New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1873-09-06
good, mnny of tho lay money and by and by 20
20 FARMING or 60 home. They work twelve hours day
HOW THEY CHOP DOWN REDWOOD.

good, mnny Of tho lay up and by and by 20
20 farming or 60 home. They work twelve hours day
HOW THEY CHOP DOWN REDWOOD.
To chop down Q redwood tree. the chopper docs not
stand the ground but upon stages sometimes twelve
feet above the ground Like the sequoa, the redwood
has great bulk near the ground. but contracts
what q few feet above. The chopper wants only the
fair round Of the and his stage is composed OF two
etout sayes shod with pointed one end which
s driven into the The outer ends securely sup
ported and these slaves he laws two narrow, tough
boards, which he stands and which spring at every
blow OF his II viii give you idea of the bulk Of
these trees when tell yon that in choppng down the
larger stand on the stage and chop stimuli
taneously at the cut facing each other They ext
of the bark which is from four en and often fifteen
inches thick This DONE they begin what Ia called the
undercut the that side toward which the tree
is meant TO fall and when they have made little pro-
gress, they by an ingenious and simple cOntrvance fix
upon the proper direction Of the cut to mako the
fall accurately where they It, This is neces-
say on account OF the great length and weight OF the
trees and the roughness Of the ground, by reason OF
which tree carelessly feled may in ts fall break
and split into pieces, as TO make 1t entirely
worthless. This happens unfrequently, In
spite OF every care SO skful they
in giving to the tree its proper direction,
that they are able TO post stake in the ground
hundred feet from the OF the tree and drive
1t down by telling the tree top OF It, "Can you really
drive stake with a treep asked, and was answered
"Of course, do 1t every day" The "undercut" goes
in about twotbirds the diameter When IL is finished
the stage shifted to the opposite side and then 10 is
remarkable sight the TALL straight begin to
tremble as the goes In. 1t usually gives heavy
crack about is minutes before It means to fall The
chopper thereupon gives warning shout, that all
may stand cear-not of the tree. for he knows
where that will go, and in cleared
space men will stand within ten feet OF
where the top OF the to strike and watch Its fall
his warning Ia against the branches OF other trees which
sometimes torn of and flung q distance by the
falling giant and which occasionally dash out mems
brains. At last the tree visbly toters and slowly
and the chopper gets off his stage, and
runs few feet side. Then you hear and see
of the grandest and majestic incidents Of forest
life. There is sharp crack crash. and then long,
prolonged, thunderous crash which, when you hear il
from little distance IA startlingy like actual and
severe thunder peal To a tree six feet in diameter
and 175 feet high thus down. is very great sight not
soon forgotten.
MORE THAN HALF THE WOOD WASTED.
The choppers expressed themselves as disappointed
that they could sst show the fall OF tree
10 or u feet In diameter, and 200 feet high In
logging camp visited there remained stump, IA
feet high At this hight the tree IA feet In diameter
perfectly round and sound and it into II Logs
each feet long. The upper length six feet in d
ameter Probably the tree 300 feet long, for the top
for a long distance is wasted.
SO many of the trees and parts Of trees are
spnered broken In the fall, that the master OF log
gng camp told he thought they wasted at least as
much as they saved; and as the mills also waste good
deal it probable that for every foot OF this lumber
that goes market two feet lost five foot tree
occupies a chopper from two and half 10 three and
half hours when down the sawyers Each
has long saw; he removes the bark at each cut with
an AK and then IL into lengths. 1t is odd enough
20 90 past tree and moving back and forward
across its diameter without seeing the man who moves
it, for the tree hides HIN completely from you II you
arc on the side opposite him. Then come the barkers
with long iron bars; then tho jackscrew men, two OF
whom move a log about easily and rapidly which
hundred could hardly bulge. They head 1t in the
proper direction for the teamsters and chain men, and
these then drag down to tho water over roads which
are waered to make the logs slide easily, and then
either at high tide during the Winter reshet the log
are down to the mill. C.. n.