HISTORY OF BAY COUNTY
Page 46
RAFTING OPERATIONS.
The steams that
have furnished the logs for the Saginaw River mills, and in what is commonly
termed the Saginaw lumber district, are the Cass, Flint, Shiawassee, Bad, Tittabawassee and tributaries, Kawkawlin,
Rifle, Shore, Pine, Saginaw, Au Gres,. Au Sable and tributaries. The great bulk of logs, however, during the
past years, have been furnished by the Tittabawassee
and tributaries, and when this supply commences to diminish the backbone of the
log product will have been broken. The AuSable and tributaries contribute of late but few logs to
the Saginaw mills. They are manufactured
at Au Sable, Oscoda and other shore points, and rafted to the lower lake
points. The au Sable contributes a
portion of its stock to the Tawas mills, but the bulk of Rifle and Au Gres logs come to the Saginaw River.
The Cass, Bad, Shiawassee and Flint,
among the first lumbered, have passed out of calculation as log producing
streams, as a basis of supply, each contributing but a small amount. Although logs had been run out of Cass River
previous to 1864, in large quantities, the Huron Log Boom Company was not
organized until that year, and has since handled the product of the stream,
which has diminished from 100,000,000 feet to 5,000,000 feet the present year.
The main source of supply for the
Saginaw mills, as stated, is the Tittabawasse and
tributaries, which are the Chippewa, Tobacco, Molasses, Pine, Salt and Cedar.
The Tittabawassee
Boom Company was organized in 1864, and during the first year of its existence
rafted out 90,000,000 feet of logs. In
1865 the product was 180,000,000 feet, and in 1866, 186,000,000 feet were
rafted. In 1867 the company rafted out
and delived 236,000,000 feet. The amount furnished this season, however,
exceeds any previous year. The Bad River
Boom Company rafted out 20,000,000 feet of logs in 1865, and 23,000,000 in
1866. The Kawkawlin,
Rifle and Au Gres Boom Companies were subsequently
organized. A detailed statement for the
past ten years shows as follows:
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|
|
1872 |
1873 |
1874 |
1875 |
1876 |
1877 |
1878 |
1879 |
1880 |
1881 |
1882 |
|
Tittabawassee |
310,216,000 |
269,508,740 |
343,814,365 |
309,908,517 |
341,000,000 |
422,500,000 |
328,228,810 |
455,667,800 |
580,290,610 |
499,846,850 |
611,862,670 |
|
Cass |
99,113,915 |
100,158,140 |
40,000,268 |
56,003,470 |
18,000,000 |
22,029,160 |
6,500,000 |
11,168,000 |
5,481,260 |
12,913,720 |
5,000,000 |
|
Bad |
18,284,621 |
37,137,384 |
26,000,000 |
41,854,894 |
36,000,000 |
28,000,000 |
17,000,000 |
5,000,000 |
9,568,139 |
6,874,000 |
5,223,625 |
|
Rifle |
61,000,000 |
80,872,607 |
58,687,083 |
92,128,200 |
61,000,000 |
70,274,295 |
72,112,114 |
82,000,000 |
79,314,651 |
92,856,000 |
115,892,000 |
|
Au Gres |
23,870,742 |
62,281,236 |
38,723,688 |
10,948,620 |
49,229,472 |
32,645,493 |
57,240,750 |
70,846,786 |
95,719,614 |
83,116,000 |
95,247,334 |
|
Kawkawlin |
27,000,000 |
33,573,354 |
22,000,000 |
19,000,000 |
22,500,000 |
15,319,000 |
15,000,000 |
17,500,000 |
15,000,000 |
16,000,000 |
25,000,000 |
|
Au Sable |
105,000,000 |
96,148,000 |
52,000,000 |
55,000,000 |
47,150,000 |
60,800,000 |
62,000,000 |
113,000,000 |
138,500,000 |
160,232,347 |
200,360,300 |
|
|
644.485.278 |
680,979,461 |
581,225,404 |
584,843,701 |
574,879,472 |
651,567,948 |
558,081,674 |
755,182,586 |
923,974,274 |
871,838,917 |
1,058,585,929 |
The above refers to the product of the principal streams.
RECAPITULATION.
Briefly summarized the rafting operations
for the year designated aggregate as follows:
1867
429,207,806 1875
584,843,701
1868
.. 446,960,583 1876
.. 572,229,472
1869
321,350,663 1877
. 651,567,948
1870
. 623,327,353 1878
. 558,079,674
1871
.. 521,796,927 1879
. 755,181,586
1872
. 645,285,278 1880
923,874,274
1873
. 680,979,461 1881
.. 871,838,917
1874
. 589,225,404 1882
.. 1,058,585,729
Not enumerated in the amount rafted in 1879 from the streams, 755,181,586, was 25,000,000 from the Shore Pine and Saganin, and 24,300,000 in 1880. In 1881 there was hauled to Saginaw Bay, on the Pinconning Railroad, 40,000,000 feet all of which came to the Saginaw River, and on the Shore Pine, 10,000,000 feet. This would make the grand total for 1881, 921,838,971 feet. In 1882 there was rafted from the Shore Pine River 14,000,000 feet and Saganin 5,500,000 feet.
LOGS BY RAIL
Ten years ago the idea of hauling
pine logs by rail would not have been entertained as a profitable undertaking,
but of late years it is a recognized industry.
Aside from the short lines that are scattered throughout the pine
forests of Northern Michigan, logs are hauled in great quantities by railroads
to terminal points. The F. & P. M.
Railroad handles pine logs extensively, the bulk of the product coming to the
Saginaw River. The Mackinaw division of
the Michigan Central has handled a large quantity of pine logs during the past
two years. The Tawas & Bay County
Road hauls logs to Tawas, and Saginaw Bay & Northwestern haul a good many
logs to Saginaw Bay, which come to Saginaw River mills.
During the month of December the
Flint & Pere Marquette hauled 11,964,532 feet of
logs, of which 5,040,370 feet came direct to the Saginaw River. During the year 1882 this road hauled
95,294,620 feet of logs, of which 46,226,419 feet came direct to the Saginaw
River, and 29,932,530 feet were distributed between Midland and Averill. Of these 12,595,870 feet were manufactured at
Midland and 17,336,660 feet came through the Tittabawassee
booms to Saginaw River mills. The
balance of those not coming to the points named went to Manistee. The record of this road in log hauling during
three years, shows as follows:
Feet.
1880
.. 87,475,546
1881
.. 105,296,530
1882
.. 95,294,620
During November the Saginaw Bay
& Northwestern Road hauled 5,305,781 feet, and in December 3,592,165 feet,
making a total for the year of 86,030,768 feet.
The Tawas & Bay County Road hauled during the year 38,436,570 feet
and the Mackinaw division of the Michigan Central 60,000,000 feet. The aggregate for 1882 shows as follows:
Feet.
Flint & Pere
Marquette
. 95,294,620
Michigan Central
. 60,000,000
Saginaw Bay & Northwestern
.. 86,039,768
Tawas & Bay County
. 33,486,570
________
Total
274,820,958
BOOM COMPANIES.
The Tittabawassee
Boom Company was organized in 1864 and during the first year rafted out
90,000,000 feet of logs. This company
has rafted more logs than any other company in the world. The seasons work of 1882 was the largest in
the history of the operations of the company.
The record of the past ten years is as follows:
Feet Feet
1872
.. 310,216,000 1878
. 328,228,810
1873
. 269,508,740 1879
. 455,667,800
1884
. 343,814,365 1880
580,290,610
1875
309,908,517 1881
. 499,846,850
1876
341,000,000 1882
. 600,000,000
1877
422,500,000
The present officers are: Directors_ W. R. Burt, R. H. Weideman, John Moore, Ezra Rust, Thomas Merritt, Y. Z.
Dorr, James A. Remick. Officers president, R. H. Weideman; secretary, John Moore; treasure, James A. Remick.
The Au Gres
Boom Company was organized in 1867. It
officers are: H. W. Sage, president; John Emery, secretary; Ferdinand Johnson,
treasurer. The office is in West Bay
City.
The Rifle Boom Company was organized
in 1870. The present officers are: A. Chesbrough,
president; E. T. Carrington, secretary and treasurer.
The Bay View Boom Company was
organized in February, 1881. Its
officers are: E. G. Carrier, president;
B. E. Warren, secretary; John Heath, treasurer.
The Saginaw River Boom Company was
organized in 1882. The officers are: R.
J. Briscoe, president; L. L. Hotchkiss, vice-president; F. D. Pierson,
secretary and treasurer.