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About Vernonia's voice. (Vernonia, OR) 2007-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 20, 2022)
In Other Words January 20 2022 13 The Good Ol ’ Days By Tobie Finzel The Gripwheel One of our most commented upon photographs at the Vernonia Pio- neer Museum is that of a Gripwheel be- ing used along the Columbia at Marsh- land, just outside of Clatskanie. The one in the photo is the second Gripwheel of the only three made and used only at this location. Photographs of all three can be found in the 1961 book written by John Labbe and Vernon Goe, Rail- roads in the Woods, an excellent, com- prehensive, pictorial history of railroad logging. John Colvin, originally from In- diana, moved westward in several jumps but eventually homesteaded in Marsh- land in 1878 and in 1883 purchased a 40 acre timbered parcel from the U.S. government. In 1890, his son, Thom- as, acquired an 80 acre parcel and with his brother, Weslie, cleared and logged the land with oxen to haul out the tim- ber. That same year, John’s son Henry, took up a homestead in Marshland and cleared the land with his brother, Walter. During this same period in ear- ly West Coast logging, John Dolbeer of Eureka, California, patented the first steam donkey engine in 1883. Shortly after that, George Fouts, a San Francis- co machinist, patented the Gripwheel, a device incorporated in a six-foot iron wheel which gripped a one-inch cable as it turned. It boasted the ability to move a large volume of logs without having to return rigging to the logging site; it worked as an endless cable. The Colvins of Marshland were the only loggers in- terested in the device, however. They had a three-mile trip with a 24% grade down OK Creek to move logs from the hills above. The oxen they used for hauling had a great challenge crossing the marshy ground on the flatlands lead- ing to the slough where the logs were unloaded and rafts assembled to move the timber on the Columbia to mills along the river. According to Labbe and Goe, “He (Henry Colvin) reasoned that if he could lay rails across the swampy sec- tion, he could keep the bulls at work on the hill where they were best suited, and thereby increase the efficiency of his operation.” The Colvins laid rails along the skid roads used by the oxen and put the Gripwheel to work. The track was tilted at the log dump to help roll the logs into the slough. Proven successful on marshy land, it then was used up the steep grade to the logging site. The first Gripwheel had no brakes beyond the grip on the cable so large rocks were placed between he skids to hold back the logs on the grade. One day, however, the first Gripwheel met its demise when too much slack ac- cumulated, the line ran out of the grip, and it ran away and was wrecked. Parts were salvaged to build another donkey engine, but this time the Colvins decid- ed to build a Gripwheel to incorporate improvements envisioned in their expe- rience with the first machine. A larger and more powerful version was built at Willamette Iron and Steel of Portland. It had a bigger boiler, heavier duty trucks, double-flanged wheels to accommodate the poor track, and a guide to keep the line from running out of the grip. It also had an emergency brake that prevented at least one known catastrophe. Fuel for the Gripwheel came from woodpiles placed along the right of way and a platform on the back to hold a quantity of fuel. It took an en- gineer, a fireman and a log tender to run the machine. Henry’s nephew was paid to keep the skids greased and the hill clear of bark and debris. The first Gripwheel could pull 50 to 80 logs, but the second one averaged 25,000 board feet of timber in each trip and once brought in 48,000 feet. A donkey en- gine was added at the end of the line to pull the logs into the slough. Accord- ing to a 1978 Oregon Historical Quar- terly article by Mable Colvin, Thomas’s daughter, the donkey engineer, Billy Lucas, also assembled the rafts using a pike pole and jumping from log to log in his caulk boots. One day he lost his balance and fell head first into the mud- bottomed slough and died. Another danger was the “attrac- tive nuisance” of the Gripwheel as it moved across the tracks. A family that lived nearby had two children, Mary and George, that waited for the sound of the steam whistle as the machine made its way to the log dump and rounded the last turn. They would run to the water tank used to refill the steam boiler and jump on the Gripwheel, go for a short Columbarium and Urn Garden Angel Memorials Headstones A beautiful location for cremains of your loved ones nestled among fir woodlands Granite Markers & Monuments All-inclusive urn garden space and interment for $1,750. Columbarium niches start at $2,250. 971-344-3110 Locally owned in Vernonia Serving NW Oregon All Cemeteries Accepted Order drawing at no charge online www.angelmemorialsheadstones.com ride and jump off, a risky game. One time Mary fell under one of the moving wheels and her leg was severed above the knee. She had to wear a wooden leg for the rest of her life. In 1906, the Colvins sold their logging operations to Clark, Shields and Kerry (all later famous local tim- ber men) who called their enterprise OK Logging Company. The Gripwheel was rebuilt with a drum substituted. According to Labbe and Goe, “the final incarnation of the Gripwheel became known as the ‘Walking Dudley.’ The term was not new, having been applied to some similar machines designed and built by the Simpson Logging Company of Shelton, Washington. The name was said to have come from an old logger who walked from camp to camp until he became known as ‘Walking Dudley.’” Only one other known Grip- wheel was built by Willamette and used at Pokegama near Klamath Falls to nudge logs on their way down a spectac- ular log chute into the Klamath River. Remnants of the chute are still visible. The Colvin name is still prominent in Clatskanie and is applied to the section of the old Columbia River Highway that runs partway up along the slope above Marshland. From Virgil Powell’s Diary Virgil Powell (1887-1963) was a long- time resident whose family had a farm in the Upper Nehalem Valley between Natal and Pittsburg. Each year from 1906 until 1955, he kept a regular di- ary of his activities. By January 1912, Virgil and his future wife, Inez Smith, appear to be a steady couple. Earlier in the month there had been deep cold and snow, but it turned to occasional rain by mid-month. Tuesday, Jan. 16, 1912: Garfield and I went down to the Cook place on a stand about 12 and the other boys went in the woods and killed 3. Got back home at 4. Did not rain any and was a dandy day. Thursday, Jan. 18. Garfield and I took the driving team up and got them shod in the morning. Got back at 2 P.M. A little bit cold but very good day. A Trusted Name in Funeral Service Fuiten, Rose & Hoyt Funeral Home & Crematory 2308 Pacific Ave., Forest Grove 503-357-2161 Vernonia Memorial Cemetery Family Owned & Operated Formerly Prickett’s Mortuary City of Vernonia – 1001 Bridge Street, Vernonia, OR 97064 Sunday, Jan. 21. Left at about 11 A.M. for Smiths. Rode Pet up and got up there about 1.15. Had a dandy time all day. Certainly had a dandy time late in the evening. Fine and warm all day. Left up there at 10.50 and got home at 12.40. Monday, Jan. 22. Was working around the barn most all day. Ma came home from Portland in the evening. Put 9 head of hogs up to fatten. Pretty good day. Friday, Jan. 26. Hauled another load of hay down to Tobin and this finishes for this time. Got home at 2.15. Received a letter from Inez. Did not rain very much but was pretty cold in the afternoon. Big time in Vernonia tomorrow night. Saturday, Jan. 27. Was fixing up things to get ready to go to the dance in the forenoon. Started up in the buggy at 12.30. Was in Vernonia all afternoon. Inez & Gladys was down town so we took in the dance. Not much of a crowd there. Pretty fair day. The dance was over about 4.30. Sunday, Jan. 28. The dance was over about 4.30 A.M. Took Inez home and got up there at 7.30. Sure had a dandy time going up. Got back home about 9.45 A.M. Rained a little all day. Went to bed about 11 A.M. and slept till 2 P.M. Wrote a long letter to Inez in the evening. The Vernonia Pioneer Museum is lo- cated at 511 E. Bridge Street and is open from 1 to 4 pm on Saturdays and Sundays (excluding holidays) all year. There is no charge for admission but do- nations are always welcome. Become a member of the museum for an annual $5 fee to receive the periodic newsletter. We now have a page on the Vernonia Hands on Art website, www.vernonia- handsonart.org If you are a Facebook user, check out the Vernonia Pioneer Museum page. The museum volun- teers are always pleased to enlist additional volunteers to help hold the museum open and assist in other ways. Please stop by and let one of the volunteers know of your interest in helping out. 741 Madison Ave., Vernonia 503-429-6611 Jeff & Kathryn Hoyt For more information visit www.vernonia-or.gov/cemetery or call 503-429-5291 Saturday, Jan. 20. Garfield went back up home. Did not do a great deal of anything any of the day. Fine till about 3 then rained a little the balance of the day. Forest Grove Memorial Chapel 503-357-3126 To sign the online guest book or to send a condolence to the family go to www.fuitenrosehoyt.com Vernonia’s Voice is published on the st 1 and 3 rd Thursday. Look for our next issue on February 3.
