SPANISH CEDAR LOGS.
In the early days of cigar box manufacture in California, they weremade almost exclusively of Spanish cedar. But that wood has become veryscarce and high priced of late years, and other woods are taking itsplace to a certain extent.
And one of those woods is California redwood. In California at presentthe cigar box makers use about one-fourth redwood; the balance iscomposed of Spanish cedar and what is known to the trade as "imitation"lumber, which is nothing more than the common poplar and basswood ofNew England, sawed up, planed, and then stained in imitation of Spanishcedar, or veneered with Spanish cedar, because Spanish cedar is parexcellence the real stuff for cigar boxes.
The gilt edge cigars all have to be packed in Spanish cedar, else thereis a kick from the opulent and fastidious smoker, who claims that thenatural aroma of the wood imparts an improved flavor to the cigars.
This may be a superstition, but as the well-to-do lovers of the weedare perfectly willing to pay for it the trade are only too anxious toflatter their customers' tastes.
It is a luxury and one that is growing more and more expensive; for inthe early days of cigar box making Spanish cedar could be bought at $55a thousand feet; now it costs $95 a thousand feet.
Now some one asks where and how is Spanish cedar obtained? Right hereon the Pacific coast; but not in California, however, replete as herresources are. You have to go away south along the Mexican and CentralAmerican coasts for this special kind of lumber. And California hasdriven a trade in Spanish cedar ever since cigar box making had itsinception on the Pacific coast; in fact, there is hardly a productof any part of the known world that does not come to the port by theGolden Gate.
The ever restless coasting schooners are the craft that bring ourSpanish cedar logs up out of the tropics, and it is a peculiartrade--not only the maritime part of the traffic, but that part whichis performed on land; for that part is done along the primitive ways ofthe easy going Mexican and Central American.
It is to be presumed that away back in the early days of maritimetraffic on the lower coast there were supplies of Spanish cedar logsthat could be obtained at the regular ports of entry; but evidentlysuch a supply, if it ever existed, finally became exhausted, and asnobody down in those regions had the enterprise to build railroads fromtheir seaports into the lumber regions of the interior, the stock ofcedar had to be picked up all along the coast, wherever the wood couldbe found. That made the transfer of the logs from the shore to thevessel's side a very laborious undertaking and one no white man wouldever have thought of resorting to.
But first in order comes the cutting of the cedar timber and thetransportation of the logs to the shore. This, too, was done by thesimple-minded Mexicans and Central Americans. Of course, at first thesepeople cut the timber nearest the seashore, and then kept working backinto the country, a process that involved more and more labor, becausethe distance of transportation was all the time increasing.
The cedar trees were chopped down and then cut up into logs varying inlength from six to twelve feet, according to the size of the trees.These logs were then hewn square, ranging in size from nine inches totwo feet.
This was done in order that they might be packed closely when on boardof the California schooners. Then along came a swarthy Castilian, apair of oxen attached to one of those funny wooden two-wheeled carts,with axle bare.
Upon this cart, called a carita, were loaded a number of logs, thenumber, of course, depending upon the size, and were lashed on, withone end dragging upon the ground behind. In this way the logs werehauled to the sea coast and deposited just above high tide line. Aftera while Spanish cedar began to grow scarce along the ocean belt, andthen the Mexicans went up the rivers and creeks and cut cedar timberalong the banks. The logs were rolled into the streams and driven downto the sea, either loose or in rafts, and were loaded thence upon theCalifornia schooners.
Now, there was a certain season when the loading of cedar logs downalong the southern coast upon the schooners from the north waspracticable, and that was in what California calls the winter season,when in southern waters the weather is the calmest of any season duringthe year. For there were no deep water harbors or extensive oceanpiers whereat to find dockage for the schooners, and the loading hadto be done offshore at any point where there might be a quantity oflogs awaiting shipment. So the California sailing masters used to gocruising down the southern coast, keeping a sharp lookout for signalsfrom ashore indicating the presence of a cargo. At a given signalthey would tack to larboard and pull in as close to the beach as thesoundings would permit. Sometimes they would have to anchor as much astwo miles offshore.
When all was ready for loading two of the Mexicans on shore would seizea log, watch for the next incoming comber, and just as it was about tobreak on the beach they would start, rush through it with their log inhand, and would then find themselves in comparatively smooth water.
As soon as deep water was reached the two men would start to paddle thelog out to the waiting vessel. There was a man on each side of the log,and each man had one arm flung over the log, while the other was leftfree to do the paddling. Arriving at the vessel's side the log would becaught by the crew of the craft and pulled on board. The two swimmerswould then turn about and swim back to the shore for another log. Bythis slow and laborious process the vessel was finally loaded, the logspaid for, and the prow turned northward.
For this kind of labor the Mexicans were paid $1 a day each in Mexicanmoney, worth only about fifty cents in United States currency. But theMexicans appeared to be quite well satisfied with their wages, andcould save something out of their pay for a rainy day; because livingwas cheap in that kindly climate--a bunch of bananas and some cakessufficing for food, with mescal to drink, and anyone could sleep out ofdoors under a palm tree with perfect comfort.
The traffic in Spanish cedar logs has fallen off a good deal of lateyears in consequence of their growing scarcity, and California cigarbox makers have been obliged to send to eastern seaports for a part oftheir supply, the lumber finding its way into those ports from Cuba andGulf of Mexico ports.