332 WOOD TEANSPOKT BY LAND. 



(a) Wooden Slides. The chief object to be secured in the 

 maintenance of wooden slides is to get as smooth a surface as 

 possible. This may be secured by watering the slide during 

 a frost, so as to get a smooth, icy path ; by using the snow 

 which lies on the slide, removing most of it and pressing- 

 down the remainder ; in wet slides, by using all available 

 water ; or generally, by keeping the slide free from dirt, dead 

 leaves, etc., and using it simply as a dry slide. 



Slides are used chiefly during winter or early spring, partly 

 on account of the ice and snow, and partly because the wood 

 must be brought down then, so as to be ready for floating 

 when the water rises in the streams in the spring, dry slides, 

 however, may be used throughout the summer. 



Whenever, owing to slight gradients of 5 to 6 %, ice-slides 

 must be used, a good deal of labour is involved in watering, 

 one man being required to water and look after every 40 or 50 

 sections of the slide. Sliding then is often done at night, 

 when the work has been prolonged into spring, and frost 

 occurs only on clear nights. For the most part slides are 

 used either covered with snow, or dry. The work then con- 

 sists in removing superfluous snow which may have fallen 

 during the night, and in thoroughly freeing dry slides from 

 pieces of bark, wooden splinters, etc. 



Owing to the prolonged use of the principal slides, the bottom 

 pieces get worn- away, and pieces to replace them when 

 necessary should always be kept at hand. During the work 

 of sliding, the logs and other pieces of wood which have been 

 collected at the top of the slide during winter, are thrown in 

 piece after piece, or they may be launched as they arrive 

 at the top of the slide. The work of sliding is done generally 

 by contract-labour. All the wood should be round, except in 

 slides specially made for railway-sleepers or other scantling, 

 and logs should be barked. In clearing the slide of dirt, etc., 

 the men ascend with climbing-irons on their boots. 



In all slides, effective means should be assured of warning 

 men below who may be repairing the slide, before any wood 

 is sent down ; also when sliding has been temporarily stopped 

 and the woodcutters have gone to fetch more wood, the men 

 below should be signalled to continue their repairs. 



