Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1905-02-17

fireman and road men drop off first
at the road engine, located either on
the river or at the railroad landing,
depending on whether the camp puts
its logs into a stream by which they
can be hoated TO market, or loads
them upon fiat cars for railroad trans
portation to the mill. Here begins
the long stretch of mud, water, tim
bers and treache herous wire cables that
make up d" skid road" Such road
is poor thing for pleasure walks, but
admirably adapted for hauling logs on
the ground with a minimum of fric-
tion. Itis made by setting sections
of logs, ten feet long and eighteen
inches in diameter, into the ground
transversely of the direction of the
road, so that the upper side is just q
little above the surface. A slight de-
preston is " saddled" out of the min
die top OF each "skid," as the timbers
are termed. and in this depression the
long turns" or strings OF logs, are
dragged endwise by a wire cable
wound in by engine located at the
lower end of the road. At the end of
the skid road we come to the yarding
engine. In logging parlance "yard-
ing" is the preparation and hauling
the log from where it lies when the
tree is felled to the end OF the skid
road. No roads are made for this
purpose. the logs being hauled by
means Of a wire cable wound upon
the drum of an engine, resembling q
pile-driving engine enlarged. Here
the greater part OF the crew fall into
their places. Beyond them, perhaps a
dozen men are building an extension
of the skid road, and all we have left
are the "fallers" and "sswyers."
Let us follow these to their work
and watch them fall" q tree, see the
great trunks cut into long lengths,
and then follow the log until it reaches
the road engine down on the river.
The head faller, or undercutter," is
a massive fellow, six feet two as he
stands on "springboard" high up on
q grand fir tree. In large timber the
swell at the butt is very often of poor
quality; to escape this the trees are
cut from four to ten feet above the
ground. A notch is cut into the side
of the tree and the end OF q board
inserted; on the spring-board, as it is
termed, the faller and choppers work.
To fall tree ten feet in diameter
where it is wanted, regardless of its
natural lean, and to fall it so as not to
break it, demand the highest science
of the woodsman.
A V.notch is cut into the tree with
an Ak to about one.third OF its diam
eter, and facing the direction in which
the tree is to be felled. Then two
sawyers, taking opposite ends of an
eight-foot saw, begin to work from the
side opposite to the notch or "uuder-
cut" When the tree begins to settle,
wedges ara inaaried, end whom it has
been cut off, excepting hinge oi
wood from four TO ten inches in width,
the wedges are driven in with q steel
sledge until the tree is forced over in
the direction or the undercut.
Starting slowly, then gradually in.
creasing. then with roar as it gains
momentum, swapping off smaller trees
like fagots, monarch Of the forest lies
PROSTATE. A mile away, the fall
sounds like distant thunder; close by
the ground shakes, and near by trees
struck by the falling giant, wave back
and forth like reeds before . hurri.
cane.
As soon as it is down, the fallers
are upon it, measuring it off into log
lengths from "a to 100 feet each.
Then follow the sawyers, q single man
to cut, each with an eight-foot saw,
bag OF wedges, sledge and an Ak.
It often takes the ingenuity of the
very best sawyers to cut an eight-foo,
tree. lying across some deep canyon,
Supporting timbers may have to be
placed under the tree, and the cut
made from beneath upwards, 80 al
not to split the tree when it parts.
The log, when cut, is "barked" or
the side on which it will ride when
being hauled over the skid road. II
is knotted" Of its limbs, if there are
any, and then "sniped" at the end
which will be in front during the
hauling; the sniping consists OF bevel
ing entire circumference Of log for
about six inches in depth.
Then come the swampers," clear
ing away the brush and debris so tha,
the "yarding crew" can get to the log
after that it is ready for hauling.
The hooktender" is the master o
the yarding. Under him are q dozen
men, each with particular task; but
it is he who decides just which way
each log shall be removed, and the
means to accomplish this result.
The cable is usually from three
fourths of an inch to one inch in
diameter, and about 1000 feet are
used on yarding engine. The end oi
the line, with its great steel hook, is
usually drawn to where it is to be at
tached to log by the "line horse,
o powerful animal, specially trained
for this work; the end of tho line il
fastened to the log either by passing
the line around it. or by q pair ol