Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1888-04-28
MICHIGAN pINERIES
The HARD AND DANGEROUS WORK
DONE ~ the LoocERA

~. '""so W. o<SNS@VtSSS WYNN
DONE ~ the loocERa
Lunberins Operations In the Pine For.
este Of the Northwess-worh Done By
The "Caat Book~ lasa-"skidway~ ana
sisaating 0round"-Dynaniss.
Nowhere On the globs b ths relation Of
horss apd man In The accomplishment Of
ersat labor and the production Of snor-
NOUS results % clearly sesn q In The
numbering operations Of the northwestern
plnsrieA From the time when the ilrst
log b cut from the 6rst fallen pine In
Septsmbse. until the last log b delivered
at the banking ground. not later than the
ides oe March, horse and man handle the
lcgs together. This u how tho work u
done:
Camp established and tho main roads
lined out through the timber TO be cut.
gangs Of men 60 TO work. Ono man
moves ahead. selects trees. chops deep
notch on that side Of the tree toward
which he wants Il 70 fall Two men fol.
low him With axes and . cross cut saw.
The ares ars for the incidental occasion
which may arise for their use The saw
u the real guillotine Of The forest The
lawyers begin on the standing tree op-
posits the aforesaid notch, and cav to.
ward that II the tree leans that way it
win sometimes break through six inches
OF solid wood. and swoop down with
screecb Of the sundering 6bers that can
b heard long distance.
The tree once down. the leader Of the
gang that fell" Il measures of the logs
and ''tops" II; that il. he tims up the
limbs where necessary. and goes on 70
notch another tree while the rawyers arc
cutting the 6rst into logs. Then como
the "swampers,' gang Of men and
horses. who cut away the brush. roll ono
end Of the log upon drag" and haul II
OF 70 the "skidway." where II II piled to
await being taken TO the banking ground.
The skidway 10 itself . rollway, as the
banking ground is. df tho logs are TO be
loaded upon cars the skidway must DO
built - high a. the platform Of the car.
II upon sleighs. then only high enough to
admit Of rolling them upon the hunks, or
"bed" Of the sleigh. But in either case
tho piles Of logs so gathered may be large.
and yet largest where they are completed
and left to be moved by sleighs. havo
seen them piled in huge roof shaped
masses thirty and forty feet high. Lying
thus. snow collects In the interstices,
melts and freezes until the pile has be.
come solidi6ed. In that condition It Is
often found when the leaders approach Il
70 break down the pile and load 1t upon
the slsighs.
The work Is often dangerous. because
the logs are not taken from the top Of the
pile, but from It's bottom. Only the most
skillfui. as we'll a. powerful. cant hook
men" make up the loading gangs. have
seen gang break out the bottom log Of q
skidway that showed a perpendicular
front Of thirty feet. At It's base in tho
roadway stands the sleigh strong enough
TO Withstand the shock Of a mountains
fall; the horses are unhitched and moved
away and only the men are In danger. A
foreman stands watchful over all; men
pry and pull and strain together, moving
the resisting log only hairs breadth. as
It seems, 30 cautious are they. As they
pull they watch the mass above them. and
when at last It starts those men bound
away a. II shot out Of catapults. and
down como the icy logs bounding with Q
roar. The sleigh Is covered with them;
and once In such fall saw . huge log
caught and held on end on top Of half
loaded sleigh.
Then comes the haul. Tho roads arc
wide. level and smooth, and pair OF the
kingly horses trained TO the work will
haul load Of fourteen tons In day when
the sleigh shoes do not stick to the snow.
Such load. peaked up into the air six feot
above the horses. with the teamster
astride Of the top log talking familiarly
to his mig" and ''Joe," or some equally
domestic names. by which his horses are
known. as they walk easily away with
the huge mass. Is sight that would
make the boys and girls Of the world wild
with delighted astonishment. But there
Is danger here. too. A slight lurch side
ways will sometimes break chain
"binder" and the load goes down.
At the banking ground, on q clear cold
winter day. with the mercury 20 dogs.
below zero. the sceno Is unique. This Is
the only part Of the work In which tho
horses cannot help. The logs are rolled
out from the sleighs by the men. 1t Is
often hard work. A green pine log that
scales from 500 to 800 feet Is q heavy
thing to handle.
Rollways or banking grounds arc al.
ways chosen at that point on stream or
lake where the height Of the bank and the
depth OF water will best facilitate piling
logs In winter and floating them In spring.
high bank and deep water are best. but
the majority Of rollways are on low banks
and shallow streams. not from choice, but
from necessity. The logs are dropped
from sleighs or cars upon the bank and
rolled off until the river Is filled some
times almost across the channel. leaving
only sluiceway. This dams the water
and gives greater force, that Is utilized In
breaking the rollways in when the drive
begins. The logs. piled often q dozen
deep or more. weigh the Ice down to tho
bottom: the water rises among the bot
tom tiers Of logs and they freeze together.
There is danger In breaking In a rollway.
Just as there is In breaking down a skid
way In both cases the work Is done from
the front and bottom Of the pile. In the
moving Of frozen logs dynamite Is often
used Cartridges are fastened to long
poles, the waterproof fuse Is ignited and
the foreman thrusts the cartridge down
through the water as well under the logs
as his limited time will permit. Bay
City Mich Cor Chicago Herald.