Old Town Mill Shuts Its Doors After 37 Years
Economic slump and overproduction force the closure of a historic Tacoma institution, leaving 250 workers in limbo.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Tonight at 6 o'clock the Old Town mill, owned and operated by the Tacoma Mill company, will close down for an indefinite time. This is the first time since it was organized 37 years ago that the mill has been shut down. Overproduction and the resulting slump in the price of lumber has caused the company to take this step. Charles E. Hill, resident manager of the company, said in an interview: 'As a result of the market being flooded with lumber, the company has decided to close down its mill for a period not less than 90 days. This decision was reached after careful consideration; in fact, it has been under discussion since the first of March. We have about 250 men in our employ, all of whom will be thrown out of work, but it cannot be helped.' In the mill yard, millions of feet of the finest grade of lumber is stored, waiting to be placed on the market. Logs sufficient to keep the mill running for two months are on hand and several carloads are arriving daily.
“The mill has not closed down before in 37 years.”
Tacoma’s economy has long been tied to the boom-and-bust cycle of timber and manufacturing. While the 'Old Town' mills of 1908 are long gone, the anxiety of a sudden 90-day shutdown affecting hundreds of local families remains a recurring theme in the city's labor history.
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