What are some of the problems and
dangers that other loggers faced on their jobs?
High climbers and riggers who set high-lead cables could be blown off
treetops by wind or knocked off by flying pulleys, chains, and hooks.
Tree toppers had
a very dangerous job. When the top of
the tree snapped off, the trunk vibrated violently, sometimes throwing the
logger to his death.
Teamsters’
jobs were dangerous too. Teamsters
sometimes lost control of the sled, piled high with logs, on steep hills. A
heavy sled could slide forward faster than the animals could pull it. Runaway sleds crushed animals and their
drivers.
Rivermen began the log drive by pushing the logs
from the riverbank into the rushing water. Rivermen wore heavy spiked boots,
but in spite of that, they often slipped and fell into the rush of heavy logs
and were crushed or drowned.
Drivers rode
the logs down the river. They rode, walked, and leaped from one log to another,
to keep the logs moving. One wrong step and the driver would slip under the
logs. With their heavy boots and wool
clothes, they were dragged down into the water and drowned. Log jams were the greatest danger for the
driver. If the logs got jammed, the drivers had to climb over them to yank them
free. When the jam came loose, the
freed logs rushed forward like an avalanche.
The drivers had to scramble for safety over the crashing logs, but they
were often crushed or thrown into the water.
Image Credit: Microsoft ClipArt Gallery
Black and white historical
photos courtesy of the Galen Biery Historical Collection, Whatcom Museum of History and Art