both in the first cost of the lines and in the costs of operation over them. 

 By locating a line in one place it may be very expensive to construct be- 

 cause of the heavy cuts and fills and bridge work encountered, yet because 

 of its location the logs can best be hauled to the railroad and most cheaply 

 transported; or, on the other hand a line may be put in which is very 

 cheaply constructed and yet does not handle the timber as cheaply as a 

 line which might be more expensive to construct. That is, judgment must 

 be used as to where an expensive line is justified and where it is not. It 

 is a pity, however, when a line is put in which is expensive to construct 

 and expensive to maintain and a route is entirely overlooked which would 

 have been just as feasible and yet would have very much lessened these 

 expenses. For example, one would-be logging engineer in locating a line 

 which a company is now operating upon, put in a curve which has cost 

 the company over $700.00 to maintain. Thus the logging engineer must 

 know the best method of surveying railroads. A person can soon acquire 

 this knowledge, but more than this he must have rare judgment and ability 

 in selecting routes. Otherwise the company had better save his salary 

 and let the foreman put in the lines. 



The location of the logging railroads, along with which often goes 

 the location of landings on the spurs, is usually the main work of the 

 logging engineer. As he is a technically trained man. however, he will 

 usually be called upon for many other kinds of work, among which might 

 be quoted specific examples. A new gravity water system is to be put in 

 and the superintendent asks the engineer how large a feed pipe will be 

 required to supply the camp, two locomotives, and six donkeys ; an oil 

 tank is to be constructed and the size of the timbers required is asked for ; 

 an incline is to be put in and the superintendent wishes to know whether 

 a certain sized engine will raise two carloads of logs and whether a 

 certain size of cable will be strong enough ; the foreman wants to know how 

 many gallons of oil there are in the circular tank at the back of the donkey 

 when the oil is at a certain level; the manager wishes to buy an adjacent 

 tract of timber and asks for a cruise of the stand of timber ; the sealer 

 is sick and requests the engineer to take his place for a day or two; one 

 of the foundations of a bridge has been washed out and he is asked how 

 best to replace it; a new forest policy for the state is suggested and the 

 logging engineer, as he has attended a forest school, is asked for some 

 technical advice on the question by the president of the company. Of 

 course all of these questions may never be asked one man, but he will, 

 in the course of his work, encounter many of these or similar ones. 



As he works into the organization of the company and gains the con- 

 fidence of the superintendent and foremen, he will be called upon more 

 and more for advice, and hence he should be constantly fitting himself 

 to meet the occasion. 



The Training of a Logging Engineer 



The next question which arises in the mind of a young man intending 

 to become a logging engineer is, how may he best fit himself for this work? 



There are two routes open. One way is by gaining the necessary 

 knowledge and experience in actual work and the other is by technical 

 training. Neither way alone will give the best results. Many successful 

 men in the industry at the present time have acquired their knowledge en- 

 tirely by hard knocks in the world, but if their ability had been backed 



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