ATTACKING THE BUSH.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1088, 29 March 1911, Page 15

ATTACKING THE BUSH.

HOW THE WORK IS DONE. Some idea of the maimer in which a forest is attacked was given to a Dominion representative by Mr. Webster, an official of the Pukuwcka ••.Timber Milling Company. At most mills the timber in the bush is hauled to tbo skids of tho trnnnvay by means of a powerful steam winch, which in sawmill phraseology is termed a .steam hauler. This machine is built on much more generous lines than those in use on our steamships, owing to tho fact that it is subjected to tremendous strains. The haulers usually cost about £000, and .are.placed in tho forest amongst nosts of trees, which when felled arc pulled in-by means of a long steel wire cable. This., cable usually reaches out for a. distance of about 10 chains. The standing trees arc verj quickly cut. Each tree is attacked bjr I wo men, who use'crosscut saw snifaxe (mostly crosscut saw), and whoso dross is mainly singlet,..trousers, boots, and socks. These moil can fall a treo • almost any way they please. In times gone by, when timber was not fucli a.;

valuablo thing a 6 it is now, and bushmen wished to clear the laud quickly for burning purposes, trees would bo well "scarfed" and then a big tieo dropped on top of them, and as one giant fell ho carried another with him until a wholo lino of scarfed trees wcro knocked over in this way. This saved a good deal of chopping. Sometimes a wind would spring up at night timo. . and a score of "scarfed" trees would come down in the night. This method, distinctly dangerous, caused many accidents, some of a fatal nature, and for obv;ous reasons the system has never been introduced into present-day sawmills. Wonderful Steam Haulers. When the tree falls the trunk io sawn into suitable lengths, according to orders awaiting delivery, and is then attached to the steel cablc of the winch, and dragged into the skids. : The winch accomplishes some wonderful ■ things in'the way of haulage.- Very • often the log which is being dragged in., is in a gully or over a hill, while botween it and the hauler is a thick forest of trees and underscrub. A canoeshaped steel'shoe is fitted to the end of tho log so as to facilitate its progress through tho forest, and it then starts oil its journey in charge of a pilot, who is quite out of sight of tho man driving the winch. Usually ;the ' log gets stuck many times before it reaches the skids, but the winchman if guided by whistle signals, and consc. quently knows when to "go ahead" and when to "Btand by." Tho Pilot. The pilot has to be as activo as r monkey. Ho is jumping and running all the time, levering with his crow-' bar, adjusting, and when the log sticks badly, as it does sometimes in a swamp, he has to use the "jack." Arrived at the skids, the log-is swung aloft by means of the winch, and deposited upon the skids of the truck. Twenty or thirty years ago the steam hauler was unknown, tho work being done by bullocks, and even now it is said that they are cheaper, but their work is not sc quick. In very bail country, however, • they are still used, and in any case, they are always of good service ia almost any mill. "Breaking Down." When the logs are brought into tlm mill they aro placed 011 what aro known as "breaking-down" frames, an expressive name, and raced at twill circular saws, which tear through them in sizzling lightning flashes, which give the average man a very cold feeling down the spine. Twin circular saws ill motion, swishing through a fallen log, are about tho cruellest things one may see at a sawmill. In tlie North Island tho old vortical saw for breaking down purposes lias almost seen its day, owing to its exccssiva slowness. Tin Borchman. After leaving tho breaking-down frame, the pieces of the mutilated tree arq known as "Hitches," another expressive term, and are then placed in tho hands of the henchman, who is. given all the labour-saving and'machinery aid imaginable to cut up the timber quickly. For it is the henchman who regulates the whole work of tho mill. Tho faster he goes, the faster' everyone else goes, and consequently ( sometimes his wages average as much as a bank manager or a Civil Servant. Surrounded by Pacific and travelling ' benches, he directs the operations, and ( the timber is sliced off and dispatched! 011 steam-travelling benches and stoam- ( i travelling tables as if by magic. Tho Pacific bench is an American steam, • ■ labour-saving contrivance, which races i a,flitch at the saw, and,then flies'.'back. ;; to,, the starting poiijfo at abotlfcv tliirty l miles an hour. Two or three mien.hold "jiggers," and also ride on the bench.and" it looks vexy flue, but tho New Zealand logs aro too small, and the possibility is the Work might bo dono 1 much cheaper by a modified steaini travelling bench, which indeed is in! . service in many of the mills. Oil these . latter banches, the henchman rides, t and rides against time. In years gone' [ by 110 walked, and laboriously pushed; ) tho log against tho circular saw, butr s now he rides backwards and forwards 1 > until tho timber,is absolutely eaten up.; t There aro henchmen 011 mills like thisj on tho Slain Trunk who are said to' . have turned off over 14,000.feet in .1. [ day. These are the champions, but it . is a fact that a fast man will cut over; 12.000 feet in one. day I Other labour-saving appliances at", some of the mills aro air-blasts for. carrying away tho shavings and saw--' • dust', travelling benches for shifting;' the slabs, and elevators for taking tinstimber flotsam away, and loading it into the trucks. ' The "slabby," who onco was a sort of "fag" to the bench-' I man, is now almost a thing of the past.\ The "tailor out," who is tho bench- \

man's mate, and "devils" for him, is still in existence. The Brakosman. A man who is exposed to considerable danger at the game is the brakesman. His is tho task of bringing the. logs on the thicks to the mill, and also conveying tho cut-lip timber t« the railway siding or station. Where tho country is hilly with narrow tramway paths, steep inclines, and .sharp curves .his w-ork is doubly risky, as if the trucks break away, safety of tho whole freight depends upon his quick ncss of action and foresight. Acridents, however, arc not"now.numerous possibly because special men only »n.v engaged for tho most responsible and dangcrou* positions. Tho Bush Dwellers. 'As to tho class of men who work at our sawmills, they are in the main a independent class' of young fellows, who , endure hardships and danger, but who ■ receive the best of pay. It is estimated that the average rnto of wages now oil mills on tiio Mara Trunk rauccs from lis. to His.

per day por man. They are mostly single men, but a number are married, and the _ womanly love of orderliness' asd the little extra decorative finish are always in evidence in tho bush, no matter whether tho family is living in a sawmill cottage or in a tent. A garden and some flowers in earthonwaro pots, or jam or fish tins, aro quito common in tho domiciles of all married men, and the clean glass windows and white muslin curtains, and a scrupul-ously-scrubbed doorstep aro over-re-minding influences of tho manner -in which a woman will beautify her home, no matter whether it bo mansion or timber whare.

Recreation. Sonic of tho mills boast a population of fully 0110 hundred people, men, women, and and include a business store and a hall for recreation purposes. In the old days the conccr-

Tina-was perhaps the only form-, of musical enjoyment, but now the phonograph is taking its place, and although living far from the city, tho timber dwellers are by these means always, kept up-to-date' in the latest songs and melodies which may he going. Then there are concerts and dances, and the oth.er night 'at one of tho big mills, Perham and Larson's, Rangataua, a skating rink was opened. To many this .was: the most dangerous employment they had- ever undertaken, but when mastered tho exercise is —tiin to be highly popular. In- the of literature, "newspaper and periodical," the sawmills 'are exceptionally well catered' for.'* J' :r '