The Queen City’s Timber Heart: Inside Seattle’s Lumber Boom

THE LUMBER INDUSTRY

The amount of lumber required in a new and rapidly growing city like Seattle is something amazing, and it is only when one takes the trouble to investigate the matter and ascertain the facts, that a clear and realizing sense of the magnitude of the demand can be arrived at. A reporter of the paper was yesterday detailed to work up this subject and to get these facts, and his report is given below.

There are seven sawmills in active operation in Seattle at this time, namely: The Hetson & Post mill, the Commercial, the Oregon Improvement Company's mill, the Hall Paulson mill, the Western mill, Newell, and the Lake Washington mill.

THE HETSON & POST MILL Is situated at the foot of Commercial street, and together with the sash and door factory and the lumber yard occupies an entire block. Eighty-five men are employed in the sawmill and lumber yard. The daily cut of lumber at the mill is on an average of about 70,000 feet. Last year nearly all of this company's product was shipped to Southern California, and during the past winter a good deal was shipped to Spokane Falls; now most of the timber is used here in Seattle.

In the sash and door factory and planing mill 35 hands are employed, and they work 10 hours per day. Their line of manufacture comprises mouldings and casing, all house furnishing brackets, etc. This firm has orders for the work on several big jobs, such as the Hoison Improvement Company's two new buildings on Second and Columbia street and the Oriental hotel.

THE OREGON IMPROVEMENT COMPANY'S MILL Is situated on the waterfront, between Marion and Columbia street. It comprises a saw and planing mill, sash and door factory and box factory. The number of men employed is 101, of whom 25 work at night in the sawmill. Forty-eight men work in the mill, 25 in the sash and door factory, and four in the box factory. The quantity of lumber cut daily is from 60,000 to 70,000 feet, most of which is for home consumption.

THE PUGET SOUND LUMBER COMPANY Is situated on Puget Sound street, at the foot of Columbia and Puget Sound Railroad Company's wharf. The number of men employed is fifty and the daily cut of lumber runs from 50 to 60,000 feet.

THE HALL PAULSON MILL At the head of the bay cuts an average of about 12,000 feet per day. An important part of their company's business is the manufacture of shingles. About fifteen men are employed at the mill.

THE WESTERN MILL Is at Lake Union, and uses about 4,000 feet of lumber each day. It is all used in or near Seattle. The number of men employed is about fifty on an average.

The Lake Washington mill, known as Dunbar's mill, has a capacity of 15,000 to 20,000 feet per day, and like all of the others, its product is chiefly used here at home. Twenty to twenty-five men are on the pay roll.

NEWELL MILL At South Seattle, employs thirteen men, counting those engaged in getting out the logs. The mill has a daily capacity of 1,000 feet, the daily cut ranging from 8,000 up to the latter figure. In connection with the mill is a chair factory... About 60 chairs per month are turned out. They are all shipped to Spokane.

WAGES AND CONDITIONS The wages paid to the men in these factories varies all the way from $2 and $2.50 per day for helpers to $3, to $4 and even $4.50 per day for skilled mechanics.

AN ACTIVE WEEK During the week ended last night 120 deeds were filed for record with the county clerk. The aggregate of considerations involved in these instruments was $50,384.45. Of the one hundred and twenty transactions for the most notable was the transfer of West Seattle water front property to Mr. Thos Ewing of San Francisco for a syndicate of capitalists of that city. The price, $12,000 for a boat 10 acres, is the highest relatively ever paid in the Territory.