The daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1848-1851, 1850-02-25

4
bridges are made 10 single tree, that may yield
oat one log Ile roads, cleared of all brHshwood, /
require fiee Tsf kaxes, and siedes,-iasnaers oIeVel
gos, Tie ffioek !. afd b5e4k lie rucks, and Io07sr
The stureps woud impede iIe wheeled trucks
| on ~hieh The logs arr carried. The roads heirg |
formed generally by the mouth or December. tie
cross cniifHg, il j. carf commence, tbts X ,i
vidiBg cTossyvss by means IL savs each nee mo
logs, according Ia their length. s;nrne trspS are tut
long enougi ior eg, oilers viii a,lmil * fanr
or five being euf from tic same trunk Ttc nh.
for dividing the trees into logs, H. 10 equazs te
loads the oxen have TO draw This, however, does
not altogether obyiais irreeuarity Of weight, and
extra are kept IN readiness add to The Isns
number, according 10 the weight Of the log. Ow-5
ing 70 tie very great differences Of diameter ard
length Of the mahogany trees, the lngs taken from
one tree may nof meeaure more Than three hundred
| cubic feet, while those from the next may be
many thousands; the largest log ever eus in Hon
dulas was in length seventeen feet breadth, fifty
| seven inches depth, sixty four inches measuring
429 cubic feet. 10 29th tons, OF forty cubic feet,
and 5l65 superficial feet, Of one inch thick weigh
| ing about fifteen tons.
" The saving heing completed, the logs are sepa-
rated one from llie otiier, and placed in whaieven
| position will admit Of this largest square being
Formed, according to tie shat Which The end Of
| zach log presents, and II then reduced, by peans
OF The axe, lrnsn he round Or HatHIsi iUrm, into
| The square; although some Of The sm@sr hEs are
brought out ii he round. YET win tie larger des-
crptiOu, the making them square IL esssntlal, not
/
| rolling on lhe truck or carriage"
| In tie month OF March, al the preparation before
described IL, ought 10 be, cOmpetsd-tflis Is the
dry season. or aims for drawing the logs from the
| place Of their growth 10 the river. This can only
| be carried on in the months Of April and May, The
ground for all The Of the year being too soft for
heavily laden trucks 10 PISS over without sinking,
| The rains usually terminals in February, but the
| ground is SO saturated with wafer that The roads
| are seldom fit for use the first Of April.
! :" The mahogany euiter's harvest may be al this
TINE said TO commence, as the result of his seasons
| work depends upon coninus nee of the dry
weather, for a single shower Of RAIN would maicr
4 ally iniure his roads. The number Of trucks
worked is proporiioned to the strength Of the gang
/ and The distance generally from six to ten miles,
4 We will for example, take gang of forty men, ca
| pabe OF working six trucks each Of which requires
seven pair Of and two drivers, sixteen 10 cut
iood for the cattle and Twelve TO load put the
logs on the carriages; which latter usually fake up
| a temporary residence somewhere near the main
body of The wood il being 100 far TO go aud return
| each day 10 the riverside, or chief establishment
| From the intense heat uf the sun, the cattle womb
| be Unable to, wofk during lis influence eonse-
| qilenty, they Obliged TO use the nighttime in
| lien OF the day, the sutry effects of which it be-
| comes requisite 10 avoid. The leaders, before
mentioned, being their station in the hresi,
| the ttucks set off from the barquadler about siE
O'Clock IN the evening, and arrive at their different
places Of loading about eleven oFtwelve O'Clock at
1 night. The leaders, being at this time asleep,
warned THE approach Of the trucks by the crack
ing of the whips carried by the cattle-drivers,
| which are heard at a considerable distance they
arise and commence placing the logs upon the
trucks, which ia done bv means of a Temporary
platform laid from the edge OF the truck to a suf-
tieent distance upon the ground, so as TO make an
Inclined plane, upon which lie log Is gradually
pushed up from each end alternately. Having
completed their work of loading all the trucks,
which may be done in three hours, they again re-
lire TO rest nil about nine O'Clock next morning.
The drivers now sci out their return, bnl their
reiurH Is considerably retarded by the ladlng; and
although well provided with iofciiight, they are
frequently impe,led by small sumps that remain in
tue road, aud which would be easily avoided in
daylight; they, however, in general all out al
the river side by eleven O'Clock next morning.
when, after throwing the logs in the fiyer-haVin
previously marked Them zach end with the ow-
mere initials-ghs cattle are fed-the drivers break
fast and retire TO until about sunset, when they
feed the cattle second time, and yoke in again
, " Nothing can present more extraordinary ap
peaianee than this process of trucking, drawing
down The mahogany 10 the river. The SIX truck
| will occupy extent Of road OF a quarter Of
mde; The great number of oxen--the drivers hal
naked tclothes being inconvenient from The heal Q
/ the weather and clouds of dus0 and each bearnI
, a torchlight-the wildness of the forest scenery
the ratlng of chaius--lhe sound Of the whip echo
4 ing through The woods--lhen all This activity an,
exerion SO i'll corresponding with the silent hour o
. midnight makes il wear more the appearance o
i some theatrical exhibition than what it realiy is
the pursuit Of industry which has fallen to the 10
a of the Honduras woOdcuIter,
About the end of Nay the periodical rain
again commence The torrents of.waier discharged
from the clouds great to render the road
4 impossible ia The course Of a few hours, when all
trucking teases-ihe cattle iurued into the pas
ture, and The trucks gear and tnols etr., housed
! The rain pours down necessarily till about
the middle Of June, when the rivers swell to an i'm.
mense height the logs then II 1at down the distance
of two hundred miles, being followed by the gang
In ptpans Ia kind of ial-bouomed cancel 10 olsen
i gage them from the branches of the 0yerhaugng
trees, until they stopped by boom placed in
some situation convenient 10 the mouth of the river.
Each gang then separates its own cutting, by the
marks on tie ends Of The logs and forms them into
, large RATS, in which state they are brought down
to the wharves of the propretors where they are
taken out Of the water and undergo second pro-
cess Of the axe To make the surface smooth the
ends which frequently get spt and rent, by being
dashed against rocks ia the river by the force o
: the current, also sawed off when they are
ready for shipping.
. 1.-The average expense of mahogany is usually
estimated at 1901 Honduras currency, about 70l
i sterling, each laborcr per anuum, independent o.
the capital sunk in the purchase of the works, cat
tie, trucks, gear craft, TOOLS etc" tSee account
the mahogany and Honduras trade, under the hsat
: of British Possessions in America.s')
I