A Lumberman's Reminiscences of Early Southern California Days

By James Cuzner, Kerckhoff-Cuzner Mill and Lumber Co.

Mr- larnes Cuzner

The year 1869 found me in the Redwoods in Casper, Mendocino County. I gravitated there, as I was born in a lumber country, Canada, and naturally struck for the timber. I got a job with the Casper Lumber Company and worked there for over four years. I was employed in various capacities, both in the woods, mill, store, shipping clerk and finally superintendent. During that time I ship' ped many a schooner load of lumber down South. The cargoes consisted of a large portion of posts and fencing, as the business of the South was sheep and cattle and the principal want of the community was to fence the cattle in. I remember one cargo in particular, which. consisted of nothing bu[ posts and fencing. It was for the Newhall Ranch.

The vessels, two-masted schooners, were small compared to the vessels of today. The carrying capacity was from 150 to 200 thousand feet. A 300 thousand-foot cargo was a whale. Of course we had no harbor at San Pedro, as there is today, in fact. there was no harbor at all. The vessels anchored in the kelp at what is now called the outer harbor. There was only four feet of water at the entrance of a slough which led up to Wlimington, and it was necessary to unload the deck load so as to lighten the ship, otherwise it could not cross over the bar. The deck load was put on lighters and towed to Wilmington, where it was transferred to the railroad. I might say that it was the only railroad in the South, all transportation was either by water or stage. I might also say that previous to the advent of the railroad, we hauled our lumber by wagon from San Pedro. San Pedro consisted of three or four Portugese fishermen.

The old break-water was constructed in the early 70's; that portion of it connecting Dead Man with Rattle-Snake Island.

As a great privilege to the lumber man, we were only charged $2.75 per thousand for lightering from the anchorage to Wilmington and a greater privilege was accorded us by the railroad, whose charge was only $7.00 from Wilmington to Los Angeles, and this rate held good until the coming of the Los Angeles and Independence Railroad. This was a short railroad running from Santa Monica and only completed to Los Angeles. It was built by Senator Jones and was intended to run to his silver mines in Inyo County. Hard times came on and it fell into the hands of the S. P. This was about the year 1876 and the same year the Newhall tunnel was completed and we had access to the North by rail.

The Casper Lumber Company, owned by J. G. Jackson, my boss, owned a yard here. In 1868 it was located at First arid Main and afterwirds at First and Alameda.

In 1874 I was sent down here to look after the lnterests of the concern. On my arrival, I found I had two competitors: Perry-Woodworth Co. which was located on the corner of Commercial and Alameda and J. M. Griffith, corner First and Alameda, just opposite our yard. We were all on Alameda Street on account of the rail connection. There were no other lumbermen nearer than San Diego. What little lumber that was needed out at San Bernardino was supplied by small mills in the Mountains, so that we three had a very extensive country to supply. We took in all Los Angeles, Orange and San Bernardino Counties. You would think from such an extensive territory that we would be over-rushed with business, but we were not. Although the territory was large, the wants were few. Take intolonsideration that the metropolis of the South (Los Angeles) had on my arrival, the staggering population of 8000 people, not even the population of one of our precincts today. ft goes without saying that we had many a scrap. As I was the youngest, the treasurer sat between the president and secretary. Some of you remember these two men, so it is not necessarv for me to say any more on that subject.

At the time I speak of, we had no branches or country yards until the coming of the Southern Pacific Railroad, which was in the early 7O's. Perry Woodworth established a yard at Colton, Kerckhofi-Cszner at Pomona and J. M. Ciimtn at Santa Ana and Anaheim. Kerckhoff-Cuznet, at the entrance of the Santa Fe, started a yard in Pasadena at the corner of Colorado and the railroad track. We gave the railroad station site free, so that it would locate in Pasadena.

We bought five acres at a thousand dollars an acre and thought we were robbed. Afterwards, it being too valuable for a lumber yard, we sold it at quite an advance. This was the beginning of our branching out. At the time I speak of, the business portion of Pasadena consisted of a hotel, grocery store and blacksmith shop.

We were becoming metropolitan and commenced to put on airs, and about this time we started your lumber association with a membership of three: J. M. Griffith, president; Perry-Woodworth Co., secretary; and my humble self, being an honest man, they selected as treasurer, which honorable office I held until the passage of the Cartwright Law, when the association suspended for a time until we could see our way safe to legally function again. Of course we established a price list which occupied but a few pages, as we listed only two classes of lumber, as 1 and 2 of both rough and surfaced. What was not fit for either class, we called refuse and fire-wood.

In changing the price list, either up or down, the unit of change was always $2.50 per thousand, not on account of the increase or decrease, but because it was easier to figure. Such as $30.00 meant multiply by three, $32.50 meant multiply by three and a quartbr, $35.00 by three and a half, etc., per foot.

In 1879 a )'oung man of about twenty-one years of age r,r'ho was out in California for his health, dropped into the yard and in conversation with him, he told me that he would like to get into some occupation that would give him outside work and intimated that perhaps he could buy an interest in the firm. As I took a liking to the young man, I told him f would write to the boss, Mr. Jackson. Without going into further details, very shortly afterwards the firm name changed to Jackson-Kerckhoff & Cuzner. Afterwards we purchased Mr. Jackson's share and the firm became Kerckhoff-Cuzner, as it remains to this day.

I should say in the early 80's we acquired a new member to the association-Darrell & Lothian entered the trade by the way of Santa Monica. After the death of Mr. Lothian, the firm became Clark and Humphries, who retired from business some time after the boom.

We had another acquisition to the association in the person of John Bryson, ex-mayor, who established his yard at the site of our old quarters at First and Alameda. He sold out to Ganahl, whose firm is still doing business.

Another new member, Davies & Henderson, started its yard on First near Alameda. Then came Blinn and Patten and Davies. The boom was now on and yards began to multiply so quickly that I can recall but few of them.

When the Association had about twenty members, including the country yards, it was the most difficult thing in the world to keep prices. We were all anxious to do business and after the boom, there was nbt enough business to go around and you all know what the consequences were. The Association broke up, then, after we all got good and sick of it, we started up again. It was good for a few months and then went broke again. We had heard about pooling back East among the lurnbermen and we all thought, "Ah, here is the cure ! Our salvation !"-but it wasn't. The great difficulty was to get started, how to arrive at the percentage. You can imagine the claims and counter-claims of our bunch of wild lumbermen.

Well, to make it short, I will say that we did at last come to an agreement. f won't go into the details, for it would weary you. The basis of payment into the pool was a trifle more than the difference between the cost and the selling price per thousand feet. At the end of the month the treasurer collected from each the amount due as per sales and issued checks to each for what his percentage of the whole would amount to.

We had a period in which the percentages would change according to his volume of sales proceeding. Now you can imagine how it turned out. There were accusations that some of the members oversold even at a loss, so that their percentage would be larger for the next period, and some were willing to sit back and take profit without any risk or liabilities. The other chaps could take the risk and do the work. It lasted about six months, then the association broke up again and no one was satisfied. We resumed our fighting

Santa Cruz To Have Home Modernizing Bureau

The building interests of Santa Cruz have decided to form a Home Modernizing Bureau. Organization meetings for this purpose are being called by George Wood of Wood Brothers Co., Santa Cruz.

J. E. COOL VTSTTS CALTFORNTA

J. E. Cool, Western sales agent of the Central Coal & Coke Co., Portland, Ore., was a recent visitor to San Francisco.

Mr. Cool conferred with A. J. "Gus" Russell, mahager of the Santa Fe Lumber Co., exclusive rail agents in California and Arizona for the big 4C mitl'at Vernonia, Ore. He also attended some of the sessions of the California Retail Lumbermen's Association cohvention.

ANn, in the last analysis, that is what counts. That is why we have never lost sight of the importance of pattern and color when we have improved our product from time to time . for we are always improving it to keep it the beet.. and that is why Weaver roofers and Weaver dealere have so little sales reeistance.

9.2781 EAST SI.ITUSON AIITBNUf, II)S ANGNLf,S. CAT-IF.

He Met Objectms Squarely

"fle drove straight to his goal," fervently spoke the orator. "He looked neither to the right nor the left but pressed forward with definite purpose. Neither friend nor foe could delay him, nor turn him from his course. All who crossed his path did so at their peril. What would you call such a man?" He paused for effect. Came a knowing voice from the rear: "I'd call him a truck driver."

WHAT IS SUCCESS?

ft's doing your work the best you can, And being just to your fellow man; It's making money but holding friends, And staying true to your aims and ends; It's figuring how, and learning why, And looking forward, and thinking high, And dreaming a little, and doing much, And keeping always in closest touch With what is finest in word and deed, It's being thorough, yet making speed; It's daring blithely the field of chance, While making labor a brave romance; It's going onward despite defeat, And fighting staunchly, but keeping sweet; It's being clean and playing fair; It's laughing lightly at Dame Despair; ft's looking up at the stars above; It's drinking deeply of life and love; It's struggling on with the will to win; ft's taking loss with a cheerful grin; It's sharing sorrow and work and mirth; It's making better this good old earth; ft's serving, striving through strain and stress, ft's doing your noblest-that's Success.

-New York Telegraph.

Luck

Luck means the hardships and privations you have not hesitated to endure; the long nights you have dwoted to work. Luck means the appointments you have nerrer failed to keep; the trains you have never failed to catch.Max O'Rell.

To Keep From Growing Old

It has been frequerrtly said in large type by those who write automobile advertising, that the automobile keeps people from growing old. It DOES. Here are thirteen auto driving rules that will do much, and are daily doing much, to keep people from growing old:

Drive as fast as you can on wet pavements. There is always something that will stop you if you lose control, often a truck, a plate glass window, or a bridge.

New drivers should learn to drive fast in heavy traffic. It gives them the experience every motorist needs.

Always speed. It makes you look like a veteran driver. Never yield the road to the car behind. The driver may be a bootlegger being pursued.

Never stop, look, or listen at railroad crossings. It takes valuable time, and makes people think you timid.

In wet weather always drive on trolley tracks. It's smoother going.

Always race with a locomotive to a crossing. trt's engineer will love you for it, and you get a real thrill out of it.

Always pass the car ahead on a turn or'curve. Don't blow your horn, it might bother someone.

Demand half the road-the middle half. Insist on your rights.

Always lock your brakes while skidding. It's more artistic. Sometimes you can turn all the way around that way.

When calling for someone, always use your horn rather than the doorbell. Few homes have guns.

Always pass cars on hills when possible. It shows your car has the power, and if you should meet another car at the top, let them get over.

Always drive as though you were alone in America. It shows independence and courage.

On Tap

Sweet Young Thing: "fs this the weather bureau?"

W. B. Man.: "Yes, what can I do for you?"

S. Y. T.: "How about a shonrer tonight?"

\l[r. B. Man: "It's all right with me. If you need it, takc it."

lVestern Sash & Door Co.

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