The Portland daily press., 1889-11-09
LOGGING IN THE WEST.
They Don't Do 1t as 1t Is Done In the
Maine Forests.
THE Northwestern Lumbermap. !

1.-THE Northwestern Lumberman.l
The camp itself is generally pitched near
the landing, and consists of several buildings
of somewhat permanent character. One
of these is the cook-house and dining-room,
often presided over by Chinese cooks aAd
walters, though in some districts the logger
insists on white labor and gets it. Another
is the sleeping-room for the men, which con-
sists of a long room with two or three tiers
OF hunks arranged along each side, leaving a
large hall in the centre which is used for a
recreation room-the recreation generally
consisting of handling somewhat greasy
pack of cards in the exciting games of seven
up, cribbage, or occasionally the more fas-
cinating poker. Many of the loggers are
more than average whist players and nearly
all are good checker players. But little read.
ing is INDUCED in, as the chaps are generally
remote from postoffice, but when news
papers are brought in the boys eagerly devour
up into single sheets, so as to give all a
chance. The foreman and the surveyor have
their own shanties apart from the men. and
in one Of these are kept one or more beds for
the use Of visitors. The men provide their
own bedding and blankets, which they tote
around from one camp to another. The food
is much the same as in Eastern camps,
though the men are little more particular
as TO its quality
Starting from the camp up into the woods.
the visitor passed over road regularly laid
out BY the surveyor and abont ten feet wide
across which skids about eighteen inches in
diameter and four feet apart are imbedded
in the ground to about 0ne-half OF their
depth. These skids have space at or near
the centre hewed square, into which piece
of hard maple is usually inserted and held in
place with wooden pins, and over these
spaces the logs are hauled. Ahead of the
team boy or Chinaman stalks along carry
ing can of dogish oil, with which he greases
every one of these pieces of hard maple, and
this allows the logs to slip almost as easily
as over snow. The surveyor, in lying out
the road, calculates at what point the logs
will strike the skid, so that the hard maple
can be inserted at the spot, and where there
are many curves this often requires a very
nice Judgment and much experience
Arrived at the scene OF operations, the
first sight that will greet the visitors eyes
will be two men standing on spring-boards
ten feet from the ground, and ch0ppiDg into
the tree. to make sure of the right fall.
When this has been done the cr0ss-cut saw
is brought into use to cut down the tree. All
choppers must be both right and left hand
men, as they have to chop on both sides.
The choppers leave the tree as soon as they
have made the requisite missions, and their
places are taken by the sawyers, who bring
their own springboaTds on which to stand.
The reason given for leaving SO large a
stump is that the tree is abt to be shaky near
the ground, and the brush is often thick close
20 ant off OF a
distance of twenty feet, and even further,
from the ground, but this was largely through
a spirit OF emulation as to which men could
work highest in the air. This has been dis
continued, and as the timber becomes more
valuable the logging companies are insisting
upon the stumps being shorter and shorter.
No tree is cut that is less than thirty inches
in diameter at the butt, and the trees more
than six or seven feet at the butt are general
ly left standing, as they do not pay to cut al
present.
After the tree has been felled, the cross.
cut sa W soon cuts it into logs of uncertain
length, often depending on the caprice of the
sawyer. There is no standard of length
but logs are cut anywhere from twenty to
forty feet long, and longer If needed. The
longer lengths command higher price than
what might be called stock lengths-that is,
cents thousand for every ten feet above
forty, but the big logging companies think
the difference is not sufficient to pay for the
extra sizes. No log is accepted by the big
mill companies that scales less than sixteen
inches at the small end. and long logs must
be thirty inches at the small end; nor will
any logs be scaled at more than sixty inches.
Ii they measure more than that they are
either rejected or scaled at sixty inches
The large mills accept only lengths between
thirty feet and no. except in two cases, where
they will take them up to 100. These mills,
cd mi IN do a trad
that demands the largest-sized sticks that
can be gotten out.
As soon as the tree has been cut up the
"bull puncher" brings part OF his team
usually to yoke of 0xen-and skids the logs
out into the sound. where they are fastened
together with dogs and chains firmly driven
into the timber. The foremost log has the
dogs driven into each side, and this must be
done very accurately, so that the chains will
not pull unevenly. The work of fastening
the logs together requires good judgment
and the bull puncher" usually directs thi:
himself, for II the log is not rolled just right
it will turn over on its journey to the landing
and draw out the dogs. The "bull punchel'
is one Of the most important men around the
camp, and sometimes receives as much Oh
more pay than the foreman Ii good man
he is never out of work or off the payroll
or two instances they have been as high a.
S120, month and board. He usually ha.
from six to ten yoke of oxen in his team
which he drives by word OF mouth, occasion
ally prodding one of the animals will
SHARE gpad pees 0 Of Pe s sed Is Tn inserted
He derives his name of bull puncher" from
this goad. In team of six yoke one or TIVE
yoke are bulls. in team of ten yoke three
Of them are bulls. These are the leaders
and one Of the yoke of bulls is usually neares
to the logs. Every one of the animals under
IL 10 nj nd in hn Uxyin n
direct to that part of the line to which b.
belongs. They are very intelligent at thei
work, and in making curves each one take
his share Of the work, easing the logs so tina
they will never leave the place over whic
they should be hauled.
Arrived at the landing, the logs are eithe
rolled iuto stream or loaded on to l0ggin
trucks, to be transported to the sound o
river, or in some instances are tumbled int
artificial bitches, which have a reservoir BIZ
hind them that floats the logs to the ope
waters, where they are RATED. The loggin
railroads were formerly built Of narrow. 2
three-feet- six-inch, gauge, but latterly tn
| logging companies have built all their ne'
| ones standard gauge, and believe them to b
| more economical. Some of them are use
for passenger and freight roads, as well Q
logging railways, and have quite an extensiy
business which has been caused by settl
ments made since their operations begal
The RATS are, more properly speaking, boon
made up of large outer logs, held togeths
with strong dogs and chains, in which II
the logs are carefully placed in position. O
Puget Sound these booms are hauled by tul
away from their landings, on ebb tides. b.
have to take the flood tide for some part I
their journey. A notable instance of this
thu Skagit River logs, which have to con
on ebb tide to the open straits, which hay
to be crossed, and then make the flood tide
go up the sound. At the mills the booms a.
tied to piers till ready to be broken up. an
| never pat AWAY