Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1885-04-11

How CaIifornia's Grand Red
woods are Cut Down.
Men Hacking Away on scaaolds Erected
Around the Forest Giants


Here We are at Rockport, in Mendo-
clno county. 81 redwood sawmill. with
capacity Or $4,000 feet per day, writes
California correspondent II il s
O'clock 3 m. with damp. cool air.
and the men attired ID blanket lannel
overshirts, worn outside their trows.
ere, look like sailors ii the morning
watch. They are about to take the
train for the woods, and We viii 90
with them. They are Of every nation
atty and work under the direction Of
foreman, O. 'boss Of the woods.
We stop beneath monster tree fully
200 feet high and s feet in diameter
at the base. tapering gradua j. TO q
diameter Of about ) feet Standing
perfectly erect, leaning neither toward
the top or bottom Of the steep hillside
upon which itgrows. this tree affords a
fine example Of the methods used here
IN telling timber. The choppers first
erect scaffold around it that viii ele-
waite them to the height decided
upon as most expedient. and which
IN this instance is seven feet from the
ground.
Notches are cut in the tree at the
at the proper height. in which each
chopper inserts the end OF his SPRING
board, stout. iron-bound board spec
tally prepared for the purpose stand
ing on these spring-boards, both on tho
same side OF the tree. they began ope-
rations, one chopping right-handed
and the other left-handed, and ID 4
short time their vigorous and skiIlful
blows effect a "scarf" or opening fully
three feet through.
This done, they dismount from the
scaffold, notch the other side Of the
tree, shift their spring-boards and
begin again. It is their design to
have this tree fall toward the
lower side Of the hill, across space
where there are no intervening trees to
be injured. To insure thisthey insert
into the ''undercut'' piece Of wood
called 4 "gun-sticI1, which they ex-
plain with geometrical conciseness
shows the true centre Of the tree, and
and the point toward which it will fail
Having cut into the reverse side Of the
tree until almost meeting the undercut,
the choppers give several loud shouts Of
Halo Look out belowl"
as warning to any one within range
of the tree, and then with few more
blows they send the monster crashing
down the side Of che mountain. Down,
down it goes, leaving trail like that
Of q dozen gang-plows, down to the
very foot Of the mountain. where the
top sinks ten or twelve feet into the
ground and the headIong descent is
checked.
4 AAE ~ 20 - AA410 NkA&1AGAAk tkS1AA 0AA0
upper side. Then the scaffol0ing Is
shifted to the lowerside and a ten-foot
cross-cut or falling saw is brought into
requisltion and an incision made
Just behind the undercut. When the
saw has penetrated few inches. two
immense steel wedges. weighing
twenty-five pounds each, are inserted
IN the cut behind the saw and driven
ID solidly with tweaty-pound sledge
The monster at first settles on the
wedges. but the.steel resists the strain
and the position Of the tree IS gradn-
Any shifted until. the saw reaching the
centre ef gravity, i goes topping
over, lodging safely Ct the top 81 che
hill The practice q saving down
timber Is not confined to those trees
leaning the wrong way, but Is grad
ually becoming general.