WikiLearning #7 (lumberjacks)

Things I've learned from Wikipedia, and sometimes other places.

This is commentary. And this is really good.

"Lumberjacks" entry in The Canadian Encyclopedia

"It was only around the turn of the 18th century, however, that the professional logger-- or lumberjack-- was born... It grew to be the backbone of the region's [eastern Canada] industrial economy, and focused on harvesting white pine. From roughly 1800 to 1840, production was centred on cutting and hewing square timber for the British market. Then this industry underwent a reorientation, whereby the pine logs were increasingly sawn into planks for sale largly in the United States. It was estimated that during the 19th century, which was the heydey of the white pine era, half the males in Canada were employed as lumberjacks. By the turn of the 20th century, the receding stands of mature white pine in the East was sending that part of the industry into decline while lumber production-- based largely on harvesting Douglas fir-- was accelerating in British Columbia."

"Lumberjacks toiled from dawn to dusk, six days per week, and lived tightly packed in shanties (or bunkhouses) whose odour-- a mix of smoke, sweat and drying garments-- was as distasteful as the bedbugs they supported. Strict rules often governed many of the bush camps (or "shanties"); many were alcohol-free and for the longest time talking during meals was strictly forbidden. The food was usually top-notch, and enormous amounts of it were served. Lumberjacks burned roughly 7,000 calories per day, which explains their voracious appetites. In addition, cooks sometimes only allowed 10 to 15 minutes for loggers to eat, accounting for the gravity often governing mealtimes." Include a meal scene, where only description is given, no dialogue. 

"Injury and death could occur at any time and in myriad forms, including being hit by a wayward tree or infamous widow-maker (i.e., a broken limb hanging freely from a tree), or being crushed by a log that unexpectedly fell from its pile." Kill characters regularly and almost randomly. Let death always be possibly just around the corner. 

"Considering the lumberjacks' cloistered living arrangements and exacting working conditions, it is little wonder they stirred up havoc each spring upon their return to civilization."

"Prior to roughly the end of the Second World War, trees were cut using human and horse power during the fall and winter (except on the coast of British Columbia, where the milder weather would permit year-round logging). The cold weather allowed for logs to be drawn by horses-- or skidded-- more easily from the stump to nearby frozen water courses, and hinterland farmers were in need of work to supplement their income during those seasons, therefore presenting a ready and willing work force."

a peavey

"The lumberjacks would cut larger diameter trees (i.e. sawlogs) in teams of two and three, consisting first of only axemen and then later, after the development of crosscut saws, axemen and sawyers. They would harvest smaller diameter trees (i.e. pulpwood) alone using swede saws or in tandem. In the spring, as the ice broke up and the snow melted, the hardiest and most skilled of the lumberjacks would remain on the job as the draveurs, or river drivers, whose job it was to oversee the movement of the logs from the bush to the mill. Doing so required them to 'walk on water': they would carefully manoeuvre themselves across the log booms with the assistance of calked (i.e., spiked) boots on their feet and peaveys (special tools for moving logs in water) in their hands." Fight scene on the logs with a peavey? Probably. 

"During the early to mid-1800s... tales were told-- and captured in print-- of Joe Montferrand (in English he was known as Joe Mufferaw), the legendary bucheron capable of unfathomable feats of strength." Oh. Hey. Some of the characters need to have giant's blood in their line, don't they? 

Yahoo! Answers

"Lumberjacks worked in lumber camps and often lived a migratory life, following timber harvesting jobs as they opened."

"Summer is dangerous [for logging]. Fire and blowing wind can blow over a tree on us."

"Life in Old Wisconsin Lumber Camps"

"It was common practice to order a full mixed carload of choice hindquarters of beef, pork loins, hens, pork sausage and bacon at one time."

"The lumberjacks, themselves, for the most part, were either Americans who had followed the timber from Maine to Pennsylvania and thence to Michigan and Wisconsin, or German and Scandinavian immigrants. Mr. Leonard, personally, considered the Swedes hardier than the Norwegians, but they were all strong and ready specimens of manhood... They were intensely loyal to their employers and seldom quit a job before that job was completed. In fact, a man who made a practice of quitting was soon blacklisted by both the lumberjacks and the employers."

"On one occasion two men working on the drive for Mr. Leonard as the result of a wager between themselves rode logs over a 60 foot falls at what is now Cornell, Wisconsin, then Little Falls. One man was killed outright, but the other escaped with only a broken arm and bruises."

"Most of the lumberjacks owned good 'stores-clothes' but, except on rare occasions, wore mackinaw pants, bright shirts, mackinaws and sashes. Wool socks were worn with rubbers in the woods. On the drive a special driving-shoe made by A. A. Cutter at Eau Claire, was most favored. Each spring, after a winter in the woods, about 5,000 of these men descended on Eau Claire for a riot of drinking, fighting, gambling and women. In a matter of only two or three days a winter's pay would be gone."

"After the drive was completed-- usually early summer-- another celebration was in order. many of the men would go to Minnesota and the Dakotas for the harvest after which it would be time for another celebration; thence to the woods for fall and winter logging, and the cycle would be completed."

"During the early spring drive while working in ice-cold water they seemed to experience few ill effects, seldom had a cold or sore feet. But, when the water became warm colds, stiffness, and sore feet developed."

"Venereal diseases, in many cases, took their toll also. In Eau Claire, 80 cases of syphilis were traced back to one French Canadian lumberjack. Gonorrhea was very common. In fact many of the lumberjacks who would go South for the Louisiana hardwood logging in the winter held a belief that gonorrhea was a good vaccination against yellow and malaria fevers and would deliberately become infected before going South."

From AllExperts.com

"The logs... are then processed and moved to a 'resting area' where the[y] dry out for a year prior to being cut into lumber. Then cut markers mark the logs for the maximum board feet to be cut from the logs. These marked logs are then sent to the saw mill where they are cut into rough lumber."

"Lumberjacks of the 19th Century: The Toughest Men in History"

"By the early 1830s, Bangor, Maine, was shipping more timber than anywhere else in the world."

"In the 1850s, William Rittenhouse founded America's first paper mill in Germantown, Pennsylvania. The future of the timber industry was assured."

"In the early days, trees were cut near to water for ease of transport to mills and overseas, and it was here that the sport of logrolling, seeing who can remain standing longest on a rolling log for the longest, was born... Many log flumes, which are manmade channels, sprang up for moving logs to the nearest river."

These are "arks." The first is for cooking/dining, the second for
sleeping, and the third for horses. "These were built for just the
one log drive and then sold for their lumber."

"From the early 1800s through to the 1940s, when manual lumberjacking went into decline, these men lived in remote camps for months on end. Hours were very long and the work hard. Camps were often rife with disease and lice, because lumberjacks often wore the same gear, unwashed, for months."

"Even in 2008 the American logging industry had a fatality rate of 108.1 deaths per 100,000 workers, thirty times higher than any other industry overall."

"Life in a Lumber Camp"

"A lake captain, who in his younger days spent several years in the woods, one day remarked to the writer that if he had his choice between spending three months in a lumber camp and the same amount of time in hail, he would unhesitatingly choose the latter."

"A camp usually consists of five buildings. The style of architecture is simple in the extreme, and strongly suggestive of puritanical origin. Long pieces of timber, neatly fitted together, constitute the body of each structure, the intervening chinks being filled with sticks and plastered with mortar. Boards about an inch in thickness, covered with tar paper, are used in construction of the roof and gable ends. Light enters the building through two small windows-- one at each end-- and ventilation is afforded by means of funnels placed on the roof."

"The 'cook camp'... has two compartments-- a kitchen and a dining room. Next to this is the 'men's camp' where the men sleep and spent the greater portion of their time when not at work. This consists of one large compartment. Two rows of bunks, one above the other, extend along its sides; each bunk is designed to accommodate two men. A long stationary bench is built on the front side of the lower bunks, and affords sufficient room for all to be seated at once. The sleeping capacity of a single camp is seldom sufficient for less than fifty, and not often for more than a hundred men. When the latter limit is exceeded, two sleeping camps are generally provided."

"The 'van,' or 'office' as it is sometimes terms, is usually occupied by the scaler. It is a sort of store, in which is kept a ful[l] line of lumbermen's supplies-- clothing, boots, rubbers, tobacco, medicines, and all such articles as the men are likely to need or call for. They are charged for what they choose to purchase, and when the time arrives for 'settling up' their van bill is deducted from the amount they would otherwise receive. The quantity of goods that are sold in a single season is anything but slight, and a handsome profit is the result."

"As a rule, the foreman is a married man, in which case his family often occupies a small dwelling in close proximity to the rest of the camp. Two more buildings-- a commodious barn and a blacksmith shop-- complete the list and require no description."

"In some camps, in the evening, singing, dancing, and rough games are kept up until a late hour." The quadrille is called the stag dance, in which time is kept "to the 'tweedledee' of an old, squeaky fiddle, apparently having as good a time as if they possessed every advantage of the modern ball room."

"Strangers were often subjected to a good deal of ill treatment. A common practice was for six or eight men to seize another and toss him up in a blanket. Stealing was practiced to such an extent that socks were stolen from the feet of sleeping men."

Mackinaw is heavy and woolen. "A few wear full suits of mackinaw, in which garb a man looks very much as if he were walking about in his undergarments."

"The woodsman's outer garments are of the brightest colors, blue, green, red, and yellow being the more prominent. The men are thereby able to see one another more distinctly through the underbrush, and by a timely warning to avert a great many dangers."

"Long woolen socks, usually a bright red, which are drawn over the trousers, and reach a little below the knee... Cloth overshoes or rubbers are worn on the feet, except in wet weather, when high top leather boots are worn." The mackinaw is referred to as a "coat of many colors" in the article."

"His personal property is kept in a canvas grain bag, which he calls his 'turkey.' Into this are promiscuously thrown all such articles as he does not wear or use. A piece of rope is attached to each end of the bag, and by placing it on his back and allowing the rope to pass over the shoulder and diagonally across the breast, he can carry his 'turkey' for miles without fatigue."

Food is called chuck. "The chief drinks are tea and water, but a few camps provide coffee. Salted meat is the usual rule... The following list will give the reader a good idea as to the kind of food: bread, butter, corn bread, crackers, potatoes, plain cake and cookies, doughnuts, bean soup, pea soup, rice soup, mince, apple, vinegar, prune and currant pies, bread pudding, pickles, prunes, pancakes with syrup, tea and sugar."

"Iron knives and forks, tin dishes, plates and spoons grace the board of the lumber chopper." No china, for obvious reasons. "Having been sufficiently washed, they [forks and knives] are placed in a dry grain bag and thoroughly shaken. Then they are poured out upon the table, as clean and dry as the most scrupulous housewife could reasonably desire."

"Camps are usually organized during the summer or early in the fall... A suitable spot for locating the camp having been decided upon, tents are pitched, and the construction of the buildings is begun at once. In a week or ten days they are completed, and the work begins in earnest."

"The men are divided into gangs-choppers, skidders, and sawyers. The choppers go in advance, cutting the roads as they proceed. The sawyers follow close in their wake. A sawing crew consists of three men-- a chopper and two sawyers. A chopper taking the lead, cuts niches in the trees on whatever side he wishes to fell them, and the sawyers, with their long, cross cut saw, cut them down. The chopper also severs the branches from the prostrate timber, and the sawyers cut it into logs, usually sixteen feet in length."

Skidding crews of seven and then three swampers, a teamster, and three deckers. "Two long pieces of timber are first laid about eight feet apart, parallel to each other, and at right angles with the road. This is called the 'skidway,' and its end comes within about six feet of the side of the road. The 'swampers' trim the logs and make roads for the teamster by clearing away the thick underbrush. The teamster hauls the logs, and the deckers roll them into a pile varying from about four to ten feet hig on the skidway."

In the spring, when logging comes to a close, "the more industrious class join the 'river crew'-- a gang of men employed to drive the logs down the streams to the saw mills. This usually takes all summer and sometimes lasts until late in the fall: so when the river crew disbands, its members return to camp."

"A fair amount of snow and a low temperature are essential to the making of good roads. Sprinklers-- large tanks holding from fifty to seventy five barrels of water-- are brought into use at every favorable opportunity. As soon as the day's work is at end, the sprinklers are started out, and all through the long, cold night they scatter their contents over the driveways."

"The introduction of the railroad in lumbering-- an innovation of late years-- has proved highly satisfactory in its results; the work is not only facilitated, but it is carried on the year round, for the lack of snow no longer constitutes a hindrance."

"Lumberjacks" entry on Wikipedia

Also called woodcutters and woodhicks (PA). "A logger employed in driving down a river was known locally in northern North America as a river pig, catty-man, river hog, or river rat. The term 'lumberjill' has been known for a woman who does this work, for example in Britain during World War II. In Australia the occupation is referred to as timber cutter or cool cutters."

"In the U.S., many lumberjacks were of Scandinavian ancestry, continuing the family tradition [for lumberjacks were common there]. American lumberjacks were first centred in north-eastern states such as Maine and then followed the general westward migration on the continent to the Upper Midwest, and finally the Pacific Northwest."

"The whistle punk's job was to sound a whistle as a signal to the yarder operator controlling the movement of logs and act as a safety lookout, and a good whistle punk had to be alert and think fast as the safety of the others depended on him." Now I want to write a punk/lumberjack fusion called Whistle Punks. "The high climber (also known as a tree topper) used iron climbing hooks and rope to ascend a tall tree in the landing area of the logging site, where he would chop off limbs as he climbs, chop off the top of the tree, and finally attach pulleys and rigging to the tree so it could be used as a spar so logs could be skidded into the landing."

"The choker setters attached steel cables (or chokers) to downed logs so they could be dragged into the landing by the yarder. The chasers removed the chokers once the logs were at the landing. Choker setters and chasers were often entry-level positions on logging crews, with more experienced loggers seeking to move up to more skill-intensive positions such as yarder operator and high climber, or supervisory positions such as hook tender. Despite the common perception that all loggers cut trees, the actual felling and bucking of trees were also specialized positions done by fallers and buckers."

"Horse driven logging wheels was a mean used for moving logs out of the woods. Another way for transporting logs to sawmills was to float them down a body of water or a specially-constructed log flume... Spiked boots known as 'caulks' or 'corks' were used for log rolling and often worn by lumberjacks as their regular footwear."

"The term 'skid row', which today means a poor city neighborhood frequented by homeless people, originated in a way in which harvested logs were once transported. Logs could be 'skidded' down hills or along a corduroy road, and one such street in Seattle was named Skid Road. This street later became frequented by people down on their luck." Tempted to call the story Skid Row. Certainly better than The Bloodstopper and Old Yellow Top right now. 

"Tie hacks... used saws to fell trees and cut to length, and a broadaxe to flatten two or all four sides of the log to create railroad ties. Later, portable saw mills were used to cut and shape ties."

"When not at work, they played rough games, told tall tales, and won reputations for consuming large amounts of food."

"Lumberjacks rapidly developed their own distinctive musical culture of work songs. Many were based on traditional European folk tunes, with lyrics that reflected the lives, experiences and concerns of lumberjacks, with the themes of cutting, hauling, rolling and driving, as well as narrative songs that involved romance."

Big Joe Mufferaw was a folkloric figure, precursor to Paul Bunyan, said to be a "defender of oppressed of oppressed French Canadian loggers in the days when their bosses were English-Canadians and their rivals for work were Irish-Canadians."

A broadaxe