Black Diamond NOW

Skid Road Bridges

If we think Skid Roads were rough, Skid Road Bridges were an exercise in pure brute force.  Man over nature.  No engineers needed to build these, though a level would be nice.

Photo courtesy Washington State Historical Society, C1948.1214.8, circa 1897

As noted on the photo, this bridge is 100 yards log and 50 feet tall.  Notice how logs were pulled across - one log after another connected by cables.  Bridges like this were not the exception.  As we hikers in the Cascades know so well, ups and downs and steep ravines caused by streams that must be crossed are common and frequent along the trails.

Photo courtesy Library of Congress, n.d.

Notice the team of oxen in the background of the above photo dragging their burden across a skid road bridge before they get to this one.  And here's another:

Phot courtesy Library of Congress, n.d.

Brute force x 2 with oxen (aka "hay burners") and log bridge.

Skid Roads

I grew up thinking that a "skid road" was some kind of seedy place in Seattle where poor people lived.  Indeed, that was a commonly used metaphor that grew legs during the 1930's and Great Depression era, but the "real" skid road was no such place.  Skid roads were working roads carved out of the forests in the 1880's - 1910's by loggers to make it possible for teams of horses and oxen to drag or skid logs out of the woods - most commonly to a river or large body of water where they could be floated downstream to a sawmill.  Logs placed crosswise in the road made it possible to keep cut timber from being "stuck in the mud" as they were drug along the cleared area of road.  This consumed lots of timber just to build a road but loggers could use smaller less valuable material for this.  Pictures are worth a thousands words.

Photo courtesy Washington Rural Heritage, LOGGANML010, n.d.

Now that takes a lot of chutzpa to think they could drag that log out of the woods.  As you can see, skid roads weren't exactly smooth roads.

Building them wasn't a simple task either.

Photo courtesy University of Washington Libraries, Arthur French photographer, circa 1900

It looks like these guys built some kind of skidder or sled to pile several logs on for each trip.  That's "horsepower". 

Photo courtesy Washington State Historical Society, 2015.0.29, circa 1910

With valuable cedar trees often spread out and interspersed with other less valuable timber in the forests, smaller operators often bucked cedar logs into shorter lengths and split them by hand into shingle bolts, making it easier to transport using sleds.

Photo courtesy Washington Rural Heritage, LOGGANML008, Darius Kinsey photographer, n.d.

How would you like to make a living doing this kind of work?

A Walk in History

Inspired by the work of local photographer Robert Dobson, I decided to head out and see if I could "see" history as it was and is today.  Bob's style of using old cameras and dated film to capture images that tell a story is unique and to be treasured - and well beyond my skill level.  But perhaps it's possible, using digital technology, to catch a glimpse of the past in the present that is also pleasing to the eye.  Following is an image that first caught my attention.  Can anyone guess where and what this is?

The mix of colors, textures and shapes is what made me look twice and with barnacles growing we get our first clue as to where this might be.  Would it help if I told you that this structure is over 100 years old.  Maybe this image will help.

Oops, we've got a leak.  Things do wear out after a century of use, but it's still functional and a vital link for Puget Sound commerce.  It's also a place to view salmon as they make their way on up to the cedar river to spawn.  Here's another glimpse.

Hmmmm, we have moving parts.  Old moving parts. 

Even on this day with no salmon passing through, the cormorants still delight in seeking fish for dinner.

Here's a photo showing modern day structures at the site with all their shapes, sizes and "muscle".

Well, if you haven't guessed yet, these photos are of the Ballard Locks connecting Lake Union to Puget Sound, first built by the Army Corps of Engineers in 1917.  If you haven't visited the locks, it is well worth the trip.  They have a nice park, gardens and good trails.  Some historic buildings too, still in use. 

This nearby railroad trestle must also date back to the early 1900's.  Still using the big weighted end to lift the bridge for opening.

On my way out, I had to stop and take a picture of one of my hiking buddies - always begging to have his/her picture taken along with a snack.

 

Logging With Chainsaws

Is there anyone you know who just loves to cut firewood?  Buck logs into usable lengths with a handsaw and then hand split them with an ax?  Great exercise and who doesn't love to have a fire in the fireplace, especially on Thanksgiving and Christmas?  But, it's a whole nother matter when you must depend on wood to heat your home.  Pleasure soon turns to #@&%#<?&#$ and its no fun anymore.  But most early settlers to the northwest had little choice and it was cut your wood or freeze.  And neither did the logging industry.  For loggers, burning 6,000 or more calories a day swinging an ax and sawing monster logs by hand gets old after awhile.  Wouldn't it be nice to have some mechanical means to cut wood?

Well, it didn't happen overnight.  The precursor to the modern day chain saw dates all the back to 1830 or so and was developed by a German orthopedic surgeon.  Apparently cutting bones by hand wasn't much fun either.  The device was called an osteotome.  The links of the chain carried small cutting teeth with edges set at an angle.  The chain was moved around a guiding blade by turning the handle of a sprocket.  The "principle" for how to make a chainsaw was there but it took a long time to for chainsaws capable of cutting big wood to develop.  The 1920's is often cited as the time when chainsaws became more practical - brought over here from Germany.  Andreas Stihl, a familiar name even today, is typically credited with the first chainsaw patent in 1926.

The logging industry began experimenting with "chainsaws" some years earlier, not to fall timber so much as to buck logs into usable/transportable lengths once they were down.  Cedar logs were a prime target for experimentation both because of their huge diameters but also given the short lengths needed for shingle bolts.  Following is one of the early chainsaws being used to buck cedar logs on the Olympic Peninsula by the Goodyear Logging Company in 1919.

Photo courtesy Library of Congress, circa 1919

As you can see, the saw was a bit of a monster itself.  It probably took two men to operate it given it's weight.  I was surprised to learn than it was also gasoline powered - gas engines like this were not known for their reliability at the time.  But, you can see that they were perfect for bucking big logs into short lengths, suitable for splitting into shingle bolts.  Stihl a lot work (pun intended).

Evolution of the Gas Pump

If you were to compile a list of the ten essentials for living in the northwest dating all the way back to the early 1900's, the gas pump would have to be high on the list.  How often do you fill up today?  Once a week or more?  It has not always been so easy.

Photo courtesy Bill Kombol and  Black Diamond History, circa 1940

The above photo shows Jack's Place service station located near the Green River Gorge.  It's hard to tell from the picture, but it appears a hand crank was still required at Jack's and even a clear glass area above the pump where you could see the gas and visibly inspect it.  Apparently getting dirt, water and other contaminants mixed in with the gas was a problem at the time and you needed to see it to be safe.  I can just imagine the variability in volumes of actual gasoline pumped per crank.  

The following graphic from SafeRack illustrates the history of pumps used over the years.  Any of these look familiar?

Image courtesy SafeRack

Standard Oil claims to have established the first ever drive in Gas Station in Seattle in 1907, though the pumps and storage must have been pretty crude.  How about an open tank for storage and you measured gas level in the tank to determine how much gas was pumped.  Smokers need not apply.   If you look at other historical photos taken in and around Black Diamond during this period, you will find virtually all of the above models used at one time or another.  Follow these links to see:

• Garretts Service Station
• Black Diamond Garage
• Lake Sawyer Grocery
• Lombardinis Market and Gas Station (courtesy Bill Kombol and Black Diamond History)

So when could you begin pumping gas yourself?  On June 10, 1964, John Roscoe flipped the switch to activate the first remote access self service pumps in the U.S.  And the rest as they say is history - except in Oregon.

Choker Setter - Dangerous Job

It's not often in industry where the most dangerous jobs are also entry level positions.  You would think that new "green" hires needed some time to learn the ropes so to speak, especially in cases where safety risks are the highest.  But no, not in the logging industry in the northwest in the early 1900's.  This was a period of major change and progress in the industry.  High lead logging was the future.  The days of using teams of oxen or horses to drag logs out of the woods and along skid roads to streams and mills were numbered.  Wood powered steam donkeys arrived on the scene, providing real power that began at last to match the size of timber we have in the northwest.  Spar trees and cables rigged for handling these monster logs greatly increased log handling capability and efficiency.  Falling trees and bucking logs into transportable lengths still required high levels of skill and experience to be good at it.  But, someone was still needed to climb over all these logs and string cables around them as "chokers" so that donkey power could then be used.  These jobs became known as Choker Setters and these were the low men on the totem pole.  What you needed was lots of agility and no fear, doing what you were told to do by those with the saws or on the donkey..

Photo courtesy University of Washington Libraries, CKK1000, Clark Kinsey photographer, n.d.

The above photo and the one that follows are from Weyerhaeuser's Camp 4.

Photo courtesy University of Washington Libraries, CKK0992, Clark Kinsey photographer, n.d.

Logs might be lying on the ground but that doesn't mean they were stable.  One little movement caused by a cable or connection could easily trigger a log to move unexpectedly and if you were on the ground, you could be easily squished - and many were.  Cables and cable fittings also could snap or slip out of place.  Watch out and be prepared to duck.  Which is better, being beheaded or squished?  I'm not trying to be funny about this but rather communicate just how dangerous choker setter jobs could be.

Photo courtesy University of Washington Libraries, Lee Pickett photographer, circa 1913

Just look at the size of those fittings.  As time went on, the dangers of being a choker setter, if anything, increased.  Improvements to cable systems and donkey engines increased the range they could operate in.  This meant that Donkey Punchers (donkey engine operators) were often located where they couldn't see a crew's loggers and choker settings or were too far away to communicate.  The last thing you want is for a donkey puncher to begin moving cables while choker setters were still in the process of rigging.  Or perhaps pulling in the wrong direction and dragging logs over choker setters.  Lots could go wrong and it would be many years before radio communication became a reality in the woods.  More about this and Whistlepunks in a future post.

 

Donkey Punchers

Looking for a safe and cushy job in a logging operation early in the 20th century?  Why not become a donkey puncher?

Image courtesy Library of Congress, Darius Kinsey photographer, circa 1901

As steam "donkey" engines and high lead logging practices transformed the timber industry in the northwest, becoming the operator of a steam donkey was a job in high demand.  In time, these jobs became known as "donkey punchers", I guess because their job was akin to punching donkeys to get them to do what you wanted.  When I look at the above photo taken in 1901, I still can't believe donkey engines of the time were able to move logs around like the one wrapped in cable above.  Were donkey punchers the safest jobs in the woods?  Not by any means.

Steam donkeys had a habit of starting fires and blowing up on you.  Cables were also not all that reliable and when one broke or a fitting snapped, look out for lethal cables flying.

Photo courtesy Library of Congress, Lee Russel photographer, circa 1941

Still, most steam donkeys had roofs over your head and you were warm and out of the wet.  And a heck of a lot easier on your body compared to the daily physical exertion of falling trees, trimming limbs, bucking logs or being a "choker setter" connecting all the cables to logs for yarding and loading.  These were all dangerous jobs and donkey punchers were not immune from daily risk.

Looking at the Lee Russel photo above, taken in 1941, there appears to be little change between donkey engines used in 1900 and 40 years later.  Wood fueled steam power was replaced by diesel but there seems to be little else.  But "gyppo" loggers like the one shown didn't always use the most modern of equipment either.

Life Before GPS

I was having a conversation with Samantha earlier this morning, asking for help in finding Hidden Falls Regional Park here in Auburn CA.  Samantha is who I talk to whenever I need directions using my car's navigation system.  Though she is sometimes "indisposed" in remote locations, she sure knows her stuff.  What did I ever do without GPS and Samantha?  Born (cyber engineered) in 1995, Samantha has grown and matured over the years, but she is sure on her game today.  Was she the first of her kind?  Nope - you can go all the way back to 1932 when Italian engineers first developed an in-car navigation system for automobiles.

Called the Inter-Auto or "Iter-Avto", the device used a scrolling map and connected to the cars speedometer to maintain an accurate scrolling rate.  Once you came to the end of one map, you replaced it with another roll.

Another option was to use a Plus Fours Route Finder, worn on your wrist much like today's wristwatch made by Apple.

Finish one roll and replacement it with the next.  What could be simpler? 

The bottom line problem was paper.  You needed lots of it.  Flat maps were a better answer and it took time to track where you were.  Then, in 1981 Honda introduced what is considered to be the first non-paper map-based Car Navigation System.

This Honda device used what was called an Electro Gyrocater.  You could buy it as on option on Honda Accord and Vigor models.  To make the system work, a gyroscope had two wires in a stream of circulating helium.  When the car went straight, the helium was balanced.  When the car turned, the helium moved and touched just one wire, indicating it was turning on the navigation device.  Honda engineers also built a special 16 bit computer that would collect mileage data from a sensor attached to the transmission.  At the time, storing all of this data was impractical so Honda engineers worked with a mapmaker to produce transparent overlays.  When the car reached the edge of one overlay, the driver could manually switch to the next overlay.   All pretty neat and innovative, but ahead of it's time and ahead of the state of the art in computing technology.

It was still quite a few years for computer and GPS technology to advance sufficiently to make it practical to use in autos.  My own experience with simple Garmin GPS devices even in the early 2000's was less than positive.  Big, bulky and complicated.  I had to take a class at REI to learn how to use it.  Today, it appears that Samantha has grown to the point that she is the daughter you always wanted and can't do without - at least metaphorically.  Adjusted for changes in traffic and reroutes to maintain the quickest route, Samantha says we'll be home tomorrow night at 7:46 pm.  You might also want to get to know her app friends at Gaia GPS, REI National Parks and WTA Trailblazer.

Bank Heists - Then & Now

Tales of outlaws in the wild west and notorious bank robbers of the 1920's and 1930's have been a staple of Hollywood movie making for years.  Who among us haven't heard of Bonny & Clyde, Pretty Boy Floyd, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Ma Barker, John Dillinger, Jesse James, Baby Face Nelson and the list goes on - legends all.  And as noted earlier, we have had our own local lawbreakers staging attempted bank heists like The Shootout in Buckley Circa 1925 that left two would be robbers dead after attempting to rob the Buckley Bank.  But that's all in the past - right?  After all, robbing banks became a Federal crime in this country in 1934 with jurisdiction by the FBI, giving rise to the legends of J. Edgar Hoover.

Well, believe it or not, there were probably more bank robberies attempted in the 1990's than in the 1930's.  A lot more banks, big money and a much larger population probably account for this despite all the technology banks now have at their disposal to prevent robbery.  Banks are also more often focused on check fraud and other forms of electronic robbery than on the traditional "give me your money" heist.

According to statistics maintained by the FBI, there were 4,251 attempted bank robberies in 2016, the latest year for which data is available.  This is down from 7,465 in 2003 and much higher yet in the 1990's.  What do you think were the top four cities for bank robbery?  In 2006 as in many years, LA led the pack, followed by Boston, Philadelphia and then Seattle at number 4.  Huh?  Yep, Seattle is consistently high on the list.  You might find this 2006 Seattle Times article of some interest: Seattle ranks 4th in US for bank robberies .

For those who love statistics like myself, following is a further breakdown of 2016 data.

What security devices were maintained at the banks where the 2016 robbery attempts took place?

• Silent alarm systems           4,085
• Surveillance cameras          4,210
• Bait money                          1,942
• Armed guard                          224
• Currency dye/gas pack          709
• Electronic tracking device      595
• Bullet resistant enclosure       610

You'd have to be pretty stupid to attempt to rob a bank these days - and the data bears that out too.  Bank robber methods haven't changed much over the years.

• Demand note to a teller            2,267
• Weapon threat                          2,361
• Oral demand                            1,955

Overall in 2016 there were 43 injuries, 8 deaths, of which 7 were the perpetrators, and 59 hostages taken.  Still dangerous for bank employees.

In profiling those who attempt to rob banks, the biggest common denominators would be people without an address, either homeless or living day to day in some flea bag hotel.  Many are also repeat offenders.

Banking - From Gold to Bank Notes to Script to IOU's to Bitcoins?

I found reading John Anderson's history of banking in Enumclaw to be very interesting (see my earlier post Enumclaw - A Family Town Circa 1904).  It motivated me to learn a little more about banking here in the northwest.

The history of banking and currency has been quite the roller coaster ride.  First it was all about precious metals such as gold and silver.  Limited in supply and hard to find, coins could be minted in different denominations measurable by weight and transferable.  Easy - except they weigh a lot and aren't quite so easy or safe to handle.  They were anything but secure in pouches carried by travelers or stashed away under the bed.

No problem - let's establish banks where you can both deposit and borrow money.  Rather than transact business by trading gold and silver coins, let the banks do business by issuing "promises to pay" backed by the security of gold and silver and let them print their own bank notes.   This was how business was conducted in the early 1900's.

Image courtesy Washington State Historical Society, 1980.76.1, circa 1929

The bank note you see above was issued by the National Bank of Tacoma.  We also had State Banks in addition to National Banks and even business associations printed their own promise to pay currencies.  This didn't always work so well as we found out in Black Diamond when the president of the bank absconded with miners' money (grand larceny) and also during the great depression.  There were no banks anymore in some locations.

Image courtesy Washington State Historical Society, C1954.291.4, circa 1933

Don't like Tenino wood currency - try some Prosser New Deal Money.

Image courtesy Washington State Historical Society, 2018.1.24, circa 1933

No pretense of security.  Just "good faith".  Eventually, of course, the country worked through the great depression and the federal government created the federal reserve system and federally printed script became the currency of choice.  The fed also began issuing unsecured war bonds.

One role for the federal reserve was printing and processing script.  The following photo shows an employee with the Federal Reserve Bank in Seattle in 1954.  

Photo courtesy University of Washington Libraries, 2000.107.165.11.02, circa 1954

Now, of course, script plays a much reduced role in commercial transactions and banking is an electronic business. 

Oops, the great recession.  Too small to succeed and too big to fail.  Hmmmm

We can always use IOU's again (aka debit cards like you can buy in your neighborhood grocery store) or you can buy bitcoins.  More about bitcoins in a future post.  Fascinating.

 

Fordson Tractors - What Happened?

The legacy of Henry Ford's mass production methods remains alive today - over 110 years after introduction of the landmark Model T automobile.  Less well known, however, is the impact Henry Ford also had on tractor design and manufacturing.  Ford Motor Company's initial foray into tractors began in 1907 but early designs gained little attention and had only limited priority within the company.  Spurred by renewed commitment from Henry Ford and perhaps WWI, Ford introduced the Model F tractor in 1917 - which proved to be the game changer.  Marketed by Fordson (Henry Ford & Son), over 750,000 Model F tractors were sold during the 1917 to 1928 period, more than any other tractor before or since (Tractor Data - Fordson).  In addition to traditional farming applications, northwest loggers found their own applications for use of tractors.

Photo courtesy University of Washington Libraries, CKK01747, Clark Kinsey photographer, circa 1923

As we can see above, Model F tractors were textbook Henry Ford.  No frills simple, not very big and inexpensive.  Tractors fitted with tracks also found a home in the northwest.

Photo courtesy Tacoma Public Library, Boland-B9801, Marvin Boland Collection, circa 1924

The above tractor was operated by the Tacoma Water Dept.  

So what's the mystery?  Why didn't Ford seek to establish/retain a dominant position in the tractor market too?  Instead, most tractors were produced by Ford in Great Britain and despite several periodic forays in and out of the market with emphasis in the U.S., Ford lost interest and walked away from the market.  Perhaps tractors and automobiles are such different products, markets and businesses that being in both businesses violated Henry Ford's keep it simple credo?  Certainly interesting.

Road Building Along Big Soos Creek Circa 1915

Road building was not a simple task in the early 1900's.  If you had flat land and didn't need to haul away surplus materials, then ok, but how much of the Puget Sound region is flat?  Not much.  Technology at the time had progressed to the point where steam shovels and donkey engines could do the heavy lifting.  Hauling away dirt and debris, however, was a whole nother matter.  Easiest solution - build a temporary railroad.

Photo courtesy University of Washington Libraries, IND0443, circa 1915

The above photo shows road building along Big Soos Creek above the Auburn fish hatchery.  It appears that the steam shovel is removing soil to create a widened and flat roadbed and loading railcars to take surplus material away.  The steam donkey engine in the background is likely being used as part of tree clearing operations, loading logs onto railcars.  It would be a while, still, before trucks replaced temporary rail lines when building hillside roads like this.  It compacts the roadbed too.

 

Log Truck Load Limits - Or Not?

By the end of WWII, the logging industry had been transformed several times, first from the use of oxen and horse teams to drag logs to streams and waterways where they could be more easily floated to sawmills located along Puget Sound.  We then saw steam powered donkey engines, high lead logging and railroads used to transport logs to mills, with mills often located much closer to the woods.  And then came logging trucks.  This transition, however, was not always an easy one.

Photo courtesy University of Washington Libraries and Tec Spoelstra, Walley Crippen photographer, circa 1936

Legislation enacted in 1913 - 1915 took the first step to regulate truck load limits on state roads (24,000 lbs was the limit set, inadequate to haul just one log).  Virtually all trucking of logs at the time, however, was done on private roads and therefore no impact of early load limits on the industry.  The only rule - can you keep the load on the truck?

In 1935, the federal government enacted the Motor Carrier Act with regulation of federal highways through the Interstate Commerce Commission.  

These photos must have been from logging operations in Canada ha, ha, ha.

In time, most states adopted federal Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW) standards for state highways, but often providing exceptions for most favored industries, like the logging industry here in Washington.   Today, the federal and state standard is a GVW limit of 105,500 lbs for a maximum 9 axle truck and trailer.  The state successfully grandfathered the 1956 standard which now adds 6,800 more pounds to the limit.  However, private roads are still private roads and so are mill sites.

Oops!

The Logging Truck

The early 1900's were a time of major change in the pacific northwest and the country.  Our state's population more than tripled from 518,00 in 1900 to 1,563.000 by 1930.  The first automobile arrived here in 1900.  By 1930, our state had over 26,000 licensed vehicles.  Our state grew to become the biggest lumber producer in the country with the timber industry accounting for over 1/2 of the state's economic output in the 1900 - 1910 period.  What changes and technical advancements most impacted our forefathers during this period?  I would have to nominate the introduction of the logging truck as having been one of the top 5 most impactful advances.  OMG - logging trucks?  Really?

In 1900, the timber business was dominated by the big boys - Weyerhaeuser, Pope and Talbot, St. Paul Tacoma Lumber Company and others.  To succeed required being well capitalized.  Investing in steam donkeys and other high lead logging equipment was expensive.  To access timber required investing in the building of logging railroads and logging camps.  Labor was organized in trade unions to consolidate bargaining power and provide leverage.  The days of the IWW "Wobblies" and strike breakers are legendary.  And then it all changed.  Why? 

Photo courtesy University of Washington Libraries, ftm1921, n.d., Forks Timber Museum

Use of a logging truck was introduced for the first time in 1917, in Covington of all places.  Not exactly what one would call a technological wonder.  But now there was a way into the woods without needing to build a railroad.

Photo courtesy University of Washington Libraries, IND0263, circa 1918

These were not the safest of vehicles and often overloaded and dangerous (look at the length of that trailer between axles), but it then became possible for smaller operators to compete who weren't so well capitalized.  In 1920, you could buy a new logging truck for about $4,000 and expect it to last 5 years.   Cummins introduced the diesel engine in 1919.  The cost of diesel fuel was a third the cost of gasoline at the time.   Building a wood plank road was a far cry from having to build even a temporary railroad.  Flexibility and greater efficiency thru not having to haul logs as far to a centralized log staging/loading area gave truck logging a real advantage. Not being unionized further reduced costs.

Photo courtesy University of Washington Libraries, loggvehc018, n.d.

A new term was born - "Gyppo loggers".  It's still not clear how the name gyppo came to be.  Some say it's a Greek term related to the employment of Greeks immigrants as strike breakers.  Others say it's an extension of gypsy and all that employing gypsies conjures up.  However it began, the term stuck and now there was real competition between company employed union loggers and nonunion loggers.  The big companies had to change if they were to compete. 

By 1930, there were about 900 logging trucks operating in Washington and Oregon and by the mid 1930's there were as many logs being hauled by trucks as there were by railroads.  Loggers found the risk of forest fires caused from sparks generated by railroads also declined.  By 1950, logging railroads had become few and far between.  In time, the complete structure of the industry changed, particularly on the logging side - all precipitated by a few gyppo logging trucks driving on wood plank roads? 

 

 

Household Vehicle Trips & the Rise of Internet Shopping

One of the more interesting traffic analyses that I've run across in a while tracks the number of trips per household by reason and in total.  For example, how many trips are now being taken by households for work, shopping, recreation etc. compared to historical patterns?  The decline of brick and mortar retail and rise of internet purchasing appear to be making a significant impact - and positively so, at least from the perspective of taking vehicle traffic off the highways.

Source:  Energy.Gov  Vehicle Technology Office

Prime Delivery Before It's Time

What do they say - Time Is Money?  Amazon, with their prime delivery service, is certainly proving this axiom of business to have real currency today.  How about historically?  In the early 1900's, the U.S. postal service dominated the delivery business but by the 1920's, competitive enterprises were gaining market share.  Apparently, people and businesses needed their information and packages delivered faster and faster, even if this meant paying premium prices.  By 1920, Postal Cable Telegraph Company in Tacoma was ready to deliver the goods.

Photo courtesy Tacoma Public Library, Marvin D. Boland Collection B-2921, circa 1920

Child labor laws don't appear to have been an impediment at the time.  In some large cities even today, you will find vestiges of bike document delivery services still being used - despite the digital age.

Faster package delivery was also in demand in the burbs.  

Photo courtesy Tacoma Public Library, Stenger-14, circa 1925

Apparently, having a specialized package delivery service like the one shown above, served as a status symbol worth telling the world about.  This photo was printed as a postcard.  I wonder how many billions of dollars we pay today to have next day package delivery service available.  Time is money - except in the bond market?

Lake Sawyer Sawmill Circa 1922 - 1934

For those not familiar with the history of Lake Sawyer, commercial activity began here in the early 1920's.  The Lake Sawyer Mill Company operated a sawmill and logging operation at the northeast corner of the lake between 1922 and 1934,with some periods of shutdown due to economic conditions in 1927 and early 1928.  Employment ranged from 20 to 30 men producing 40 to 50 thousand board feet per day.  This would be considered in the mid-range of mill capacity in the northwest during this period.  Facilities consisted of one circular head rig saw, an automatic trimmer, dry kilns and lath mill.  Logs up to 60 feet long could be processed.  Company logging operations fed the mill with 3 miles of 45# rail, 1 geared locomotive, 1 speeder, 2 donkey engines, 1 high lead logging operation, 8 log trucks and 20 flat cars. 

The following aerial photo taken in 1936, shows the mill site not long after shutting down.  

Following is a closer image showing site rail access.

A short spur apparently connected the mill to Northern Pacific’s Stampede Pass mainline, making for efficient transport of lumber to market.

The company also had two log dumps, one at the mill site as shown above and another at the southwest part of the lake on property currently the site of the Sunrise Lake Sawyer Resort.  Remains of log dump piling at the mill site can still be found.  Apparently, rather than remove the piling, the tops were cut off making it easier for small boats to navigate - but the stubby piling can still be found there underwater.

Following is a photo of the log dump located on the southwest side.

Company logging operations utilized high lead logging technology including spar trees for yarding and loading.  In the following photo, note the high climber standing on top and crew members suspended from the ground by cables.  This is one of the better photos I've seen that shows a complete high lead logging operation including spar, cables, donkey engine and rail loading area.  The size of this spar tree is impressive to say the least.

Photo courtesy Ted and Debbie Strand, Lake Sawyer Grocery circa 1920's

In May 1928, John Neukirchen, one of the owners who were based in Issaquah, apparently had a run in with their locomotive.  As reported in the Issaquah Press at the time, “Mr. Neukirchen received minor injuries when the Willys-Knight he was driving was struck by a switching train at the Lake Sawyer mill.  The car was demolished.”    

Photo courtesy Erik Erickson, circa 1928

Judging from the photo, the locomotive used readily available wood waste for fuel and was likely used for moving railcars around the mill site.  It had also likely seen many years of prior use.

Here's the mill as seen from the lake, which served as a handy log pond for receiving, sorting and feeding logs into the mill.  You can also see the rail track leading down to the log dump and conveyor up into the mill.

Photo courtesy Peggy Hawkins, granddaughter of mill co-founder Joseph Neukirchen.  The photo was taken by noted photographer Clark Kinsey

Following mill closure in 1934, equipment was removed and sold and the lands on the east side of the lake owned by the mill were platted for sale to those looking to build a vacation cabin on waterfront property.  In essence, this was the owner's exit strategy from the business and I'm sure that it served them well.  Bill Kombol recently ran across several old maps showing these East Shore lots as they were drawn by the Neukirchens at the time.  Apparently, these specific maps were not recorded, but they sure look a lot like what we see today.  Bill was kind enough to share this with us.  Perhaps some of you can find your lot on this map.

Thank you again, Bill, for sharing with us.

Willamette Iron & Steel Works - King of Steam

It's fair to say that steamships, railroads, coal mining and the timber industry provided the foundation for building the northwest into the powerhouse economy we have today.  The common ingredient during their hay days in the late 19th and early 20th century - they all relied on equipment powered by steam.  Where did this equipment come from?  Most parts and equipment were supplied by manufacturing companies based in the Midwest.  The exception, focused on building anything powered by steam, was Willamette Iron & Steel Works based in Portland Oregon.  Open for business all the way back in 1865, Willamette got its start building and repairing steamships for the burgeoning shipping business.  As the country entered both World War I and World War II, Willamette was there to fill a need for minesweepers, patrol craft, submarine chasers and small lighters.  Willamette built over 72 ships during WWII alone.

Midwest manufacturers of railroad locomotives were slow to fill the unique needs of the northwest timber industry  Willamette stepped in and designed and built it's version of an improved Shay locomotive for use by northwest logging companies.  Who was king of building steam donkeys used to power log yarding and loading?  Between 1901 and 1931, Willamette built over 2,500 steam donkeys, filling the need as only a local northwest based company could do.

Photo courtesy University of Washington Libraries, Estelle Hall collection, 1917 - 1927

The photo above shows a donkey engine purchased from Willamette by Merrill and Ring Logging Company in Clallam County.  Notice how big it is.  A Willamette 12 x 14 compound yarder like the unit shown above had as much or more straight ahead pulling power than the biggest 13 x 18 donkey then being built.

What happened to the company?  Remarkably, despite the end of an era for steam power, Willamette found a way to continue to survive before finally closing in 1990.  One of its last products manufactured - fire hydrants.  135 years is a long time to remain in a heavy manufacturing business.  A whole lot of change during that time.

When Engineers Get It Wrong

Although Washington State is generally known for its engineering prowess, not all projects have gone well.  What would you say are the top three engineering disasters in our state's history?

I expect that Galloping Gertie comes first to mind for most of us.

Image courtesy University of Washington Libraries, 290.51, circa 1940

How many fatalities resulted from the bridge collapse?  Fortunately, no humans lost their lives.  However, one three legged dog named Tubby, who refused to leave the car that he was, perished.  The good news, failure of the Narrows Bridge ushered in a whole new paradigm of thought - wind makes a difference and must be considered in design of bridges and building structures.

What other engineering disasters come to mind?  Less known and earlier in the 20th century was the flooding caused by failure of the Cedar River Dam just above Rattlesnake Lake near North Bend.

Photo courtesy Seattle Municipal Archives, #5897, circa 1911

This is what happens when water infiltrated down and under containment, eventually blowing out the outlet dam and flooding the downstream town of Cedar Falls and Rattlesnake Lake.

Photo courtesy Seattle Municipal Archives, #709, circa 1911

Photo courtesy Seattle Municipal Archives, #7551, circa 1911

Fortunately, as best I can determine, there were no fatalities and dam(n) designers learned from their previous mistakes.  Understanding underlying soils is paramount.

Unfortunately, these lessons were apparently not learned well enough resulting in the Oso mudslide of 2015 in which 43 people lost their lives and many who survived lost their homes.

Photo courtesy Seattle Times, March 21, 2014, Markus Yam photographer, and National Geographic article by Brian Clark Howard, March 24, 2014

One can only hope, that with the horrible loss of lives resulting from this incident, that lessons have been learned and corrections to past practice are now in place to prevent future such catastrophes.  The price paid has been too high not to have prevented this from happening again.

 

 

Shingle Trucks Circa 1920

Among the early big trucks used in the woods were GMC flatbeds for carrying shingles.  Given the scattered nature of stands of cedar timber, shingle mills were often small, located deep in the woods and built to be moved.  This meant finding ways to transport finished shingles to market.  Fortunately for them, transporting packaged up shingles was a lot easier and lighter than transporting logs.

Photo courtesy WSU Library, pc170b4p09_lumbertruckloadofwoodenshingles, circa 1911/1921

Given shingles' relatively light weight, a four axle flatbed trailer is able to carry quite a large load of shingles even during the late 1910's.  Trucks for this purpose were easier to find, including early GMC model trucks like the one shown above and the flatbed double trailer rig shown below.

Photo courtesy WSU Library, pc170b4p08_lumbertruckandtrailerofwoodshingles, circa 1911/1921

I'm told that not having doors made it easier for drivers to bail out in the event of brake failure.

A few more pieces of trivia I ran across while researching the use of GMC trucks. 

• The first truck designed by GMC engineers was introduced in 1914 with capacities from 3/4 to 2 ton.
• A GMC 1 1/2 ton truck was the first to drive cross country from Seattle to New York and back and complete the journey in 32 days.  The year was 1916.  Must have been quite a ride.
• In 1912, a total of 173 electric trucks were produced by GMC.  This accounted for over 32% of the trucks produced by GMC in the company's first year of production.  

Photo courtesy General Motors Archives

Fortunately, electric vehicles seem not to be just a passing fancy any more.  And which country leads the world in current production assembly of plug-in electric vehicles?