212 LOGGING 



and along it to the pullboat. The messenger and main cables 

 are again coupled together and the equipment is ready to log the 

 new run. A piece of telephone wire strung along the outer edge 

 of the run is used as a whistle cord and signals are given to 

 the engineer by pulling on the wire. The sheave blocks are 

 usually placed by a special crew before the change is made and 

 the f-inch cable is run out by this crew unless the distance 

 is long, when the entire pullboat crew is required. Ten or 

 twelve men can string out 2600 feet of |-inch cable in about 

 three hours. 



The logs are prepared for skidding by the insertion of plugs 

 or "puppies" in the holes previously bored by the sniping crew. 

 Cylindrical plugs 2 inches in diameter and 12 inches long are 

 connected in pairs by two sections of ^-inch chain 24 inches long 

 fastened to a 6-inch ring. The plugs are driven into the log and 

 the ring on the plugs is fastened by a short chain to the main 

 cable. The log is now ready to be hauled out to the main road. 

 This requires some maneuvering if there are stumps, logs or 

 trees in the line of the log being hauled, for the timber must be 

 "side-lined" around them. When once the log is dragged into 

 the main run, it is left there until a tow of four logs is secured. 

 Each log is fastened by a short chain or cable to a ring on the 

 outer end of the main cable. The boss then gives the order to 

 go ahead, which the whistle boy transmits to the skidder and 

 the logs start down the road. 



During the early periods of modern pullboating a device 

 called the Baptist cone was placed over the ends of logs to enable 

 them to slip over or under obstructions. These cones were made 

 of steel but were too heavy to handle, when made strong enough 

 to withstand the rough treatment and they were abandoned, 

 in favor of sniping. Tongs are not regarded with favor be- 

 cause they lose their grip as soon as the draft on the cable 

 is lessened. When a tow that is being dragged down a main 

 road is stopped, as it frequently must be, the tongs drop off and 

 a man must be sent to readjust them. For this reason, plugs 

 or puppies are preferred. 



The crew of a pullboat is divided into two sections, one of 



