More Early Lumber History

By W. F. Montgomery President, Hollywood Lumber Co.

I am sorry if a portion of this article savors of autobiography but it is all part of the record, and again some ambitious young reader, sans capital, may desire to go into business on his own account, and he will learn just how it can be done. A11 it needs is a little nerve and self-confidence and he is bound to succeed, provided of course the gods are with him.

After I severed my connection with the Western Lumber Company, I was a rolling stone for a number of years and certainly "gathered no moss." I had a short experience in San Francisco working as assistant bookkeeper rvith the old San Francisco Lumber Company, one of the office men being young Loop, who afterwards organized the Loop Lumber Company in San Francisco. I soon returned to Los Angeles and was fortunate enough to secure a job with the Perry Lumber Company managing a branch vard at Chino where the Oxnard's were installing a sugar factory. They afterwards transferred me to the University 1'ard here. near the University of Southern California, but after six months this yard was discontinued for want of patronage. I then traded a few real estate equities left over from the boom, for stock in a lumber mill plant on the Columbia River, doing a rail shipment business and took a position with them as bookkeeper and afterwards as traveling salesman.

In the spring of. 1892 they sent me to Denver where I represented them and several other coast concerns in the Colorado territory. I had worked up a nice business when the panic came on, all my customers went broke, and I moved to Ka'rsas City for a time, returning to Los Angeles late in the vear. I was unable to get work here and borrowed enough money from my good friend James Murray to take me up to Oregon where I made arrangements similar to the previous year, and went to Omaha which I had selected as a good field for operation.

I had again worked up a nice business when a combination of floods on the Columbia River preventing Eastern shipment and railroad strikes and drought in Kansas and Nebraska, put my business on the kibosh and I returned to Los Angeles just a year from the time I had left it, busted, but determined this time to stick it out here.

I looked around for a job but the only encouragement I received was from Patten & Davies Lumber & Fuel Company in Pasadena which had been started by Mr. Patten, father of the Patten boys. and Ed. Davies. I worked for them for two weeks paying my railroad fare back and forth, when Mr. Patten paid me off at the rate of $2.50 a day.

Patten & Davies started two yards in Los Angeles, one at Second and San Pedro Streets and the other on West Jefferson. Ed. Davies retired, selling his interest to the Patten boys, and under the efficient management of Heniy Patten this company has developed to its present status.

I therefore made up my mind it was time for me to go into business on my own account and I secured some mlll agencies, and was probably the first broker to establish himself in Los Angeles. f soon found that I could make more money buying and selling, having made the acquaintance of manufaclur6rs in the Northwest who were willing to extend me credit, and my previous experience in Los Angeles and as traveling salesman were advantageous. My first shipment was a mixed car of Oregon pine from Portlancl which I stored in the Naud warehouse and peddled out in small lots. I succeeded in working up a car load shipment business in the San Joaquin valley, and in Arizona and New Mexico. I also made shipments of hardwood lumber and flooring from the East which was stored in Davies' warehouse. -I began to dip into the retail trade, carrying a stock of flooring ald redwood shingles and also selling house bills whenever I could induce the wholesalers to fill an order. I had hard sledding at first, through lack of capital and it was a happy day when John J. Fay, President of the Citizens Bank, extended me credit for 91000 and Mr. Hall of the Davies' warehouse offered to pay the freight on car load shipments. Later on, I rented a small loi on the corner of Fourth and San Pedro, moving my small stock from the warehouse to this location.

My first office was in the old Wilson Block at First and Spring -Streets where I paid some court reporters $3.00 a month for the privilege of using one of theii desks. I afterwards moved to the Bryson Bloik, purchased a second hand desk and paid Judge Pierce 95.00 a month for office space. Later on, I moved to the Stimson Block and was able to occupy a whole office by myself.

About the year 1900 I associated myself with Mr. Mullin who was then operating a yard at Jerome, Arizona. I put in my small Los Angeles business, and he the Jerome yird and a small amount of cash, the total invesiment being under $20,000. We rented another lot on Third and San Pedro and started operations. Our only employees at the start were Charles Griffin, rvho remain"a *iitt us until we discontinued business and who is now operating a yard at Artesia and whose services to us werC invaluabie; our other employee was Mr. Ingles who. I believe, is now time keeper for the Hammond Lumber Company.

Mr. Mullen had an experience similar to my own. He came to Los Angeles shortly after I did, securid a position with the San Pedro Lumber Company at San Pedro and afterwards managed a yard for them at-Pasadena, and when I first knew him was in the office of the L. W. Blinn Lumber Company under Mr. Blinn, leaving there to locate in Jerome. 'We were lucky in getting started at this time as Los Angeles was on the up-hill grade, and we started adding branch yards to our business that finally numbered ten yards, and also acquired the E. K. Wood yard at Redondo, (Continued on Page 24)

DordtHire

Ghauftcurl llke ever!fthtng elce ln Hte, ere furtltled, whenthey ierye a urelul putposer when they tltt a ptace that ilUST be fltled.

But lt lsntt necesrerlr to hlre chaut. feurc to carrlr the warte tunber ln lrour ptant lrorn the carr to the Do. chlner and tron the rnachlnec to the trach plte.

It lrntt necerrerlr to have waltc-you can buy HIDE dilnenrlon'-looV6 ulse,ble.