Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1902-01-20
WATERVILLE.
THE LOG HAULER.
The Steam Machine Doing
n Good Work in Woods.
But Larger and Better One Will Be
Operated by Electricity.
Notes and lettings IRON the Lawrence. NewhalI
& Page Camps.


bert Jewell OF Shawmut, returned. Sat-
urday, from trip to Alder Strea M
where the L., y. 4 +. 60. is operating
extensively. this winter, and where The
log hauler experiments are being cried
According to Mi. Jewell the forest
prineval is seeing aCIEe very strange
proceedings 1T that place. The L.. \.
X T. Co. is carrying on extensive opera
| tins in several parts of the State, being
one of the largest numbering concerns
now in business and one of the largest
IS at Alder Stream. @
ThA method of carrying on the lum-
bering business has changed much III
| the past few years. The business has
been systenIatized like, many others
and is now conducted on n solid Dusi-
| ness basis In the .olden days when
good timber was much nearer the
streams and when supplies had to be
toted many miles things were mucn
different. Camps We're more isSOlated
and independent. then than now. Al
present a. big frnn like the L.. n. & p.
Co., conducts 4 regular chain of camps.
employing hundreds of men apd many
horses. To be economical the bust
ness has to be reduced to regular sys.
TEN quick sales and small profits"
having as much force here as any
,, where.
But the most interesting thing at AL
der Stream is something that may
revolutiOniZe the lumber business Of
the state. The L., n. & p. Co. is the
pioneer and the results of it's expert
men.s are being. watched with the
grea test interest by all the other firms
in the business. The sheme has been
originated ard developed thus far by. i
Waterville man. Mr.. Lombard, so it is
being watched with special interest
here in the city. The log hauler be-
| came {, familiar sight on Waterville
streets before being taken to the woods
to demonstrate its usefulness.
One of the things that has much IN
tiuence or the profits Of numbering IS
the hauling of the logs from the yards
TO the landings. II is not possible in
these days for a team to drive into the
woods anywhere and pick up load of
; logs. The ground must be gore over
carefully by the boss and the good
trees selected. When the trees that are
to be cut are spotted the swampers fol-
low and make roads to them. Then
come the yarders. The trees are usual
ly scattered over considerable territory
and loads must be picked up one log ut
4 time and hauled to the yards. These
are conveniently placed for loading and
unloading and a good many of them
are filled in the course of the winter.
When the snow gets deep enough the
wagon shedding commences. Two-and
four-hOrse teams haul the logs from
the yards to the landings which must
be on some waterway that will carry
logs out in the spring. Yarding usual
~ ends when the wagon shedding be-
gins. but quite often. both are carried
on simultaneously and usually At the
beginning of the wagon shedding
The wagon shedding is one Of fhe
most critical stages Of the business. 1t
requires good amount of snow for The
wagon sleds need good roads for good
work, and in the woods only snow and
lots of it can make good roads. II there
is too much snow the work is slow and
difficult. II there chances to be an early
spring some OF the logs may have to be
left on the landing as the wood roads
break up rapidly in warm weather OF
spring. II Is therefore the lumber
mans constant study how 10 get ms
legs from the yard to the landing as
quickly and as economically as posi-
bile. He wants TO keep his yardtng
crews at work as long as possible so as
tn get out as much possible. but he
doesn't want to overload his yards so
that he will have toscarry over logs on
them to the next season. Some nice
Judgment is required here and not IT. |
tie knowledge Of the weather signs and |
woOdcraft.
The most critical stage Of the whole |
business is of course the driving Of the !
logs down the water ways to the mill /
Ar old lumber5nan never dares count /
hts logs until they are sawed and piled i
IN his mill yard. But It can be seen |
how necessary tl,e hauling from yard !
t. landing IL and ssri,at apart it plays
IN the businedk
1t was-.tY,is problem thar Mr.. Lon-
bard taSkle, sabo1t two years ago. Hell
had been intsreoted in automobiles and |
he a6aliv c6fluded that he could
build { machiae that would get loss :!