South Bend news-times., 1922-10-29
CUTTING TIES IN
WYOMING IS HARD
LIFE FOR SWEDES
Fell Trees for Railroads in
Zero Weather While Work
ing in Deep Snow.

THERMOPOLIS. Wyo., oct. 2S.-
Scores OF muscular, bronze faced
'tie hacks" are today heading for
the great tie camps along the Du
Noir creeks. west Of here and just
south OF Yellowstone Park. pre-
pared for a winter of isolation ana
more or less hardship in the telling
OF trees for the millions OF railroad
ties that next spring they VIII
drive" down the rapid creek
waters into the Big Wind river TO
the terminus in Riverton, WyO
The annual "tie" drive" is a pic
turesque event. and the cutting and
taking to market of railroad ties
has become an industry of trernen-
dous proportions in Wyoming
From October to early June the
hundreds Of cite hacks" mostly Of
Scandinavian descent. work IN the
below-zero weather Of the mountain
country. telling the lodgepole pines
and trimming them into railroad
ties.
Wade IN Chilled Water.
Then, when the melting mountain
SHOWS have swelled the streams to
almost freshet pitch, the cite hacks"
work, often waistdeep in cold water,
for many weeks driving" the ties
downstream.
The timber is cut far back In the
mountains, east of the Continental
Divide, and is fashioned into rail-
road ties during the late winter
and early spring. The making Of
ties Is not only labori0us work, but
calls for a very high degree of skill
with the axe. The cite hack" first
fells the tree. making a low stump
TO avoid waste, and trims off the
limbs with 4 dOuble-bitted axe, scat
tering the limbs over the ground 50
that they viii rot quickly. The log
Is then fattened on each side with
a brOadax and later Is sawed into
lengths of eight feet. Then the bark
is peeled off. and the ties are piled
along roads through the woods lead
ing down TO the waters Of the creeks.
The men. in wooden shirts, cordu-
roy trousers and heavily spiked
boots work all through the zero
weather of the mountain winter,
much Of the time in deep snow
making it necessary frequently to
shovel their way TO the trees before
telling them.
The process OF hauling them 10
the banks of the creeks is highly
interesting. some Of the hacks
actually hauling ties on their impro-
vised sleds. gaIloping wildly down
steep embankments ahead OF their
leads and en- imminent danger of
being overtaken and crushed by the
heavily loaded, speeding sleds.
Drives" in Spring.
The low waters Of the creeks dur
ing the winter season allow the ties
TO be piled across the. streams from
bank 20 bank. and with the melting
Of the SHOWS in the spring every
thing is in readiness for the drive"
downstream.
As soon as the water Is deep enough
the breaking" crews start with the
pile OF ties farthest down stream. .
the center piles go out with a rusH
due to the backed-up water behind
them. and the crews continue 20
work upstream until all the ties
have been started on the crosts of
the creeks for their 10O-mile Journey
10 Riverton.
Fight Log Jams.
Jams occur constantly !n the course
OF the long drive" but men, work
ing in freezing water above their
hips straighten out the tangled
masses. while others are stationed az
sharp bends In the creeks and along
deep canyons 20 keep the long line
or ties moving 70 their destination.
Occasionally. however. it is neces-
sary TO use dynamite 10 take The
nix out of a solid jam"
While high water is essential in
the mountain creeks for the smooth
movement OF the tie drives compar-
atively low and calm waters serve
HJN NrNTVAZy Wv