds, it is as fine as the best that can be seen in the market any where, and for building purposes it is unequaled on this coast It can be quarried in blocks of any size and shape desired, and is especially valuable for large monuments. As soon as the proper shipping facili ties are completed, the great demand now made for this stone will be supplied, and Roche harbor mar. ble will oon become a famous as Roche harbor lime. The new dock will be provided with tracks for hauling the heavy blocks of stone to cars, power for which will come from the compressed air engine, and the dock is so planned that four vessels and scows can be loading at the same time. The company owns nine hundred acre of land, ouch of which is covered with valuable timber, and rrom which it cuts it own wood, using thirty cord- a J. It owns all the land enclosing the harbor, in ceding Pearl Uland opposite the works, and every