REDWOOD

first visit to his old home state in twenty-three years. During his absence, Tom Branson is acting in the capacity of manager. They report that construction on their new o-ffice building, which will be located at East l2th and 46th Ave.. is progressing rapidly.

Earl Strange A California Visitor

Earl Strange of Seattle, Northrvest representative of the A. C. Dutton Lumber Corporation of Poughkeepsie, New York, was a recent California visitor. He Jpent ibout two weeks -touring through the State and also-calling on his many lumbermen friends in the San Francisco ind Los ,^A.ngeles Districts. He was accompanied by his brother C. L. Strange of Portland, Oregon.

At the luncheon of the t-umber Salesmen's Club of San Francisco on Monday, September 15, he gave an excellent talk on lumber conditions in the Northwest and on the Atlantic Coast. The A. C. Dutton Lumber Corporation, with which he is associated, are large Atlantic Coist shippe^rs of West Coast lumber and shingles with their generil offices and large distributing plant ai Poughkeepsie.- They also maintain a large distributing yard at Providence, Rhode Island.

would y_ou bc able to view- the twigted, amoldcring ruine, consoled in your mie- fortune uy tlp sure.knowlg.de.e tha-t you are adJquateiy i;J;d"-*irh ;;; condition on the policy fulfilled, eo that there will be no guertion of the amourit you will recover?

The time to think about this queetion is not after, but bcfore the fire.

PETRIFIED PALMS 3O,OOO YEARS OF AGE IN MOJAVE

The recent discoverv of a petrified forest in the Mojave Desert, 135 miles from Los Angeles, where petrified palTs are found mingled r,vith the fossilized remain^s^^of prehistoric elephant{ estimated to be more than -30,000 years of age, puts a crlmp rn the legend that the first palm trees rv"ere'introduced into California by the Spaniards. Tourists to whom palms are a novelty often ask if these trees are native heri. Usually the aniwer is that they are not and in San Diego a largi tree is pointed out as the first palm that ever giew in ealifornia soil, with the statement that it was planted by one of the Spanish padres.

The Mojave specimens, however, though they.long a-g.o ceased to 6e tre6s or even wood, having turned into solid stone thousands of years ago' furnish irrefutable evidence that the palm tree has been one of the characteristic growths of this State since an age so remote that its history Ean be read onlv in the rocks. That some of the varieties of palms found'in California today are the descendants of the species that flourish here in that dim prehistoric age .".-t' certain for they shorv precisely the same structural features.

One of the most striking resemblances is found in the roots and the arrangemeni of the fibres that characterize palm wood. In thJpetrified specimens the woody fibres have been replaced 6y mineral matter so perfectly that every detail itands out clearly and the fact that these fraginents originally belonged io palm trees is unmistakablE. So far is thi root structure is concerned, many of the specimens appear in the shape of stumps- with.the roots still lmbedded in the material that nourished them and, though both this material and the roots themselves have long"ago turned to stone, these -roots resemble those of the-molern palm so closely that they could never be taken for anything but palm roots.

Tidelands Apportioned To Luuber Industries

Basing its report on the probability that bonds will be voted fo-r the reclamation of tidelands, the San Diego harbor commission has filed with the city council a table of ""oottio"t"ent of these tidelands to- lumber industries'T'i. i;;;;-i;-i" t."i"i-"d rvould run from Market to Sev-' enth street, and the increase in rentals would be from ap proximately $4000 a year to $40,000. '

The lum'ber co.tcerrs located, rvith the amount of space granted. together with the amount of rentals and tax atiached, are-given as follows: Western Lumber comPany' 391,60d tqn"ie feet, and Sullivan Hardwood Lumber companv. 15d.000 square feet; combined rental, #77O; -ta;rc, E+;mi. Russ Lumber & Miil comPany, 275,7n squar9 feet; ient $4334r tax, $2O40. City Lumber Companyz 2142fi souare feeti rent, $4285; tax,-$I585. Big Jo Lumber compiny, 223,i@ square feet; rent, $39-11; tax, $1635. ^D1:u' Lntit6et company, 21},ffi square feet,; rent, $a212; ^tza $1558. San Diego Lumber company, 41^4,600-lluare feet; rent, $6219; tax;$306S. Total rentals, $3O,232; tax' $13'913.

In addition to the above, the commission has on file the applications of Klicka Bros., and the San Diego Building Supply comPany as well as prospective tenants in the Wtritiirg-Meid iompat y for a -lumber yard; Shelly Br-os' for pipe"yards and shopl S"mson Boiler works and another lumber concern.

HI'AVY SHIPMENT OF LUUBER FOR UOVIE. LAND SETS

What is said to be the largest shipment of lumber ever consigned for the construction of one moving-picture set left San Pedro the other day, by truck for Hollywood' Twentv-Gve motor trucks carried l5o'm0 feet of lumber to Univeisal City, to be used in the filming^of a 1r.ew Rupert Julian producii,on, "The Phanton of the Opera."

Otls A. Mercer

Builders of Redondo

Such is the heading over the following item, appearing, with the accompanying picture, in a recent issuc of the Rcdondo "Breeze."

Otis A. Mercer, one of the best known citi2ens of Redondo Beach was born in Illinois. When he was a boy his father taught him the carpentering trade-and hets never been away from lumber since. Small wonder that he is the manager of the big Patten & Davis Lumber Company plant in this city-the real wonder is that he doesn't own the whole shebang by norv, himself !

Mr. Mercer is affiliated with one of the really big companies of the Southwest. The Patten & Davies Company has six offices and yards in Los Angeles alone, with other plants scattered throughout the principal cities of Southern California. The Redondo Beach- plani carries a 10,000,000foot stock of lumber, and handles everj,thing that goes into a home-all kinds of West Coast lumber, redrvoodl Oregon pine,. etc.; lath, plas_ter, cement, brick, roofing, hardwood floorrng, sash and doors, screens. You canrt name anv_ thing that goes into the construction of a home that this company does not handle.

Mr. Mercer rvas for many years in the lumber business iq-!exa;, and came to the Patten,& Davis company in 1912. Of the entire office force of the big comiany he ranks No. 7 in continuous service.

Mr. Mercer, u'ho has been in Redondo Beach the past four y'ears, is a member of the Chamber of Commer"" lrra former president of that body; is also an Elk and a *irr,- ber of the local Lions Club. -He is always busy, but never too busy to work for Redondo Beach.

San Francisco, CaI., Scpt. 24th, 1924. Mr. Ph't B. Hart, Managing Editor, California Lumber Merchant, ,108-9 Fay Building, Loe Angeles, Cal.

Dear Phil:

On behalf of the Millwork fnstitute of California" may I exlrrecs to you our thanks for the fine publicity givcn by your good selves, covering our Santa Cruz mceting reccntly.

Because it is with such good help from the Lunbcr Journals that our Instihrte is bound to grow.

Thanhhg you again, and with kindest lrrsonal regards, f remain,

Yours sincerely,

HARRY W. GAETJEN President, Millwork Institute of Cal.