2o8 LOGGING 



THE SLACK-ROPE SYSTEM 



This was developed largely in the cypress swamps of the 

 South, where extensive areas of forest could not be logged with 

 animals, and where railroad construction was not practicable. 

 It is also very extensively employed on the Pacific Coast and to 

 a limited extent in some other regions. 



The system uses a heavy pulling cable, and a lighter one for 

 returning the main cable from the skidder to the point from 

 which the logs are to be dragged. 



The power for the slack-rope system consists of an upright 

 engine and boiler, and two large drums driven by a pair of 

 powerful engines. 



Pullboats. — In the cypress forests the slack-rope skidder is 

 mounted on a large scow, and the machine complete, consisting 

 of an upright boiler of from 60 to 80 horse-power with two engines 

 operating two main drums and usually a third small drum, is 

 called a pullboat. The large drums are placed tandem, one 

 having a capacity of from 3000 to 4000 feet of from |-inch to 

 i|-inch main cable, and the other at least twice as much f-inch 

 messenger cable. An equal amount of |-inch line is wound on 

 the small drum and is used to pull out the messenger cable when 

 runs are changed. Four rings are spliced at 50-foot intervals 

 to the main cable near the outer end and to these the chain and 

 cables holding the logs are coupled. 



Pullboats are anchored in canals, bayous or lakes and the 

 roads radiate or "fantail" in a half circle for a distance of from 

 3000 to 3500 feet, although some of the larger machines can be 

 operated for 4500 feet (Fig. 58). Distances in excess of 3500 

 feet usually are not regarded as desirable because breaks in the 

 cable are more or less frequent and on very long hauls the loss 

 of time in locating and repairing them is excessive. 



The canals are dug by large dredges at a cost of from $3000 

 to $5000 per mile. They are from 40 to 50 feet wide, carry 

 about 6 feet of water and are often several miles in length. 

 Although at first intended solely for logging purposes, canals in 

 recent years have been built with the idea of ultimately using 



