LUMBERING IN PINE EEGION OF CALIFORNIA. 81 
Wherever conditions are favorable, it is customary to locate the 
drying and shipping yard at the sawmill because of greater economy. 
However, this is often impossible. There are two general types of 
yards. In one, the lumber is distributed on elevated platforms; in 
the other, tracks are built at ground level. 
Yards at small circular mills usually have a single track extending 
straight out from the mill with pile bottoms on either side. Under 
most conditions the necessary length is about 600 feet, and about 
50 pile bottoms are required. The track may be either on the ground 
or on a platform raised about 10 or 12 feet. The slope should be 
away from the mill. Ordinarily, low four-wheeled cars are used. 
The cost of such a yard, exclusive of the site, is estimated to be from 
$600 to $800 for a ground track and from $1,000 to $1,200 for a 
raised platform. The larger circular mills require more yard room. 
This is usually secured by constructing two or more parallel tracks 
or platforms with piles on either side. Some operators haul the 
lumber out with carts and have only dirt or plank roads between the 
piles. Although the amount of yard stock at different mills varies 
with market and other conditions, the yard at a large single circular 
mill must ordinarily provide room for from 2J to 3 million feet of 
lumber. This requires from 150 to 160 pile bottoms and 2,000 feet 
of trams. Accordingly, the yard cost is from $2,000 to $3,300, the 
latter for elevated trams. 
Single-band mills have the same general layout of yards except 
that more space is required. A single-band mill operating one shift 
daily, normally requires maximum yard room for the storage of 
about 5 or 6 million feet of lumber. Thus from 200 to 250 pile 
bottoms and about 3,000 feet of trams are necessary. The average 
cost is placed at from $3,800 to $5,000. From one-half to three- 
fourths of a mile of loading spur will also be required at a cost of 
from $2,400 to $3,600. 
There are three kinds of yards used for double-band mills in this 
region. The most common is the type with raised trams or plat- 
forms. These platforms are constructed in parallel series through 
ohe yard, generally at right angles to the mill. A similar platform 
connects the various branches to the upper floor of the mill. The 
platforms are constructed at a height of from 9 to 16 feet above the 
ground, the normal height being about 12 feet. The floor is 12 feet 
wide and is built of 2-inch planks. The trams are supported by 3 by 8 
inch stringers and 4 by 6 inch uprights resting on 6 by 6 inch sills. 
About 4,000 feet of lumber is used to build each 100 feet of length. 
The cost of such platforms may be computed on the basis of a cost 
of $18 per 1,000 for the lumber used in construction. If cars are to 
be used for distributing lumber, 16-pound rails must be laid on the 
57172°— Bull, 440—17 6 
