THE FORESTS OF WASHINGTON 



across. And when the tree is about to fall, 

 warned by the faint crackling of the strained 

 fibers, they jump to the ground, and stand 

 back out of danger from flying Umbs, while 

 the noble giant that had stood erect in glori- 

 ous strength and beauty century after cen- 

 tury, bows low at last and with gasp and groan 

 and booming throb falls to earth. 



Then with long saws the trees are cut into 

 logs of the required length, peeled, loaded upon 

 wagons capable of carrying a weight of eight 

 or ten tons, hauled by a long string of oxen 

 to the nearest available stream or raihoad, and 

 floated or carried to the Sound. There the 

 logs are gathered into booms and towed by 

 steamers to the mills, where workmen with 

 steel spikes in their boots leap lightly with 

 easy poise from one to another and by means 

 of long pike-poles push them apart and, select- 

 ing such as are at the time required, push them 

 to the foot of a chute and drive dogs into the 

 ends, when they are speedily hauled in by the 

 mill machinery alongside the saw-carriage and 

 placed and fixed in position. Then with sounds 

 of greedy hissing and growHng they are rushed 

 back and forth like enormous shuttles, and in 

 an incredibly short time they are lumber and 

 are aboard the ships lying at the null wharves. 



Many of the long, slender boles so abundant 



245 



