334 AMERICAN FORESTRY 



of local land laws and markets. In a down during the winter season, which 



word, under the earlier laws any citizen is the period when it rains a little 



of the Province could take out a license harder, if possible, than during the 



for hand logging, which gave permission spring and summer. There is, however, 



to log on a stated area which was al- little or no snow. 



ways immediately adjacent to tidewater. The booming of logs in the coast dis- 

 The provisions of the permit were that trict of British Columbia is an in- 

 no steam machinery should be used, tensively interesting phase of the lum- 

 The payment for this permit was only ber industry. The usual type of boom 

 a few dollars, and the result was that is made up of 8 to 12 sections or 

 many men in pairs or small camps ope- "swifters," each section being made of 

 rated close to the shore line, felling the boom sticks 64 feet long and a top di- 

 larger and better trees, and by an ameter of 12 to 16 inches fastened to- 

 amount of labor and skill almost incred- gether with heavy chains. Having se- 

 ible, slowly worked the logs down into cured the boom sticks together, they are 

 the "salt chuck." These would ulti- placed in two parallel lines and the logs 

 mately be assembled into booms and floated in and arranged endwise, pack- 

 towed to the mill. The result is that the ing them as closely as possible to the de- 

 shore line is scarred for miles by the sired width of the boom, which varies 

 work of these hand loggers, but under from 60 to 100 feet. Care is taken to 

 present market conditions the land can place comparatively long logs next to 

 be logged over again, while the strip the boom sticks where they are joined 

 operated on is so narrow that it really together. After filling the boom with 

 has little effect on the value of a timber logs, the boom sticks are drawn to- 

 limit. gether by a winch or small donkey en- 

 Present logging operations on tide- gine, and the binding poles or "swifters" 

 water limits are conducted almost en- to hold the boom from spreading, are 

 tirely with heavy equipment which con- placed in position and chained at each 

 sists of a "bull" donkey located on the end to the boom sticks. A single sec- 

 shore line with a skid road running back tion or "swifter" of a boom usually con- 

 a convenient gully or ravine for 1,200 tains from 40 to 80 thousand feet log 

 to 3,000 feet or more. Smaller skidding scale, and while 8 to 12 sections is the 

 donkeys mounted on heavy frames pull usual number, as high as 20 sections or 

 themselves through the woods and after over a million feet are sometimes made 

 the trees are felled, skid the logs to the into one boom. Booms of this charac- 

 main road where they are hauled by ter are known as water section booms 

 steel cables to tidewater by the larger and their towing speed is from 2 to 2^/^ 

 donkey at the shore. The size of the miles per hour, and frequently the 

 logs and the rough nature of the ground larger tugs tow several booms. There 

 prevents the use of draft animals or the is comparatively little loss to logs thus 

 lighter equipment seen in the south and towed when navigating the waters be- 

 east. The logs are assembled in pro- tween Vancouver Island and the main- 

 tected coves or bays and made up into land, but since a gale is a source of 

 booms which are then towed by large danger, it is usual for the captain to 

 tugs to the sawmills at Vancouver, New seek shelter upon indication of a storm. 

 Westminister and other points. The There is no particular period of gales or 

 charges for towing vary with the dis- hurricanes, however, 

 tance. The present logging rates range Another form of boom which has 

 from 75 cents a thousand to as high as come into favor is known as the Davis 

 $2.50 from Seymour Inlet, which is 250 patent. Its essential features consist of 

 miles from Vancouver. The towing arranginga sufficient numberof longlogs 

 charge for most of the inside channel to made a width of 80 to 100 feet. These 

 country is from $1.00 to $1.50 per thou- logs are then firmly bound together by a 

 sand. In the coast district logging and wire cable at each end. Other logs are 

 towing can be carried on the year round, then piled on top and as the weight in- 

 although usually most of the camps shut creases, the raft forming the bottom 



