Part 16 (2/2)
One of the others sustained a temporary loss of business by fire. The product will in the aggregate be doubled next season.
The logs sawed in Detroit are procured from St. Clair River, Black River, Mill Creek and, Belle River. As a large share of that sold here has been on contract, there has been no great fluctuation in the market at this point. On the first of July the rates by the cargo were $25a$26 for clear and $19a$20 for second clear; on the first of October, $24 for clear, and $18 for second clear.
Last winter and spring were very unfavorable for lumbering. Owing to the small quant.i.ty of snow, but few logs were got out, and many of them being on small streams, owing to the failure of the usual spring freshets, were not sawed, so that upon the whole the mills of the State turned out only about half the amount of their capacity.
The market opened in the spring with flattering prospects. Buyers from a number of important points in the Eastern States, previously deriving their supplies from Maine, visited our State, anxious to secure contracts for choice lumber, and the opinion prevailed that the demand would exceed the supply. The prospect encouraged manufacturers to make unwonted exertions in turning out all the stock that could be rendered available, which involved increased expense. In some places, as was the case at Saginaw, a very large amount was got out in the early part of the summer. About the close of June, the market experienced a sudden and unlooked-for depression, after which prices tended speedily downward, falling to such a low point before the close of the season that manufacturers on the west coast generally suspended their s.h.i.+pments. Those on the east coast continued to s.h.i.+p, but their s.h.i.+pments to a very great extent still remain unsold. We are cognizant of 7,000,000 feet held in that way by only four manufacturers.
The accounts this winter are very favorable, but the idea that obtains, fixing the amount at a very high figure, is vague and erroneous. The true state of the case is, that manufactures, as a general thing, in view of the depressed condition of the trade, have been making calculations to do a light business, and got out their logs sooner than they expected, and will on the whole do rather more than they had antic.i.p.ated, having gone into the woods lighthanded. The most experienced judges concur in fixing the amount of logs got out this winter on River St. Clair, at Port Huron and Saginaw Bay, but not including the rivers above, at 175,000,000 feet. In the Saginaws, it is ascertained that about 100,000,000 will be got out. Taking the entire east coast, it is thought the logs this winter would exceed those of last by fifteen to twenty per cent.
By Custom House statements of s.h.i.+pments, added to actual receipts at one of the receiving points--Chicago--it will be seen below that for 1859 a little over 269,000,000 feet is the amount of s.h.i.+pments arrived at. These figures, taken in connection with the estimates of those competent to judge, render it certain that the actual amount s.h.i.+pped out of the State did not vary materially from 400,000,000 feet. There being no penalty involved in the failure of masters of vessels to report, there is great carelessness in the matter. The Cleveland, Toledo and Sandusky s.h.i.+pments, are at the outside, not more than half reported. Those reported to Buffalo, Oswego, etc., are a little nearer the truth, but they fall considerably below the mark.
The amount made in 1859, did not vary materially from that s.h.i.+pped. In the district embracing the River St. Clair, Port Huron and the Lake Sh.o.r.e, 6,000,000 feet more were wintered over last year than this. On the west coast it was different generally, so that the variation in the aggregate cannot be much either way. The capacity of the mills in the pine lumber region is 900,000,000 feet, or possibly a little more.
As regards the amount of s.h.i.+ngles made, even dealers are much in the dark. To add 50 per cent. to the Custom House returns would certainly be within bounds for the eastern coast. This would give 120,000,000 as the amount. For the west coast, if we take the amount received at Chicago, say 165,000,000, with an additional twenty-five per cent. for that received at Milwaukee, and then estimate that two-thirds of the whole amount were from the west coast of Michigan, which is doubtless true, we have 137,500,000 as the amount s.h.i.+pped by the coast, making 267,500,000 for the whole State.
The improved demand for staves has greatly stimulated the production, and in localities where the production of pine lumber is decreasing, that of staves is taking its place. At Saginaw 2,500,000 were got out last year, and this year there will be full as much, or more. The greatest activity prevails, and dressing by machinery has been started. At Lakeport, Burchville, Lexington, Port Sanilac, Forester, Point aux Barque, and Foresterville, 850,000 were got out last year; from Port Huron and St. Clair 750,000. The amount turned out in the whole State could not have been short of 20,000,000.
An immense amount of lath were turned out. A mill that can turn out three millions of lumber, generally makes one million of lath. On this basis about 133,000,000 must have been turned out. The supply generally exceeds the demand.
The lumber on the east coast is worth at the mills $9 per M.; that on the west coast $7. At the average of $8, the amount made last year would be worth $3,200,000. The value of s.h.i.+ngles at $2 per M., was $515,000, and the lath at $1 per M., are worth $133,000.
We are enabled to present a nearly complete list of names of owners, with the amount of capital respectively, which will be of some interest, both at home and abroad. So far as the east coast is concerned, the figures are in the main entirely reliable, being upon the authority of one of the best men in the State who knows whereof he advises. Those for the west coast, thought not perhaps so strictly correct as the others, will as a general thing be found within bounds.
We hope the statistics will prove an incentive to lumbermen to be more particular hereafter in furnis.h.i.+ng information:
BLACK RIVER.
Name. Capital.
J. & J. Bayard $15,000 Sweetser & Bayard 7,000 Comstock mill 7,000 Davis' mill 8,000 R. Wadham's mills 10,000
MILL CREEK.
Bunce's mill 4,000 L. Brockway 2 mills 5,000 John H. Westbrook 4,000
PORT HURON.
G. S. Lester 24,000 Haynes & Baird 24,000 Howard & Bachelor 15,000 Fish, two mills 35,000 Welles 24,000 Avery 75,000 Bunce 24,000 Hibbard 40,000 Black River mill 35,000
LOCKPORT.
Farrand 10,000
BURCHVILLE.
Woods, two mills 30,000 John S. Minor 7,000
LEXINGTON.
Hubbard 8,000 Jenks & Co. 20,000 Stevens & Davis 10,000 Hitchc.o.c.k & Co. 30,000
BARK SHANTY.
Oldfield 10,000
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