The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1886-07-17
NORTHWEST LoGeeRs.
How the Pine Logs Are brought to Marke
Irnin Nnribcrn Enrcsis.

How the Pine Logs Are Brought to Market
From Northern Forests.
The loggcr's harvest and means of
getting his crop from the pincrics to
market is, perhaps, as little understood
as any other great industry of the land.
Even those residing in the logging dis
tricts who are not engaged in tho busi-
ness generally have little idea of how
the pine logs they see floating down the
Missississippi, st. Croix. Chippewa and
other rivers leading from the pincries
arc gathered and RATED. The pincries
of the Northwest are located on and
abo;:.. the great watershed where the
Mississippi, its tributaries, and the trib-
utarics of Lake Superior find their
source. The main shed, which divides
st. Louis, Little Black and the other
rivers on the north side from the Misss-
sippi, st. Croix, Chippewa and the other
rivers on the south side, has branch sheds
extending between the streams flowing
south down to their confluence, and be-
tween the streams on the north side
down to Lake Superior. The she'd and
branches are high enough to furnish
head for strong current, and from
the head, leading down to the main
streams, are a multitude of creeks,
brooks and mere ravincs These last
are all utilized by the loggers. A series
of sluice dams are constructed along
each creek, brook and ravinc. and each
dam is put in shape in the fall of the
year to collect water for use in the
c,,,-i,, Aftnr tl,n la,,,s rny,atrnI
and in shape the crews of men are set
10 work cutting pines and piling the
logs in convenient localities. When
the snow comes the work of hauling the
logs from the piles in the pincries to the
DAMNED ravines begins. For this pur-
pose immense sleds, hauled bv four or
six very heavy horses or as many oxen,
are used. These sleds are from twelve
to fourteen feet wide, and sometimes as
many as one hundred logs are hauled at
load. The piles of logs are seldom
more than three miles from the ravine,
so that many loads are hauled by each
teamster in day. The logs are dumped
from the sleds on the ice and
scaled. Scaling is loggcr's term for
measuring Il log to ascertain how many
feet of lumber it contains. The scaling
is done by skilled men, and with scaling
clippers or log rules. The logs come
from the pineries all ont in uniform
lengths-12, l6. 20, "a and 90 feet. The
caliper takes the diameter of the log and
indicates on the rule the number OF feet
Of lumber according to the length. In
the spring the accumulation of water
from the fall and winter rains and SHOWS
,i1s IA tl,a In ,vyb ;oI,
have been piled on the ice.
The sluice-dams are accordingly
opened, and the work of driving begins.
The driving process is accomplished by
crews of men who follow the logs as
they float down to the main streams and
prevent or break log jams or gorges.
The next place of interest in the transit
of the log is the boom. 1t is at the boom
that the logs are put into brails to be
Hoated down to the rafting grounds,
placed in RATS, and pushed by
steamers down the Mississippi.
a brief description of the st.
Croix boom will give an idea of all
the large booms of the Northwest. The
st. CroiX boom commences four miles
and half below Marine, is five miles
long. terminates two miles and half
above saltwater, and is on the west side
of the main channel of the st. CroiX
river. 1t is practically an inclosure into
which the logs are driven, made into
brails, let out mt the foot. and delivered
to the owners. The inclOsure is made
in this way: A row of piles, extending
above medium water about seven feet,
line the west shore, and another row of
,,i1as limo fhn nIna nf fhn ~
channel. Attached to the row of piles
are continuous floating walks, made of
heavy, long planks. Across the foot of
the boom is stretched a row of logs,
fastened end to end. for the purpose of
retaining all the logs in the boom until
the workmen are through with them
The logs, as they come down the river,
are driven into the inclosure
by crew of men stationed at the head
of the boom. All along the floating
plank walk on the shore side are men
at work tieing with ropes the logs to-
gcther into brails. Every logger has
certain recorded marks, which are
placed on his logs in the pincries. The
men on the plank walk are nearly all
divided into squads each of which places
all the marks of certain logger in the
brazil. A few rods apart are ropes
stretched from the piles along the shore
to the piles along the channel. Hang
ing with their hands to one of these
ropes and stepping on the floating logs
are two or three men engaged in sorting
out the particular marks wanted by the
squads nearest to them on the walks
making brails. The marks not wanted
are permitted to float by to the ropes
bclow.-St. Paul Pioneer-P Press.