By the fall of 1969, Cleereman sawmill carriages were an industry standard in the Lake States and beyond.  When two young lumbermen bought out a sawmill just north of Newald, at Long Lake, Wisconsin, they ordered two Cleereman carriages to upgrade their mill.  Dick Krawze and Dick Connor knew the carriages would make a big difference in their operation, knew the value of having the manufacturing facility a few miles away should there be problems, and were friends of the Cleeremans.  

     Dick Krawze says he had a date with Bill Cleereman for an early breakfast and a grouse hunt on the first Saturday of October.  Bill Cleereman didn't make the appointment.  He passed away during the night.  With the passing of "Old Bill", the Cleereman Lumber Co. ceased to exist.  Francis says they never sawed another board.  Building his sawmill carriages had come to consume all of his time and energies.

     Things have changed since 1949, when Francis built his first carriage.  Cleereman Mfg. is still in Newald, which is now a bedroom community with well kept homes, one saloon but no hotel.  The manufacturing facility occupies ground that was used as the site of a bunkhouse and cook shanty for the hired men.  There are 9 skilled men working in the facility and some of the simpler parts are fabricated by shops in the surrounding area.  The management reins have been handed to 46 year old Francis Jr. and his 32 year old brother John.  To be sure, they are now in charge, but you can bet that Francis Sr. is there every day.  After all, this is his baby, and he's proud of it.  Justifiably so.  There is a map of the U.S. and Canada on the wall of the office with 437 pins placed where a Cleereman carriage has been sold, and the international markets are knocking on their door.  Francis Jr. says they are the #1 carriage manufacturer in the nation, with orders for over 40 units in the first 6 months of 1993.

     When asked why a Cleereman mill was any better than the competition, the visitor is told that the basic design worked out by Francis Sr. 45 years ago is still the key.  It is simple and almost maintenance free, with fewer moving parts than other carriages.  The normal wear can be removed easily from a used carriage.  This statement seems to be substantiated by a recent buyer of a Cleereman mill who represented a large German veneer firm.  He says they looked at all the mills being built here and in Europe, and they chose the Cleereman because it was the simplest and most efficient.

     Sometimes customers reportedly can't bear to part with their Cleereman carriage.  About a year ago, one of the early buyers of a Cleereman carriage trucked it to Newald for a rebuild.  Francis Jr. says the machine was almost totally worn out after decades of use.  They tried to talk the customer into a new mill.  The cost of rebuilding was going to approach the cost of new, but it was out of the question.  He said that he liked it too much, and just hated to part with it, so they rebuilt it.  A mill manufactured in 1957 is in for a rebuild, it's first, as this article was being prepared.

What of the two young lumbermen, Dick Krawze and Dick Connor, who bought the mill in Long Lake?  They're holding up almost as well as their first Cleereman carriage.  They're older, grayer, and a whole lot more knowledgeable about sawmills than they were in 1969.  They call their business Pine River Lumber, and have done well with the Cleereman line.  They have purchased seven Cleereman mills at last count.  Their business has expanded into other mills, and they wouldn't consider anything else.  Then again, why should they?  They just traded in one of their original Cleeremans last September, that started sawing in June of 1970.  Their records indicate that the mill has sawed over 175 million board feet of lumber.  The Cleereman brothers did a partial rebuild and sold it to another operator in Mill Hall, Pennsylvania, who happens to own Pine Creek Lumber Co.  He reports that Cleereman Carriage #46 is doing well.

Cleereman Sales, Inc
9983 Cypress Street
Newald, WI 54511

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