Footnotes to Long Island History
When
woodcutting Thrived
April 19, 1951
by
Thomas R. Bayles
The
cordwood business, which was an important industry on Long Island 50 years ago,
has practically disappeared. Evidence of its importance in those days is the
following item which appeared in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle February 1, 1903:
"EASTPORT,
L.I, FEB. 1- Thousands of cords of wood are being cut and shipped over the Long
Island Rail Road from this vicinity. One of the largest dealers in this
locality expects to ship more than 7000 cords of wood from this place before
the season ends.
"Among
the large dealers are Charles Steijke, M. Raynor and sons, G. W. Raynor, H.
Bitters, E. W. Lane, William Carter and Sons and P. Howell. More than 100
woodcutters are now engaged in the pine and oak woods to the north of this
village."
In 1890 an item in a local paper stated that "large quantities of cordwood are
being shipped from the Manorville station, G. W. Raynor alone having shipped
over 1000 cords since June 1."
In
those days the "pine plains" across the island were covered with a heavy growth
of pine and oak timber and throughout Brookhaven town the wood cutting business
was engaged in by a great many of the farmers during the winter months and
brought in a substantial income during a time of year when here was little else
to do.
For
many years during the past century a great quantity of wood was cut through the
middle and north sides of the Island and carted to the sound where it was
piled. During the summer months the wood was loaded on sloops from the sound shore
and shipped to New York City and also up the Hudson to Haverstraw for use in curing bricks in the
great brick yards there.
About
the last area man still living who was actively engaged in the wood business 50
or more years ago is Lewis E. Ritch of Middle Island. Although he is now 81
years old of age every winter he still cuts several cords of wood on his farm
and sells it. A short time ago he remarked that the market for cordwood had
practically disappeared and about the only sale now was for wood cut in lengths
to be burned in fireplaces.
An item
in Brooklyn Eagle on June 25, 1908 tells about a forest fire that burned over
1,000 acres of woodland east of Middle Island and destroyed over 300 cords of
wood cut on the farm of John G. Randall of the Ridge.
An
advertisement run in the Advance in April, 1902, by William H. Harris who
operated a wood yard in Patchogue at the corner of East Main street and
Evergreen avenue quoted dry oak cord
wood at $4 a cord, pine at $3 a cord with $1.50 extra for sawing an splitting
two cuts.
At the
present time over $6 a cord is paid for cutting what little wood is cut and the
art of cutting and pilling a nice cord of wood is a thing in the past.
So with
the changing conditions of our times the old wood industry has disappeared from
Long Island.