The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1898-04-01
Logging on the Pacific Coast.

1He w est COaSG ana fugoG SOunu
Lumberman in its special edition for
March, published engravings and de-
scriptions of how logging is carried on
in the great redwood forests of Califor-
MIA, as we'll as in the Northwest where
the methods are somewhat similar.
1t says:
There has been great evolution in
logging methods in the past few years.
AS the timber was cut back from log
ging streams it became necessary to
substitute other power than cattle.
For a time horses furnished the mo-
tive power to the logger. Nowhere in
the world could finer teams be found
than in the woods OF this coast. Wood
en- tlamways penetrated the forests for
one, two or even three miles; beyond
this the expense of hauling became
too great. The Blackman logging car,
with its immense concave wheels, was
a factor and In few camps is still
one. But the camps were moved
farther and farther into the woods,
and railroads with heavy iron or steel
rails became a necessity. The donkey
engine has also become necessary
part of the loggers outfit. Today
we'll equipped camp will have its own
railroad, locomotive, several donkey
engines, a mile or more of steel cable
and "a few horses for extra work. A
modern outfit represents lot of capt.
al invested and more to operate it. 1t
requires skilled foremen and engineers,
as well as fallers, sawyers, skid men,
cooks, etc.
One OF the largest, if not the largest,
camps in the world is that operated by
the Simpson Logging County in
Mason county, Washington. These
camps have q daily capacity of
100000 feet of logs. Two logging
roads are operated, both of them dump
ing their loads into Puget Sound. Sol.
G. Simpson, the manager of this COM
pany, is reckoned as a most capable
man. The st. Paul & Tacoma Lum-
ber Co.'S camp near Tacoma, is model
modern camp. Their camps employ
nine or ten large donkey engines. In
one camp logs are hauled out by loco
motive. The logs are dragged between
the rails This is considered one of
the most successsul ways of handling
logs when the grades are not too steep.
The old estimate OF man to the thou
sand feet of logs put in daily is an
over estimate now. The addition of
machinery has reduced the labor bill,
but added largely in expense in keep
ing up the machinery, paying for
cables and hiring high priced engin-
eers. The total expense, however, of
logging bas been reduced by modern
methods, Every year the steel rails
/ are stretching farther and farther into
the green woods. Every year sees a
greater amount of capital permanent
ly invested in roads and equipment.
The regular lines of railroads that
traverse tne timber districts are giving
liberal treatment in the way of switches
and spurs for logging camps. A large
source of income is from the handling
of logs, and this traffic will grow. AL
ready logs are hauled thirty, sixty and
ninety miles by rail and dumped into
Puget Sound. Logs, after they are III
the Sound, are towed from fifty to one
hundred and fifty miles. On Grays
Harbor and along Columbia river in
British Columbia and Oregon, logging
operations are carried on nearer log
ging streams and salt water than on
Puget Sound; the timber has not yet
been cut back so far and logging is
therefore less expensive.