226 BULLETIN 111, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
particularly true of the balance as it relates to the cost of railroad 
transportation. It is obvious, therefore, that the method, equipment, 
and improvements to be used in a given case depend on a number of 
factors. There is also, of necessity, a relation between the character 
of the improvements and equipment and the method used. 
As a general thing the train crew constitutes all, or the major part, 
of the help used in unloading. This means that the train is held at 
the dump until the logs are unloaded, the time depending on the 
speed of the method. When the railroad haul is short and the output 
small, a slow method with simple improvements and equipment is 
the cheapest, all things being taken into consideration. If the log- 
ging train is crowded because of a long haul or a large output, a more 
elaborate method may be necessary than may seem to be justified by 
the unloading operation in itself. 
If the water is deep and has a current, the dump may have only 
one track and be comparatively short, making it possible to use a 
stationary unloading rig satisfactorily, since the logs will float away 
as soon as they are dumped. While still, deep water does not greatly 
increase the difficulty of unloading logs, it does constitute a draw- 
back. If logs are dumped rapidly into still, deep water, the dis- 
turbance caused by their falling will not be sufficient to keep the logs 
from piling up, necessitating in some cases the employment of an 
extra man. Shallow water is a serious drawback. Where the un- 
loaded logs do not float away, more or less breakage results when the 
logs are thrown on the pile that forms. This is especially true in the 
case of cedar logs. Then, too, a jam of this kind increases the work 
of the boom man. Under such conditions, a long dump in connec- 
tion with a portable unloading machine, or some other device for 
unloading the logs at different points along the dump, is generally 
used. 
DUMPS. 
Where the track is built along the bank of a stream or pond, an 
inclined dump, over which the logs roll into the water, is generally 
used. The length, breadth, pitch of skids, strength, etc., depend on 
the topography and soil formation of the location, the size of logs, 
the method of unloading, etc. The dump may consist of a frame- 
work composed of three parallel sets of stringers, spaced about 8 feet 
apart, which extend to the water's edge for 60 feet or more. The 
outer stringer, possibly the middle, projects over the water's edge 
and is supported on piling or timbers that rest on solid bottom, 
while the other stringers are supported on round or square uprights 
placed from 4 to 6 feet apart. Heavy timbers, generally round, are 
placed on top of and at right angles to the stringers. These timbers 
are generally laid flush, forming an unbroken floor, with a pitch of 
