The Oregon daily journal. (Portland, Or.) 1902-1972, December 31, 1908, Page 27, Image 27

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    1808.
OMQIiniDUSTRIES
WHEAT. FLOUR,
LUMBER. TIMBER.
MANUFACTURING,
WATER POWER.
0BEG01U1IDUSTIUES
WOOL, SHIPPING.
' MACHINERY.
AGRICULTURE. .
HORTICULTURE.
TRANSPORTATION.
DAIRYING.
FISHIMC1. LIVESTOCK.
PAPER MAK.Ilsia
) MININq . C OAL. , '
WOOD PULB
THE OREGON DAILY JOURNAL. PORTLAND. , THURSDAY EVENING, DECEMBER 31,
I
Oregonrs Lumtper ; :
A Yearly Output o Nearly Two
, , Billion Feet, Valued at Twenty-Five
Million Dolars -Portland Produces
More Lumber TLan Any City in tKe
World Forty Thousand Square
' Miles of Timber
(0 Onfw Xumbt Statistics.
Number of mills.
i Tearljr output (ft.-
.
'
B. M.)...,.
Value rrand
' total) ...... ...f
Dourlsa fir (feet
. B. M.)
M'emloclc (feet B.
M.)
Spruce (feet B.
M.) ...........
Western Fine (ft'
B
Cedar (ft B. M ).
Inarch (ft B. M) .
White fir (feet
B. ...
Sugar Fine (feet
B. M.) ....
Oak (ft B. M.),..
Maple (ft B. M.)..
Cottonwood (feet
- B. M.) . . . .
Ash (ft B. M.)..
II other (feet
B. M.)
lth
Shingles
Number of em
ployes Total . yearly
wages f
Standing timber
(feet B. M.)... .
iff
1,706,000,000
18,000,000
1,400,000,000
H.XIB.800
, 13,000,000
1S4.009.000
23,000,000
7,000,000
(.000,000
6,260.000
l.fl0,000
1,110,000
1,860,000
771.000
65,000
116,000,000
100,000,000
20,000
12,000,000
327.000,000,000
THE foregoing statistics furnish
an idea of the vast timber re
sources of the state of Oregon
and the immense magnitude of
n lumucr jnuusiry. 10 me oui-
putrl these figures do, not represent
the year now closinsrbut have been
arrived at by striking a; fair average
,under normal conditions. During the
fyear 1906, the output of lumber was
-even greater-than quoted above, but
Eastern Hat factory
Only Hat Factory in Portland
Business Steadily,
Increasing
It may not be generally known
mat mere la a hat factory m Port
land, and this will serve te introduce
the Eastern Hat factory to the pub
lic. This company started business
nearly six years ago in a small Way
and has created a big- demand f er
men s hats bearing' the Arm's name.
All shapes, siies and colors of hats
are manufactured from the rough
bodies. The firm is enjoying an In
creasing trade with retail stores In
the city, proving the popularity of
their goods, Besides the wholesale
trade the firm conducts an. extensive
reUir-basiness st 64 Third street, in
the Worcester block.
The Eastern Hat factory claims,
and demonstrates, . that the publio
,ctt save 60 per cent by buying hats
of their manufacture. The same
materiel- used in leading hat fac
tories of the country is brought from
the east in the rough hats which can
be inspected in their store. Any 14
hat in . the city, . carl be duplicated
by the firm for $2 and any $3 hat
for $1.(0. Their made to order busi
ness Is increasing rapidly. Any man
desiring a special hat of any shape,
size or color can haveit made on
short notice, so that If an eielusfVe
hat is desired, this firm can fill the
order promptly and save you money.
inspection or tneir large and
varied - stock- of rough' shapes and
finished hats is Invited at all times.
It being the only firm In the city
manufacturing mien's hats from 'the
rough bodies, a I visit to their factory
wlllprove Interesting. The Arm also
oops renovating ana manes a ape
rlaltv of - Panama bleaching and
blocking. . ;v ('-:..
that year was a record breaker, with
many of the plants taxed to utmost
capacity. .- '
The year 1907, too, rolled up a
startling, total and retained'for Port
land the distinction of producing more
lumber than any other city- in the
world. 'This record had already been
established the year 1906, when the
cut reached the grand total of 643,
532,893 feet, an increase of 102,212,893
feet oyer the cut of 1905. ' The cut of
1907 was 538,116,180 feet" The year
1908 will not go down in history with
such splendid showing because the
output during the early part of the
year "especially was greatly reduced
owin$ to the falling off in-the mar-
,kets in consequence of the financial
flurry and the heavy freight rate ad
vance to. points east of the Rocky
mountains. -- k'. ' ' 'S' : -.."' t
Damage Already Done.
: Restoration of the old rates, after
many legal battles before the inter-,
state commerce - commission and
courts, resulted in a revival of busi-r
ness from the affected points, but the
damage had already been inflicted and
for that reason the respective figures
for the year will not come up to those
of either three preceding years.
The year 1909 is expected to bring
a heavier demand for lumber than
ever, dealers' basing their opinion on
the fact that stocks nearly everywhere
have been allowed to dwindle down
to the lowest level recorded for some
time. Last : summer, dealers in the
middle states bought sparingly , to
fill only immediate wants and are now
beginning to place orders held pend7
ing the improvement in financial con
ditions. - . "-.:
, ' Cargo Trade for 1908.
During the year 1908 Oregon
Shipped approximately 185,000,000 feet
of lumber by water, about .35,000,000
feet of this quantity going to foreign
ports and 150,000,000 feet to Califor
nia. .These figures Include shipments
from Portland. Willamette river
points, points along the Oregon side
of the Columbia river and ports along
the. Oregon coast. The remainder of.
the cut was shipped by rail, used for
local consumption oP held for a rising
market
, The principal foreign markets were
the orient, Europe and Australia. The
demand for Oregon or Douglas fir in
Europe is increasing rapidly so that
where one cargo was shipped some
years ago there re now shipped three
or four. Europe buys only high-grade
lumber, a large percentage of rt be
ing for use in the construction of the
navies of the old countries. One
cargo set afloat here last spring for
Copenhagen and Hamburg was valued
at about $90,000 or about $35 per
1,000 feet board measurement. An
other valuable cargo, though-a small
one, was started for Cape Town,
South Africa, a few days ago.
Australia and Orierf
Cargoes shipped to Australia con
sisted largely of mining timbers. The
orient takes heavy timbers of all
kinds. Timbers of immense size have
been furnished by Portland mills for
use in the construction of the Panama
canal, and several million feet are
.shipped annually to porta along the
west coast of South America." A ship
ment .of 1,200,000 feet will be dis
patched to Singapore in a few day
and even New Zealand has been buy
ing building material here in recent
times. . Mexico gets much material
here for railroad extension work, the
cargoes going'frorn here to Guaymas.
So far Oregon fir has been noted
principally, as especially adapted for
heavy construction or . shipbuilding.
In the mines of Australia it has been
s known that the timbers from Oregon
are able to withstand the heavy strain
in supporting shafts arid tunnels; in
China it has long been, known that
from Portland comes timber that
when used in the construction of
heavy bridges or wharves will stand
thctest.
Best for Naval Use.
In the British ship and navy yards
rit has- been discovered that Oregon
fir fills the' bill when 'Jong perfect
spars-are required. For decking, it is
gaining a standing that will soon
place it in enviable prominence with
large shipbuilding establishments
throughout -the world. The ship
builders of the Atlantic coast discov
ered the merits of Oregon fir many
years ago for sticks in their speedy
sailing vessels and they would have
none other, and eventually it received
introduction in the old world. Sev-.
ecal firms in Portland are now devot
ing most of their attention to Euro
pean shipments.
Fir as Finishing "Wood.
Manufacturers themselves have
made no particular effort .until quite
recently to bring the merits of the
beautifully grained fir to. the notice
.of the builders in the east, but a
movement is now on foot for con
certed action with this purpose in
view. Exhibits of fir panels, stained
and in natural color, will be shown to
the masses throughout the east and
architects will be prevailed upon to at
least give patrons an opportunity to
choose fir should they desire in se
lecting finishing lumber.
Large quantities of fir enter into
the manufacture of mill work, such
as doors and sashes of which Oregon
factories ship respectable quantities
to points in the east' and middle
states. But of late the home demand
has been so strong that eastern busi
ness has hot been catered to very ex
tensively. There is no trouble, how
ever, In disposing of the surplus out
put should the local demand fall off
temporarily. The Coos Bay country
ships several carloads of Port Orford
cedar doors and sashes through this
city as far east as New York and
Port Orford lumber, native - nowhere
else in the world but in this state, is
much sought after . as the highest
grade of material for construction of
small boats. The United States gov
ernment uses none other when obtain
able. V :
Cedar Used for Matches.'
Large quantities of the white cedar
are shipped here in cordwood sires
for the manufacture of matches under
the popular : name of matchwood.
Port Orfora cedar shingles are being
introduced and sell at twice the value
of red cedar shingles, the advantage
being that they are absolutely weather
proof and require-no painting.
In the manufacture of fruit boxes
Oregon lumber finds another increas-
ing demand. Millions of feet are
used annually and yet the fruit cul
ture here is only in its infancy. . As
the native forests disappear, the ap
ple, pear and other fruit orchards take
their place and thereby multiply the
demand for the remaining timber. In
the vicinity of Medford alone, it is
estimated, large tracts of timber will
soon be required for the manufacture
of boxes for shipping of fruit grown
there. The Hood River district has
created - an almost unbelievable de
mand for boxes and it is being filled
by mills in that vicinity.
Authorities assert that the timbered
area of Oregon is approximately 40,
000 square miles, 29,000 square miles
of which carry merchantable timber.
About ' 24,000 square miles of this
wooded area are incorporated in the
national forests, 16,000 square miles
are in the hands of private owners
and 150 square miles are sfill held by
the state. The species of trees upon
the area carrying merchantable timber
may be rated as follows:
Trees of Many Species.
In western Oregon, Douglas fir
constitutes 79 per cent; yellow and
sugar pine, 3 per cent; spruce, 5 per
cent; hemlock, 5 per cent; cedar, 5 per
cent; scattering, 3 pefr cent.
In eastern Oregon, Douglas fir, 11
per cent; yellow pine, 80 per cent;
sugar pine, 1 per cent; hemlock, 3 per
cent; white fir, 2 per cent; tamarack,
2 per cent.pscattering, 1 per cent.
Estimates'of the total stand of tim
ber for the state vary from 215 to 400
billion board feet, and 327 billion feet
is believed to be a conservative esti
mate. Nearly 80 per cent of the timber of
the state is to be found in western
Oregon, where the stand is estimated
to be something like 25,000 board feet
per acre, while, the stand in the tim
bered portions of eastern Oregon is
estimated to be 10,000 board feet per
acre.
These figures are given in the re
cently issued report of the Oregon
conservation committee, and are con
sidered about as accurate as possible
to. obtain.-
Many Virgin Forests. "
. While logging camps have been
operated along the Columbia riser
for many years there are still many
large tracts of virgin forests between
Portland and the ocean. . They are
held for higher values 'and as such
are considered excellent investments.
It is estimated that about 7,000 men
find employment in 'logging camps
of the state. The greater number of
these camps are located on Colum
bia river and Coos bay. A number
of camps are operated by mills pro
vided with standing timber, while
others log the trees for mills buying
in the open market. At present the
best yellow fir logs command from
$9 to $10 per thousand feet.
. The J size of Oregon timber ; has
been a source of much admiration.
Lumbermen of Wisconsin and Michi
gan, hundreds. ofwhom have disposed
of their interests there to enter the
much better field here, have been as
tonished when first introduced to the
camps here. A fair sample of a Colum
bia river district log was dumped into
the water the other day from a camp in
Clatsop county near Astoria. The
tree was-128 feejtiajength to the first
limb, 109 inches in diameter at the
butt, 69 inches in diameter at the top
and contained 47793 feet, board meas
ure. The tree was cut into five logs
and brought to the river on one xzva.
Need Heavy Machinery.
To handle such giants of the forest
requires heavy machinery . and all
modern appliances. The lumbermen
of Michigan and Wisconsin had no
idea when they came out, here what
sort of timber they had to deal with.
Illustration of this fact was furnished
a few years ago when one of the
largest plants on the river was in
stalled by men who had spent nearly
a lifetime in the forests of the middle ;
states. The machinery, brought out
was built for handling ordinary log
back there but it was no match for.
the Oregon logs,
: Chains snapped like threads and
hooks bent straight when' brought in
contact with the monster sticks. But
large as they may be even these mon
sters have to yield when attacked by
the properly provided facilities. Ore
gon has as a result some of the finest
equipped plants in the world.
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pvKTifino,ureooru
AN IMPORTANT HOME INDUSTRY
- i r . ' y
Started With a Capital of ""$150.00 in 1893, Now One of the Big
Manufacturing Establishments of Portland.
. . 1 -
Boost what's in a name, anyway? "Boost" is a good slogan for any business man, but not
many business men can boast of Boost for a name. Whether this cognomen had anything to do
with the success of the Portland Wire & Iron Works or not is not known, but suffice it to say
that the company was established in 1893 by C. W, Boost on a capital of about $150. . After 11
years of progress the business was boosted enough' to interest E. C. Comstock, who thought it
looked pretty good, and he bought a half interest in it four years ago, amd the first of the pres
ent year he acquired the other half, being now sole proprietor.
The Portland Wire & Iron4VorJcs-manufactures all kinds of bank, store and office railings,
grille work for elevator enclosures, elevator cabs, stairwork, balcony Tailings,fire escapes, fences and
all kinds of ornamental wire, iron and bronze work. The company occupies a quarter of a block
at the corner of Second and Everett streets, and the two story building and premises are crowded
to capacity. It is likely a larger factory will be erected at no distant date to meet the ever in
creasing business.
The firm's work is in evidence in mostly all the large office buildings of the city, the Com-"
merctal Club being equipped outright with their work, including the stairs, elevator enclosures?"
and cabs, balconies, fire escapes, etc. Much of the work in the Corbett and other large buildings
was executed.by this firm, which just secured the contract for jthe elevator cabs and enclosure
work for the "new courthouse in Baker City. Practically all thevwire and iron work in the Ger
linger building was done by this firm. The fire escapes in all the pyblic schools of Spokane were
built by this firm. The new Y. M. C. A. building will also be equipped - with the firm's stair
work, balconies, railings, elevator enclosures and cabs and fire escapes. Other big contracts se
cured are the Good Samaritan Hospital, Blumauer-Frank, Crane &jKQand other, buildings. ;
This firm's work is well known all over Oregon, Washington anaidaho, and even in Alaska
and British Columbia. The Portland Wire & Iron Works can be rankedNvith the leading indus
tries of the state of Oregon. ' ' .
The officers are: E. C. Comstock, president and treasurer; M. T. Comsfock, vice president,
and R. W. Montague, secretary- ' -
Broomm Conine.)
Established 1902
Incorporated in' Oregon 1905
Manufacturers of the
Celebrated
BMDOMS
' Orjly Factory west of the Mississippi river"
utilizing Illinois broom corn "exclusively in high
grade brooms. "
. Employs from 18 to 24 skilled hands and no
child labor in the factory. - J- , f
Capacity of Factory
100 Dozen Brooms Daily
The one Broom Factory in the state selling to i
the retail trade direct only. ' ; ;
Factory and Office, Villa Ave.
PHONE EAST G4C V
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4aWfc-iaSi''li ' nirniT'i f miiw i n
last Si
deli
& Lumber Co.
loiflrgstiing
Plant to Be Enlarged, New Kilns and Sash and Door Mills to Be. Erected
on Lately Acquired Land Adjoining Their Property on Spokane Avenue
-Naturally the lumber jndustry of Oregon should center in Portland, the commercial center of the state famous for its timber. A vhit to the
large sawmills of the city convinces the visitor of the importance of these busy plants. That the East Side Mill & Lumber company is a potent
factor in the expansion of Portland, is evident to all who see the large mills and yards at the foot of Spokane avenue, The present site contains
about 12 acres on the Willamette. The company vas very much crowded for "space owing to the increase of business, and last August thy
acquired 8J4 acres immerfJJUely adjoining to the south, a beautiful park on the' river', which some were anxious the city to buy for a public park.
The trees will soon fall victims to the woodman's axe for the East Side Mill & Lumber company, which requires the land for mill and lumber purposes.
. The officers of this company, which was established in 1893, are: A. C. Mowrey, president; John P. Miller, vice president, and C P. Hogue,'
secretary-treasurer. The company employs about 140' men and 20 teams, who draw about $10,000 monthly. It is such institutions as this that
build- a city. It can be seen that so many men, representing probably about half a thousand people, mean much in building up a community. The
capacity of the mill is 10,000 feet per hour, and the mill is running to full capacity. Fir lumber is manufactured exclusively, rough and finished,
their large planing mill having a capacity of between 1,500,000 and 2,000,000 feet per month of 25 days. The stock" on hand is generally bctwelrft'4
2,000,000 and 3,000,000 feet .The capacity of the finished lumber sheds is about 500,000 feet. During the coming season the company will erect ,
kilns and sash and door mills on the lately purchased addition. The yards have a water1 frontage of 2000 feet. The ferry landing is at Spokane
avenue, which divides the old site from the new ground lately bought. ; This section is rapidly filling up and will be very valuable property,
.The fiast Side Mill & Lumber company -owns its own logging camp' in Clackamas county, and operates its own railroad, consisting of tt.rfe
miles of track, one locomotive, four donkey engines and 20 logging cars. They connect with the O..W. P. at Deep Creek ; Junction and deliver
logs on their own tracks in their yards at the foot of Spokane avenue. They have three side tracks, two for lumber and one for log. Tlx-?
i shipping facilities are good, the O. W, P. connecting with all roads. This firm's market is about evenly, divided locally and at points wt of tU
Mississippi river. Hie firm enjoys the enviable reputation of turning out the best work in the city, which accounts more than anything ' '
its rapid expansion. There is no standing still with this company. Realizing he future of Portland and Oregon its management is niakis g
provisions for the demands of a flourishing city and stale, and when it is again necessary to expand the East Side Mill Sc Lumber ru ;
-be equal to the conditions. Evidently Ihe company's motto is "Say Toothing but Saw Wood" for the officers are not boastful. Ii-y .
entirely on the excellent standard they maintain, and from the buzx of the kaws, and the general activity around their plant, it h e; '-: i t'
company is enjoying an era of: remarkable prosperity. : -
s f.