Logging in Southeastern '/^c.vas 23 



and dragging- them out of the way with a team of mules. 

 Few bridges are necessary, but where needed they are made 

 by building a floor of small logs across the stream several 

 feet above the water and grading with dirt to the proper 

 level. Large scrapers and mules are used for this grading. 



The track, which is of standard guage, is laid or re- 

 moved by a steel gang, consisting of a foreman, one engineer, 

 one fireman and from 9 to 15 Mexican and Negro laborers. 

 A Shay engine, tool car, rail car, and 1 mule are used. This 

 crew works on a "task" of laying eight rails per man per 

 day or taking up nine rails per man per day. That is, if 10 

 men went out a day's work would be finished when eighty 

 rails were laid or when ninety rails taken up. This fre- 

 quently allows the steel gang to complete their work by 3 

 or 4 o'clock. The ties on the spurs are sap pine too small 

 for saw logs ; they are cut by contract and delivered on the 

 right of way. Ties are hewn with 5 inch faces. 5 to 6 inches 

 thick, and 8 feet long. About 2,600 ties per mile are used on 

 the spurs. Thirty-five pound steel rails are used on the 

 spurs. It requires about 176 rails per mile. A small lever 

 switch is used for each spur. On fairly straight spurs the 

 rails are spiked on one side only to every other tie. The 

 spikes are alternated ; the first one being placed on the out- 

 side of the rail and the next on the inside of the rail. This 

 allows every tie to have one loose end. On a sharp curve 

 the rails are spiked on the outside to every tie, and full 

 spiked, or spiked on both sides, to every other tie. Because 

 of the poorly laid spurs only 3 loaded cars can safely be 

 taken from the woods at one time. 



A section gang is required in order to keep the track 

 straight and make necessary repairs. This gang, equipped 

 with a hand car, spikes, shovels, picks, and crow-bars, con- 

 sists of a foreman, 4 Mexican laborers, and 1 track-walker. 

 Their duties are to straighten the track each morning and to 

 replace any broken rails or ties. The track-walker carries 

 a spike hammer and a sack of spikes, inspecting the rail 

 fastenings and spikes, making any necessary repairs. 



An ordinary rod-engine hauls the loaded cars from the 

 woods to the make-up switch on the main line. The crew 

 consists of one engineer, one fireman, and one brakeman. 

 This crew also takes the emptv cars to the woods, hauls the 

 caboose from camp for the laborers, and the water cars to 

 the corral in the woods. Fuel consists of pine-knots cut 



