Ballard's Shingle Mills Fire Back Up—But the Owners See Thin Margins

Every shingle mill in Ballard except one is now running, and that one will begin making shingles within the next two weeks. All the large mills and some of the small ones have been closed for two months. The small mills that did operate ran at irregular intervals, and the business activity of the place appeared dead or dormant. Now the hum of the buzzing wheels and the dense clouds of smoke ascending from so many smokestacks along the water front apparently indicate a return of business prosperity. This, to a certain extent, is true so far as the employes are concerned, for they have work and living wages; but all the mill owners say that the prices are low, the orders comparatively scarce, and there is no reason to expect a greater revival this fall. They have, however, sufficient orders to keep their mills running at full capacity for several months, and by keeping the cost of manufacture at as low a figure as possible there will be a small margin of profit for the manufacturers. The Great Northern railway is furnishing plenty of cars to transport the shipments, which go east as far as Maine and Vermont and south as far as Kansas, Missouri and Kentucky, but the Northern Pacific is not yet able to furnish many cars on account of the derangement of its business by the strike. The Stimson Mill Company is cutting about 250,000 shingles daily, one-half the capacity of its mill. Its sawmill, however, has not been idle except for necessary repairs during the summer. The company is loading two ships at the mouth of Shilshole bay, which will sail on Saturday or Sunday—the Fred Sander, with 500,000 feet for Newport, Cal., and the Alameda, with 450,000 feet, for San Diego. The Seattle Cedar Lumber Company's mill is running at full capacity, cutting from 300,000 to 400,000 shingles daily. The West Coast Manufacturing and Investment Company's mill is also running at full capacity. Ex-Mayor A. E. Pretty has obtained full control of the Hight & Coles mill and is putting in new shingle machinery capable of cutting 100,000 daily, and will begin operations in about two weeks. The Jameson-Dixon mill, Donoghue & Co.'s, E. E. Overton's and Frank Manny's are all running regularly. Dr. G. H. Randell has a financial interest in the AuMahingle mill, which is cutting about 100,000 18-inch shingles daily, a class that commands prices somewhat better than the standard sizes.