The Mills
A) The sawing of logs into lumber;
B) The sawing of cedar logs into shingles; and
C) The grinding of different grains into flour and feed.
THE SAW AND SHINGLE operation were housed in a second building that would have been located in the vicinity of the R.A. parking lot.
1868 - Surrounded by miles and miles of solid forest, it was natural that the first industry would be a saw and lumber mill. Morewood's saw mill was first built by The CARLYLE Brothers. The Shingle mill was added at a later date. When most early settlers arrived on the land, they cut down and cleared away a large enough area of trees on which to quickly erect a log cabin and small barn. Next came a large enough clearing on which to grow the food necessary for man and beast. Finally, they would clear an area where larger and more equipped houses and barns could be built. It was at this stage that the shingles and lumber were needed.
1900 - The CARLYLE Brothers were out of the mill business, having turned over the operation to Thomas MOFFAT. His two sons William (Willie) and James (Jimmie) MOFFAT operated the saw and shingle mill, while Mr. William (Willie) GILLESPIE was installed in the flour mill as the miller.
Willie MOFFAT supplied the power to run the Shingle and Saw mill by spending most of his time in the boiler room watching that the machinery functioned properly while feeding the furnace saw dust, bark slabs, and discarded lumber. His brother Jimmie ran the large circular saw in the mill, who was later replaced at this task by his nephew (Willie's oldest son) George MOFFAT. Willie's sons Thomas, worked regular hours in the mill after he completed school. His other son Morton worked at the mill during school vacations and Saturdays until his death. Jimmie's son Sandy also worked at the mill during school vacations and Saturdays.
James MOFFAT married Margaret LOUGHRIDGE and had three sons. Sandy, the oldest died as a young man. Kellock, the second oldest lived alone in their large house on St. Lawrence Street (Now Moffat) until 22 August 1975. Hugh Moffat, their youngest was recruited into military service during World War I when he gave his age to be older than he was. He died for his country as a teenager. Mrs. Margaret MOFFAT was an active member of the Presbyterian church and Ladies Aid.
William MOFFAT owned the home at the corner of Mill Street and Main, which was later used for the Glasgow Telephone Switchboard.
SAW AND SHINGLE MILL
An operation of this size required, in addition to the building and machinery, a considerable area of land. The building had to be large enough to accommodate all the necessary equipment, and still have enough extra space in which to carry on the operation with ease. The land adjacent to the building must be ample enough to permit the storing of logs hauled in by the farmers. These logs were rolled into piles to wait for the mill employees to move them near the mill. There must also be place in the yard to store the lumber produced by the mill until it is sold or used.
It was a two storey building approximately 100 feet long by 50 feet wide dug into the side of a slight rise in the ground. Located in the western half of the first floor was the boiler and furnace, along with the storage of materials that were used to fuel the furnace to provide heat and power. On the eastern half of the lower level was the SHINGLE operations, consisting of a small circular saw that was used to cut the cedar belts or small logs into shingles. The shingles were then packed into small bundles made by holding the shingles together with strips of wood and secured by a metal band.
The cutting machinery for the lumber section of the mill was on the second floor. It was necessary to construct a track, on which a car strong enough to haul logs could carry them to the saw. The Morewood track was made of wood topped with strips of iron, while the car that ran on it was a low four wheeled one. This track was at the west end of the building and extended along the ground far enough to accommodate a series of logs on each side. The saw operator would then pull the logs up at his discretion. Once the log was pulled into the mill, it was rolled onto a second track that ran parallel to the first one through the eastern side of the building and outside, where it was supported by a wooden trestle.
The first contact a mill worker made with the log was when they were rolled, using a cantilever from the pile made by the farmer when he delivered them. The workers rolled these logs onto a flat sort of stone boat that was pulled by a team of horses to an area next to the first track where it was unloaded to form a pile. Before the saw operator was ready to start work, another employee would roll several logs from the pile onto the track. This loaded car would then be pulled up the ramp by steam power into the building. Once in the building, logs would be rolled onto the second car, where they were moved to a convenient location for the saw operator. Once the saw man was ready to start work, he rolled a log from the loaded car to the truck on which the saw was attached.
The log was then properly turned to make the best cuts, and the clamps made tight to secure the log. Then a lever moved that carried the log forward into contact with a large circular saw and the cutting process was completed.
A second man was required to walk along the moving truck and catch the board or other type of lumber as it fell away from the saw. This was usually piled on the truck until a log was completely sawed. After each saw cut, the clamps were loosened, log turned for a new cut, and clamps re-tightened. The first four cuts on a log were aimed at removing all the bark. These slabs were then either used to fuel the furnace or sold to villagers for summer cooking. Once all the outside slabs were removed, the log was square and ready to be cut into varying thicknesses of lumber: boards, planks, scantlings, and other pieces. A ruler was fastened on the truck, enabling the operator to get the measurements as accurate as possible.
After the last cut is completed, and the lumber piled on the truck, the operator moves it outside the building where the track is supported by a wooden trestle. At the end of the trestle, the lumber is allowed to slide down slanting supports. Then it is taken to the ground on either side of the trestle. Another employee then takes the lumber from there and moves it onto stacks elsewhere in the yard for sale.
