first ever installed in America for sawing logs. It, of course, incited much comment, chiefly adverse. It was brought over in 1868, accompanied by a French artisan, who set it up and showed its purchasers, Messrs. Rodman & Hepburn, predecessors of Uptegrove & Bro., how to run it. This French artisan, M. Blauplain, concluded to remain in the United States, and in 1905 was still in the employ of Uptegrove & Bro. The fact that this band mill is still in use is a striking evidence of the worth of the original workmanship; but what a wide range in the history of the lumber trade is comprised between the date of the building of this band mill, light and requiring most careful attention, and 1906, with its enormous band mills designed for the heaviest kind of work! THE EASTERN SPRUCE TRADE, The changes wrought by the evolution of transportation facilities, the necessity arising from the exhaustion or depletion of nearby supplies and the utilizing of various kinds of lumber previously ignored, brought the opening up of the great eastern spruce trade, with Maine and the eastern Canadian provinces as a base. While the manufacture of lumber in Maine had, of course, been carried on to some extent from the earliest days of its settlement, the traffic in eastern spruce destined for the Metropolitan District did not assume important proportions until about 1850. One of the first firms to send spruce to New York was Simpson, Clapp & Co., organized some time in the '40's, which firm is still in existence, although there is no one identified with it today bearing either of its component names. The traffic, which is entirely by water, was exceedingly light for years after it had actually begun, and even in 1850 shipments to an individual firm amounted to only about a cargo a month, cargoes in those days running from 95,000 to 125,000 feet, the latter being considered a big one. Nowadays cargoes of half a million to a million feet do not excite much comment. It was all random sawed stuff, then, and poorly manufactured. In 1850 the following firms were engaged in the eastern spruce trade of the district: Simpson, Clapp & Co., Smith & Boynton, John Boynton's Sons, Jedd Frye & Co., Chase, Talbot & Co., Mayhew Talbot & Co. and Israel Snow. All of these firms have passed out of existence with the exception of Simpson, Clapp & Co. and Chase, Talbot & Co., the latter being today one of the foremost spruce commission houses in the district. Ephriam C. Gates, founder of the retail house of Church E. Gates & Co. and one of the pioneer manufacturers of Maine, is believed to have landed the first cargo of eastern spruce in the Harlem River section of the district, in 1851. Since the '50's the volume of business in eastern spruce has steadily increased until in 1900 (the latest year for which figures are available) the total receipts amounted to 111,000,000 feet of lumber and 176 cargoes of lath. During the development of the traffic there were naturally many changes in the trade, but now there are fourteen commission houses with headquarters in the district, all the business being done through those houses by a special agreement. In later years, or since the discovery of the fact that wood pulp makes good paper, the supply of eastern spruce has been slightly and progressively diminishing each year, owing to the diversion of logs from lumber to pulp and the advantages accruing to timber holders through such diversion, with the result that the belief is current that the spruce lumber traffic will continue to decrease yearly unless prices shall advance to a basis sufficient to warrant the manufacture of lumber instead of the grinding of logs. A large quantity of West Virginia spruce has also come into the market since the advance in the price of eastern stock, as previously it was impossible for the West Virginia manufacturer to compete with eastern water shipments. NORTH CAROLINA PINE. The development in the use of North Carolina pine was but another instance of a demand fostered by the depletion of supply and advancing prices of lumber previously used, and is no less interesting. About the first sales were between 1875 and 1878, and for years thereafter its adoption as a general lumber commodity lagged. As a matter of fact, it has been only in recent years that it has occupied its present position as one of the woods most adaptable to general purposes. There are few, if any, members of the trade today who can not readily recall the time when one could hardly give away a cargo of North Carolina pine in the district, whereas the cut of 1903 is estimated to have been over 1,200,000,000 feet, of which 400,000,000 feet is said to have found its way to the Metropolitan District. CYPRESS IN THE METROPOLITAN DISTRICT. While, in colonial days, cypress was an esteemed building material it largely fell into disuse under the competition of white pine, so that the present trade is of comparatively recent origin. For many years a few heavy manufacturers along the south Atlantic Coast and in Florida did a steady trade in northern markets that could be reached by water; but it was not until the cypress wealth of Louisiana, about twenty years ago, began to be developed with energy that the eastern markets really awakened to its value, resulting in the great business of today. The Louisiana producers began an energetic campaign of education, sending competent men to interest architects and contractors, as well as lumber handlers, in the wood, establishing exhibits and in every way bringing it into notice. The growth in demand for old uses was rapid, new uses were found for cypress, and all producing sections shared in the benefits of this campaign. So great is the present trade that several yard concerns make a specialty of it, one of them carrying regularly on hand from 30,000,000 to 40,000,000 feet, while it is an important part of the business of many wholesale and commission houses. The supply comes, chiefly by water, from both Gulf and south Atlantic Coast ports. Since this reintroduction of cypress, innovations in the shape of new kinds of lumber have been frequent and numerous, and the trade is now beginning to employ the various varieties of gum, while the Pacific Coast products are fast assuming a prominent place in the average yard list. LUMBER RECEIPTS OF THE METROPOLITAN DISTRICT. Complete records of the annual lumber receipts of the Metropolitan District have never been kept. A few figures, however, are available, and are as follows: Receipts during 1890 by railroad (all lines), 22,545 cars of lumber, containing 293,085,000 feet; via Hudson River and canals, 641,304,000 feet; southern pine, by water, 233,496,167 feet; eastern spruce, 151,430,000 feet; cypress, 231,000 feet, an aggregate of 1,319,546,167 feet of lumber. During 1896 receipts were 15,558 cars of lumber (complete arrivals lacking), aggregating 248,928,000 feet of lumber; 3,596 cars of shooks, 71,920,000 feet; 839 cars of logs, equaling 8,390,000 feet of lumber; receipts via Hudson River and canals (estimated), 500,000,000 feet; southern pine, by water, 271,048,460 feet; 323 cargoes eastern spruce, 60,000,000 feet; 13 cargoes railroad ties, 2,600,000 feet; 104 cargoes of piling, 17,000,000 feet; 1,435,870 railroad ties, 50,000,000 feet; cypress, 3,108,382 feet; North Carolina pine (estimated), 125,000,000 feet; a total for 1896 of 1,357,994,842 feet of lumber or its equivalent, and millions of feet of miscellaneous goods, as lath, shingles, pickets, etc. During 1900 receipts were yellow pine, by water, 337,791,803 feet; 370 cargoes of spruce, equaling 110,000,000 feet; 20,701 cars lumber, 310,515,000 feet; 1,196 cars shooks, 17,940,000 feet; 740 cars logs, 7,520,000 feet; via Hudson River and canals, 428,433,665 feet; cypress, 6,166,918 feet; railroad ties, 647,158 feet; North Carolina pine, other than reported (estimated) 350,000,000 feet, an aggregate of lumber or its equivalent amounting to 1,696,014,604 feet. The following shipments also were received but were not estimated in feet or included in above figures: 176 cargoes lath, 137 cargoes piling, 154 cars shingles, 2,716 cars staves, 553 cars heading, 13,467 bundles of shingles, 27,511,000 pieces of shingles and 17,528 cedar logs. In explanation of the necessity of estimating North Carolina pine in the above figures it is to be noted that a large number of vessels sailing from Norfolk and other points outside of Georgetown or Wilmington, invariably report "to master" at Sandy Hook, or to the firm to which cargo is assigned. Hence, the kinds of lumber they carry are not noted by the maritime reports. This is in a measure true of cypress also, although considerable cypress is represented in the car trade given in the 20,701 carloads of general lumber received, as it is obvious that there was much more than 6,000,000 feet of cypress received in New York during 1900. The receipts of southern pine (probably including some cypress) by water for 1905 amounted to 460,668,263 feet, and in 1906 to 494,703,577 feet, according to the report of the Maritime Association of the Port of New York. In 1906 the leading ports whence the above receipts were shipped, with quantity, in feet, from each, were as follows: Brunswick, Ga., 40,931,873; Charleston, S. C., 46,731,731; Fernandina, Fla., 27,077,866; Georgetown, S. C., 61,444,180; Jacksonville, Fla., 107,483,547; Mobile, Ala., 18,892,998; New Orleans, La., 8,631,270; Norfolk, Va., 7,834,934; Port Arthur, Tex., 7,640,085; Ft. Loyal, S. C., 10,420,165; Savannah, Ga., 18,826,803, and Wilmington, N. C., 21,566,328. Receipts, mainly from New England, of eastern spruce during 1906 were 278 cargoes lath; 688 cargoes lumber; 93 cargoes piling; total cargoes, 1,059. Some miscellaneous receipts of lumber from the South between December 25, 1905, and December 25, 1906, were cedar logs, 5,219; cypress, 14,847,571 feet; lumber, 27,854,248 feet; piling, 15,290 pieces; shingles, 76,095,706 pieces; hewn ties, 2,800,082 pieces; sawed ties, 45,178,700 feet, and hewn timber, 40,917 cubic feet. ASSOCIATION INSPECTION OF HARDWOOD LUMBER. Shortly after the formation of the New York Lumber Trade Association, or, to be specific, December 14, 1886, the inspection committee, of which the late George Hagemeyer was chairman, submitted rules to the association to govern the inspection of black walnut, cherry, plain and quartered oak, ash, maple, birch, beech, chestnut and poplar. These rules were adopted as the official rules of the association. Later on, as the association grew in importance, rules were added for the inspection of yellow pine, the association adopting in their entirety the Savannah rules of 1883. Following this the association adopted rules for the inspection of cypress, following the official rules of the cypress association at that time. The rules have been revised from time to time as circumstances seemed to demand. In the following chapter is given a critical review of the hardwood inspection and trade customs of New York as they existed prior to 1890, with some description of the modifications made later; but a description of the system of inspection as in force in 1906 seems appropriate in this place. The rules are applied in the New York market officially by a corps of licensed inspectors acting under instructions established by the inspection committee, which are as follows: All inspectors acting under a license from this association are expected in all cases to meet their engagements, and, being unable to do so by sickness or otherwise, they are required to use all due diligence to secure satisfactory substitute, in order that all lumber may be inspected without delay or loss to the parties concerned. In filling out their returns, inspectors are obliged to use an official blank, which may be obtained at the office of the association. Inspectors licensed by this association shall only issue inspectors' returns on lumber when they have measured and marked the same in accordance with the rules as adopted April 13, 1904. Inspectors of this association shall not be permitted to accept salaried positions with any firms which are not members of this association and in good and regular standing. Rules for marking the following grades of hardwood lumber: Firsts.—In all cases the contents shall be marked on the upper edge of the board or plank inspected. Seconds. Shall in all cases be marked on the lower edge of the board or plank inspected. Rejects or common.—Shall in all cases be marked with a stroke (-) after the figures. The inspection committee of the New York Lumber Trade Association is at all times ready to take up any complaint which any one may make against the official inspectors, as it is the intention and desire of the association that all its inspectors shall be men of integrity and inspect in accordance with its rules. The inspection rules of the New York lumber trade now in force bear date of April 13, 1904, when they were revised. They are copyrighted and are published by the New York Lumber Trade Journal, by courtesy of which they are in part reproduced herewith. They are of such extent that it is not practicable to reproduce them entirely in this way. We content ourselves, therefore, with publishing the full rules for certain important woods and summarizing others. These rules are generally used in the Metropolitan market and prevail in default of any specific bargain of sale under which lumber is sold according to shippers' inspection or according to some other association rules. Outside of these official rules and of private inspection the rules most in use in the Metropolitan District are, for hardwoods, those of the National Wholesale Lumber Dealers' Association and the Hardwood Manufacturers' Association of the United States; for yellow pine, those of the Yellow Pine Manufacturers' Association, and for white pine, those of the Northern Pine Manufacturers' Association. One of the most important portions of the New York hardwood inspection rules is contained under the heading "General Instructions." These are instructions to inspectors, and pronouncements of the association as to certain principles of inspection which apply to nearly all the different woods. Furthermore, they are substantially the same as the instructions contained in other local inspection rules, most of which were superseded |