284 FELLING AND CONVEIISIUN. 



(y) The operation of sledging. — In all slctl<,nn^' oporatious, the 

 workman stands in front between the horns of the sledj^'e, which 

 he holds in both hands, so as to draw the sled;:,'e or stop its too 

 rapid pro^^'ress. 



Wherever the f^aound is even, or only sli^'htly inclined, the 

 sledge must be dra^'ged, and the greater the angle of inclina- 

 tion, the less this is necessary ; if then the track be smooth, 

 with a gradient of 1 in 20 (5 per cent.), the workman has 

 usually only to guide the sledge. As the gradient increases, 

 he has to hold the sledge back ; with gradients from 1 in 

 *20 to 1 in 10 (G to 10 per cent.), a man can do this with- 

 out much difficulty, but with steeper gradients brakes must 

 be used. Thus on steep inclines, the workmen have iron 

 spikes attached to their boots to give them a good hold on the 

 ground. 



Brakes may consist of l)undlcs of faggots in which stones are 

 placed which are dragged after the sledge by an iron chain. 



Fig. 149. 



Several such faggots are often linked together, attached by short 

 chains close behind the sledge. Round or split billets of wood 

 may serve the purpose, instead of faggots. Hoops made of 

 twisted withes may also be hung over the horns of the sledge 

 and let down under the sledge-runners on steep slopes, and thus 

 cause a great increase of friction. The iron hook and lever 

 (fig. 149) is also used in many Alpine sledges as a break. In 

 Moravia, the very small sledges (fig. 147) support only a small 

 part of the load taken down at once ; the rest is fastened in 

 bundles and dragged behind the sledge, so as to act as a brake. 

 As the track varies in steepness, parts of the load have occasion- 

 ally to be left behind. The man takes what he can to the 

 nearest steep part of the track, and then returns for the rest, and 



