The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1902-05-18
Virgin Forests of Shelby and ST.
Clair Counties Which Furnish
Timber for American Homes.
How Logs Are Hauled to the
Saw Mi11s-ROmantiC Life
of Brawny Lumbermen.
sY HOMER GEORGE.


given to the big. solemn woods OIL MICH
49,, a,d the northwest in various sto-
RES and novels that one has grown u
Imagine the only woods running in WIDE
long stretches are the woods of that part
n that world. One sreads all these sto-
ries of heroes in the rough doing WON
derful deeds in the mighty woods oil th@t
mart of the country. and sometimes longs
for an opportunity tosgive an exhioitioh
:. o,,o,s Golf Rut oneAnever thinks that
right here are woods which might be
Invested in a romance quite the equal
of the romance of these northwestern
states. w
Down in Shelby and ST. Clair counties
nre men who really combined with WOODS
there might give the fanciful pen of ro-.
mancer such types as would astract the
attention of the world to Alabama. POS
sibly the log and lumber camps are near
err civilization than those of the great
country referred to, but the latter GER
.,,r,,, ca,,not he more to themselves or
more unique than the camps which are
Alabamas own.
1 spent a day down in these woods
This week. and must ray 1 found many
things to think about other than CHG
pers." At only one time did my nina
iturn to romance and thoughts of heroes
Then it was that l awoke from sleep
nnder a tree at noon time and found my
sell surrounded by nearly fifty Of the
men who cut trees, trim logs haul them
and load them on the Fog trains. lay
half in the sun and all about me lay
the other fellows, mostly big giants
with rough strong hands, but kindly
hammered faces. All were resting ana
7 could rot help weaving some little ro-
nance about them.
The log camp is situated in what l
know must be a typical part oil the
world In reaching it left Birmingham
at 61o o'clock, getting off of the south
ern train at Pen City and there taking
log train to the camp. We reached tn
END of the line about ten o'clock. I'm
mediately Mr.. Dozier. TIE Photographic
who accompanied me on the trip, begal
his work of securing typical camp views
1 Joined Mr.. Lathrop. my host. in Ions
tramp about the camp and through TIT
woods where the men were cutting thf
large pines without cessation hour in anc
hour out.
Railroad - Woods.
In reaching the camp we passed
through land now planted in cotton and
corn which only a few years ago was
as thickly wooded as that land where
the camp stands and which is being so
rapidly cleared up. The firm, Lathrop-
Hatten Lumber Company, owns the
train which cal ried me into the woods
It is made up Of a thirty-ton mogul en-
CINE and ten log flat cars. The road Is
well graded and runs twelve miles from
Pell City into the heart of a body OF
pines which cover twenty thousand acres
of land. At the present time this road
is being extended three miles further
into the woods and about them. Each
car has $1,000 pounds capacity with all
brakes complete,
The road is used only for this one train
and It is devoted solely to transporting
logs from the woods to the saw mills of
the company situated at Riverside, on
the Coosa river, five miles from Pell
City The entire roadbed is well graded
and is kept up by two gangs of section
workmen The rails are nearly all 30
and 40 pound steel; though about one
mile is made up Of iron rails. The track
Is standard and the log trains switch
from it to the main road bed Of the
southern at Pell City, running on the
latter to Riverside. The distance of five
miles ts made in ten minutes by the train
loaded with ten cars of logs each of the
ten weighing many thousands of pounds.
The engine used by the company was
chrlstened the "Coosa King" by Mr.,
Lathrop when it was first run on the
road At that time the track was laid
hut short distance and the work was
light. Now the track stretches out full
twelve miles and the loads are heavy.
Still the little mogul does its business in
fine style just as it used to when the
track was first laid. Tom Downing, g
irood-natured fellow has charge of thu
.Coosa King and takes as much prid'
IN its condition and in its work as doe'
the engineer of the biggest and tastes
passenger engine run out over any roa'
entering the city He cleans 1t up AM
oils II with the same pride as does tn
fellows who pull the throttle on traini
loaded with prince Henrys"
AS we went to the camp we carried
ten empty cars, six in front Of the en-
CINE and four behind 1t. The ride wal
made in remarkably fast time the lit
tie putting machine sending us aheat
as fast as the condition of the track will
allow. sometimes touching a speed of fif