166 LOGGING 
follow the valley of some stream from the woods operation to 
the landing, crossing and re-crossing the water-course as often as 
necessary to maintain the desired grade. A minimum number of 
bridges is desirable because they are expensive to construct and 
to maintain. In order that logs can be hauled on a down grade 
from the secondary roads to the main road, the latter should 
be located on the lower levels of the tract. 
A main road of easy descending grades is preferred because 
on grades in excess of 5 per cent, heavy loads gain too much 
headway and it is necessary to place hay, straw, gravel, sand or 
Inrush on the road to check the speed. It is more satisfactory 
and often cheaper in the end to make cuts or to detour ascending 
grades rather than to return by them. 
Dead-level pulls should be avoided because more power is 
required to move loads on such places than on gently descend- 
ing grades. Sharp curves are especially dangerous at the foot 
of steep pitches because the load cannot be held in check by the 
animals and the sled is apt to leave the road under the momentum 
attained. 
Turnouts are provided at the end of long, straight stretches 
on low-grade roads, while on steep mountain roads a "go-back" 
road is built over which the empty sleds return. 
Secondary roads are inferior in construction to the main ones 
because they may be used for one season only, and a small amount 
of timber is brought out over them. They are seldom iced and, 
therefore, the bottom does not have to be made as smooth as 
for rut roads. 
Fewer roads can be used in a rough or rolling region thaji in a 
flat country because the downgrade permits skidding for longer 
distances. 
Two-sled roads should be built diu'ing the summer or early 
fall before the ground freezes and snow falls. The days are 
then long and the unfrozen earth can be handled to best advan- 
tage. On new operations, road work follows camp construction, 
while on other operations the roadmen come in a short time in 
advance of the regular camp crew, or simultaneous with it. 
It often is necessary, however, to construct a tote road, from 
the base of supplies to the camp site, previous to the construction 
of the camp. Roadmen are chosen from the less efficient workers 
in camp, because in such work little skill is required. 
