The daily intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Territory [i.e. Wash.]) 1876-1881, 1881-07-24

Sun lay, July "a, 1881.
LOGGING on PUGET SOUND.

Whuts W k1oW rbAoSsSAAS e~S~< %
cling on Puget Sound. and has written
to ~ for information.
Logging In its methods Is an ever
changing business in this part of the
Union As first prosecuted !. 10 now
Known no more.
The earlier loggers consisted of little
parties of two or three men. who, with
q boat, axes and handspikss. culled
the timber from lands Immediately I'D :
iacent 10 the water. They were chiefly
in quest Of piles. for the construction
of wharves at San Francisco. The
vessels upon which they were loaded
moved from place to place for their
cargoes. ard. lying ct anchor off the
banks, took In the heavy sticks ss best
they we're able. When the vessel was
loaded the occupation of the logger
was gone, and unless another ship cane
along. the temporary camp was broken
uH and the party dispersed among the
then Insignificant hamless and inconsid-
cradle settlements IN these parts. Log
ging in those days required no capital;
O hundred dollars or 30 being quite
enough TO At up and start out . party.
A few years later, and with the es-
tablisbment Of small sswmills on the
Sound, came another and moro advanced
species Of logging. Hand logging was
still continued, but now in addition
came the use OF cattle. with more ex-
psnsive OUTFITS and larger bodies Of
men. A good deal of the earlier log
ging was done in and about the towns;
there being no organized camp. and
every man looking out for his own
grub" In this way only four Or FIVE
men were necessary, there being no
cooks, road makers, SO. The logs were
hauled through the streets Of the town.
formed into RATS Of from 100. 600 to
100000 feet. and, with poles and row.
boats. taken to the mill. For several
years there wasn't steam towboat on
the Sound. In these earlier days Of
the business the best of wages were
paid; good chopper easily enough
making his eight or ten dollars day,
and teamster with his two yoke Of
oxen from eighteen 10 thirty. Then.
also, no value whatever was placed
upon the timber. and those who chose
to take II were at liberty TO do 80.
either from lands belonging TO the
Government or from those Of private
individuals.
Along in the eos. during the war
and after. came the camps with which
home readers are generally familiar.
A camp consisted Of six or eight men,
with two or three yoke Of oxen. two
log huts, boat. and location on the
shore Of the Sound near body Of fine
timber. They sometimes bought 40
acre tract Of Government land and
sometimes they didn't. Skidded roads,
deviating in three or four directions
from rollway. were opened into the
timber . distance Of few hundred
yards. A very ordinary force consisted
Of. . teamster. hooktendsr. two chop
pers and sawyers, one or two road
makers and cook, the head men usu-
ally occupying the moro difficult and
responsible places Of tssmster and
choppers. Rats ranged in contents
from 100000 TO 10000 feet, and
wages from $50 to 800 month and
found.
Early In the '70s q more extensive
species Of logging was inausuratsd.
The value Of timber land Was apprs-
dated. and men were not allowed 70
cut % random. Government land waa
doubled in price. To enter the busi'
meas . larger capital was necessary,
and the little operations Of previous
yeais were al IN end forever. Camps
employed from twelve TO twenty men
worked four and Ave yoke Of oxen. the
timber was psnstratsd the distance Of .
mile. 1900 10 Is 900 fest day were
put in the water. and rata increased In
sine 70 eight. tea and twelve hundred
thousand fsek Shntes were used in
getting the logs from high banks into
the water. whils the futare necessity
for fumes and railroAds ives seen end
discussed. Later On Ia the decade
these things were used; = Aame near
Olympia. horse Car railroad 81 Sno-
homish. and the steam cars at Tacoma.
Progress and changes like that detail.
ed In the paragraphs foregoing are still
plaialy enough going on. The timber
considered in this region good enough
for logging has been pretty well culled
from the lands adjacent 10 the Bound.
Men ten years ago went up the Snoho-
mish river In quest Of timber, and later
up the SAnish, Skxgst, Stillasusmish
sud other rivers. Camps are nov e
b found far back in the country. from
ten 70 thirty miles from szlt water.