, ' il.'R
Conservative * 9
off his scalp and beginning at his feet
and hands , literally skinned him alive.
Some of the younger warriors started
after the group of whites , brandishing
their knives and clubs , but at a few
harsh commands from the chiefs re
sumed their places. The other Indians
then started up a war-dance around the
group , waiving their guns , clubs and
other weapons and uttering fierce yells ,
keeping time to the discordant notes of
a rude drum. Above all the strange
noise arose the agonizing screams of the
tortured man as his skin was roughly
and hurriedly torn from his body.
The white men watched the scene
almost faint with terror at the sight.
They feared that a similar fate awaited
them , though confident that the chiefs
would do all in their power to pre
vent it.
At last the awful work was done. A
chief picked up the stoppings of skin ,
and brandishing them in the air , joined
the dancers. The drum beat faster and
the dancers danced and yelled with
frenzy. When the dance reached , its
climax the drummer suddenly stopped ,
and the chief , still bearing the grim
relic of Rhines1 punishment , with the
warriors silently and quickly went back
to where their horses were left in charge
of some squaws , and mounted and rode
away.
The white men hastened to the raw
and bleeding form of their companion ,
which still lay outstretched upon the
gross of the prairie. His heartrending
shrieks and agonized cries for help had
ceased , and they had hoped that death
had relieved his sufferings , but his chest
still rose and fell showing that life still
remained. Realizing their utter in
ability to help him they stood still for a
few minutes around him. The move
ment mercifully ceased , there was a
prolonged gasp and Rhines was dead.
Rhines1 body was wrapped in a blanket
and buried on the banks of a creek.
Before the episode the Pawnees had no
name for the stream. Afterwards they
gave it the Pawnee name for rawhide
and when the white settlers took up the
land and built their homes in that
vicinity eight or ten years after , they
called it the Rawhide. From The Oma
ha Daily Bee , Saturday , September 10 ,
! 1899.
\
CAUSE OF ADVANCK IN DUMBER
P1UCES.
The year 1893 was one of great finan
cial depression throughout the Unitec
States. The sawmills held large stocks
of logs and lumber , while dealers
wholesale and retail , held full sup
plies in their yards. The great railways
had secured sufficient ties and their
road beds had been placed in good condi
tion. Suddenly most building opera
tions were checked , plans for whole
blocks of houses in contemplation were
abandoned , and only such work was
continued as was absolutely required
The supply of lumber was far in excess
of the demand for several years. Times
jeing so hard small owners of timber
worked it up into cross ties to secure
some ready cash and the price was re
duced much balow the normal value of
timber , especially as the railways were
compelled to purchase in as small
quantities as possible. Stocks of dry
umber were gradually reduced and less
was manufactured than formerly.
With the advent of more prosperous
imes building operations were resumed ,
; he demand increasing greatly during
1898 and 1899 , while the mills and yards
which had been depleted during the
years of depression could not supply the
enormous quantities of lumber de
manded by the building trades , furni-
; ure manufacturers and machinery
composed largely of wood , especially
such as was seasoned. Hence dry lum
ber advanced in price rapidly. In De
cember , 1898 , quartered oak was selling
at $82 per 1000 feet , while in August ,
1899 , it commands $55. All lumber
advanced but not to such a degree as
oak.
Railway companies which had allowed
their road beds to fall below the stand
ard have found it necessary to buy an
unusually large number of cross ties ,
the better times permitting them to lay
new rails and cenerally repair track.
So great has been the demand by all
railways that ties have become an inter
esting object , and the price has increased
correspondingly , although not so much
as oak lumber. And it has become
necessary to employ woods of inferior
quality in many cases. Several railway
companies have adopted some wood pre
serving process to lengthen the life of
ties.
ties.Barrels
Barrels intended to contain volatile
oils , spirits , etc. , require the highest
grade of oak timber , and The Standard
Oil company , and other companies using
much cooperage have sent their emis
saries into every quarter where white
oak exists , securing all available tracts ,
even far in advance of the transportation
lines.
lines.Wagon
Wagon manufacturers also have been
on the lookout for high grade oak for
spokes and wagon work of which enor
mous quantities are annually consumed.
Thus oak has increased in value more
than other woods. The fashionable and
most beautiful wood for furniture is
quartered oak , and this also adds great
ly to its high value.
Twenty-five years ago Indiana was
the timber field and Indianapolis was
the center of the hard wood markets ol
America. It was supposed that the
supply of oak in this state could never
be exhausted. Yet it has and now the
nearest supply is in the mountain
regions of southern Kentucky anc
Tennessee along the head waters of the
streams which feed the Ohio river anc
this field is being so rapidly denuded
that the railway companies operating
this territory arefearful , lest they shall
soon be without timber for their own
necessities , and steps are being con
sidered for their self-protection.
It is totally impossible to make an in-
diligent estimate of the quantity of
timber in the United States , especially
the hard woods. It would be well if
congress should provide for a careful
estimate as is done with the census and
crop estimates.
Very much mountain and hill land
covered with brush and more or less
imber is classed as'timbered lands , and
; he aggregate seems"very large , but it is
deceptive. Millions of acres are of
practically little value for present use ,
laving but few trees of good quality ,
3ut much that is worthless. These
ands are not appreciated , the annual
increase seeming imperceptible to the
owners , while fires and stock prevent a
proper reaforesting.
Unless the government will take
speedy steps to point out the danger , so
ihat the states and individuals will have
a true realization of the facts , the pres
ent generation will see the end of
America's timber supply.
Canada would gladly help us to pro
long the lumber industry , but unwisely
congress has placed such duties upon
lumber as to prevent its importation ,
and thus we are hastening our own
destruction.
The vast export trade in lumber is in
creasing as rapidly as our resources are
decreasing.
It is now known that British capital
ists have recently placed an order with
southern lumbermen for 500,000,000 feet
of yellow pine.
One railway company operating 2000
miles of roadway reports as to its tie
renewals that $800,000 is annually ex
pended for this purpose , being 15 per
cent of its total operating expenses.
280 new ties are required per annum for
each mile of track. At this ratio the
190,000 miles of railway operated in the
United States , including street railways ,
requires each year 58,200,000 cross ties ,
and expend $285,000,000 in tie re
newals.
Considering the rate of consumption
of our timber , which is more than
double the increase of growth under
present methods of management , the
large amount exported and the dis
couragement of imports by tariff duties ,
we cannot expect the lumbering in
dustries to continue for more than two
decades at their present magnitude.
As in Indiana saw mills are still
operated on smaller scales , inferior logs
being hauled long distances which were
formerly refused as worthless. So with
the southern timber regions , some
minor traffic will be continued for many
years , but lumbering on the present
scale will cease unless other methods
are employed.
JOHN P. BROWN.
