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CUTS 8,000,000 FEET A YEAR
The impression forced upon the visitor when he looks at the mill property of Godfrey von Platen for the first time is, "How neat and how well kept it is!" An insurance agent after an inspection, recently summed it u "the cleanest mill-yard in Michigan." As a matter of fact this mill is the best small mill, the most economically ooperated, and runs the longest number of days of any millin the State.
The mill is manifested in the man. The man is the making of the mill. Godfrey von Platen, the subject of this sketch was born in Germany, April 11 in 1882. Here young "Guff" as he was familiarly called, learned the gristmill business, which he continued for a period of four years. In 1892, Mr. von Platen took hold of a water power saw mill, which his father had operated at a loss, and in the developing of this mill property, throut it was encumbered with a debt of $8,000, he won his spurs as a practical business man.
His whole soul was in the success of the mill- day and night he labored. He was his own bookkeeper, bought and scaled the logs brought in, managed the mill operations and sold the product.
This hustling work enabled him in a few years to pay off the entire indebtedness on the mill and placed him in the front rank of enterprising lumbermen. The supply of available timber in the vicinity of Advance was so curtailed that a few years cut was left. He purchased a large tract of timber land east of the Grand Rapids Railroad. This timber was contiguous to Thumb Lake and the Boyne City & Sourth Eastern Railroad.
The year 1897 witnessed the securing of a piece of land on the lakeshore just outside the corporation and the erection of a complete modern up-to-date sawmill. An excellent system of trams and docks were laid out, affording ample shipping accomodations. The circular that is used in the mill cuts 8,000,000 feet annually. An electric lighting plant is run in connection with the mill machinery to furnish light for the mill. The dynamo has a capacity of seventy-five sixteen candle power lamps. The engine power of the mill is an indicated one hundred horse power. There are on the payroll, one hundred names of employees who work in the mill and at the camps with a monthly wage of $4,500. This hire ranges from $1.50 to $4.00 per day.
Twelve teams are kept in use in the business, and not to be overlooked is "Tommy," the famous mill mule which hauls all of von Platen's cut and is the sole motive power of the Boyne City & North Western Elevated Board. Mr. von Platen makes a specialty of manufacturing cargo lots of Grand Traverse beech, elm, basswood, birch and hemlock which woods are abundant in the Traverse region of this State.
This 8,000,000 feet of manufacture is sold to eastern and western cities. Mr. von Platen, like so many of Boyne's business men is a member of several secret societies, being a Knight's Templar, Mason, Knight of Pythias and a Maccabee.
Mr. von Platen is ably assisted by a picked corps of energetic wide-awake men, who have been in his employ for years, both in the office and mill. Among these are Caspar Fos, the yard superintendent; Hiram Benedict, filer; Thomas Cunningham, sawyer; Albert Wilcox, edgerman; and James Smith, the engineer.
Mr. von Platen's home is on State Street. It is one of the beautiful dwellings of the place. He was married to Miss. Martha Van Leuven of petoskey and they have two children, Pauline and Carl.
[Editor's Note: Research done by Mr. Robert Morgridge and his students at Boyne City High School.]
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