18 LAND TRANSPORTATION WITHOUT VEHICLES 



Heavy curves must be avoided and the outside of light curves must be fixed with a number of 

 "saddle logs." 



A pole chute consists of a trough made of three to six poles. It is about three feet wide and requires 

 cribs or yokes for a foundation where it is not laid into the ground. 



Water, ice, oil, and soap are used for lubrication. Chutes made of hardwoods are said to run smoother 

 than those made of conifers, owing to the greater elasticity of conifers. Where the grade is light, poles 

 should be peeled and hewn on the inside. The grade of inlet must be steep; the shallow outlet should 

 open into a pond. Frequently, when the job of chuting is finished, the poles or logs composing the chute 

 are shot down themselves, thus dissolving the chute. 



Steel pins placed in auger- made holes bored into the bottom logs, and projecting slightly above the 

 holes may be used as brakes on steep grades. 



The main disadvantages of pole chutes are:- 



(a) Loss of logs by abrasion, by breaking after jumping, and by splintering; 



(b) Impossibility of having a grade equally good for small as well as big logs, straight as well as 

 crooked pieces, dry as well as wet weather. A grade particularly good for the running of the 

 logs is not sufficiently steep for starting the logs to run ; 



(c) Waste of stumpage in the construction of wooden chutes; 



(d) Impossibility of moving a chute from one site to the next; 



(e) Requirement of continuous repairs. 



Irregular grades, irregular frictional resistance, irregular size of logs counteract the advisability of the 

 use of log chutes. 



II. Board chutes, which are frequently movable, consist of 1-inch or 2-inch boards. They are used in 

 delivering firewood, tanbark, and other short stuff over slopes of 25",, to 35 "o- The rougher the produce, 

 the steeper must be the grade and the wider and smoother must be the trough. Sprinkling is required 

 during dry weather, sanding during wet spells. 



III. Earth chutes. These resemble snaking roads of a steep, steady grade. The grade must be: — 



(a) Where snow or ice crust is available, 8 to 10 "/o; 



(b) Where split cross ties are used, laid about 5 feet apart (for logs 16 feet long or longer), from 

 IOV2 to 18%; 



(c) Where dry earth is used, 35",, and over. 



Road poles must be used on the valley side, especially so in curves, and bridges must cross all the gullies. 



(E) "ROPING" is a method employed for moving long and heavy logs in the "Black Forest." A rope 

 is fastened at the small end of the log to a ring dog and swung once or twice around the stump of a 

 tree nearby. The log is started by the "krempe," and its speed is controlled by loosening or tightening 

 the loop around the tree. When the rope is run out, the log is stopped by tightening the rope as it 

 spins round the stump. That done, the rope is collected into a wreath, and the end fastened anew around 

 a stump close to the log. A slope of 35 degrees is best adapted to "roping." 



(F) SNAKING LOGS OR SKIDDING LOGS. 



I. By oxen. Attachment by chains 12 to 16 feet long (per yoke) and ' , inch to ' .. inch thick ending 

 in "dogs." When a chain link breaks, a "cold shut" is put in its place (cost ••■■3 per 100 for '.-inch 

 chain). Ox harness is rarely used. In the South three yokes form a "team," usually, the chains running 

 from yoke to yoke. The "leaders" require special training. The middle yoke is called "swing yoke," and 

 the strong rear yoke is called "snub yoke." The driver manages the yoke of oxen by shouting, applying 

 the whip as little as possible. 



