Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1901-10-18

many giant of the forest is laid low
the sawyers cut the big stick up int
the proper lengths; the swamper'
clears away the brush; the barker
strips off the rough bark the hook
tender" performs his part OF the work
the hand-sk idder" causes the log t,
be conveyed to the railroad, and tn,
work of the man of the logging camI
is over.
1t has been hard days work, an,
| slowly the men come struggling into
camp ready for supper aud tired
After the meal they group themselves
around the fire-some one brings ou
an old fiddle, and the strains of the
plaintive songs of old are heard in the
woods. Some young fellow who has
still plenty OF vitality left gets on hi:
feet and execures jig on the gras'
carpet to the clapplng of hands ant
the shouts of his watchers. Then an
other breaks into a sOng-a song they
! all know-and the chorus is taken VI
by the many, until the welkin ring.
with the voices OF strong men.
The day is ended. The last streak
of light has vanished through tn,
opening in the trees; slowly, as reluc
taut to go as it was to come, the light
retreats over the tops of the trees to
the mountain side. Behind, ii leaves
an ever darkening shadow. Up to the
field of white near the mountain 5
summit creeps the light, and darkness
behind. The patch of snow flashes
red in the dying sun, the shadows in.
crease, and then comes darkness-to
tai darkness comes over the forest and
the lumber camp.
a survey of the timber land on
which the cutting is to he done is the
first requisite, and it is only after the
boundary lines are well established
that the actual work commences
The ground is then carefully looked
over and route selec ed for railroads
Landings at different points along
the railroad convenient to the largest
clumps of timber and easy of access
are chosen, and upon judicious
choice depends largely the cost OF put
ting in the logs. Skid roads are then
built, running out into the timber
from the landings, branching off in
such a way that they are not as a rule
over 800 feet apart. The proper con
struction of these roads requires con
siderable skill and involves great
deal OF expense.
The roadway has 10 be cleared and
graded as carefully as the logging
railroad itself, and when the grading
is finished, skids, about 10 feet long
made usually of trees ranging from II
to Is inches in diameter are laid
about seven feet apart, across the skid
road. 1t is in the placing of these
skids that the utmost skill is required
They must be made solid and theil
tops must all be in line, so that wher
a log is pulled over them the end viii
not strike against the skid and knock
it out OF place. Then again. when the
road makes circle, the skids must bt
placed with the outer ends lower thar
the inside ends, in order to enable the
logs to make the turn easily and with
out sliding off the skids.
With the completion OF the railroad
and branches, landings, skid road:
from the landings, camp buildings
consisting of cook house, bunk house
barn and blacksmith shop, then it i.
that the actual work of logging com
mences. Every man has his particular
work to do, and his business is to dc
his work well and to keep ahead of the
fellow back of him. The first ones t,
start out are the Teller" and hi.
helper" Their business is to fel
the trees. The position of feller" re-
quires man of experience and goot
judgment, for he must fell the trees SC
they will not break up; he must fel
them near the skidroad, so they may
be as accessible as possible. This may
on the face of it, seem easy, but wher
it is taken into consideration that tn,
trees lean in all directions and that tn,
wind blows from all points of the com
pass, it is evident that it requires ex
perience, skill and lot of hard worl
to throw a tree" in a different direc
ton from that in which it would ma
turally fall. This is accomplished
first. by under-cutting on the sidt
toward which it is to fall; and, second
when the tree is nearly sawed through
to the undercut, by driving stee
wedges in the saw kerf on the opposit,
side of the tree to that in which tn,
"feller" wants it to 60. Many of thss,
"fellers" become so expert that the,
can fell tree so that it will fall an(
drive stake set upright in the grount
100 feet away.
The sawyers, usually two in mum
Der, follow the fellers," and havin,
had instructions from the foreman q
to what lengths are required, they saw
the trees into the proper lengths in I
good and workmanlike manner. Thi
is particular part of the work, for
the saw is allowed to run so that tn
cut varies six to eight inches from
a straight line, in log four feet in di