The Sunday Oregonian., February 26, 1922, Magazine Section, Page 6, Image 82

6
THE SUNDAY OREGOXIAN, PORTLAND, FEBRUARY 26, 1923
toresi
anlJp.en.Bo
ok to
rtuser
Thousands of Dollars Change Hands
on Word of Expert Who
Estimates Timber
1
ill v "" ; I
BT DE WITT HARRY. '
IN the first place no one really
knows why any, person should1 be
called a "cruiser." Just as much
right to- call a fellow any arbitrary
name, it would seem. But in a sense
"cruiser" seems to fit the man who
epends his time in the forests in
pecting timber, even though it might
seem that the more fitting term
would be "timber estimator." In one
eense they have a perfect right to be
called cruisers, for the radius- of their
trips is large and they cover much
territory, and any one of their or
dinary jobs might be classed as a
"cruise" for the man in some other
occupation.
But just what is "timber cruising"?
The ans-wer is a difficult one, for the
definition of the name cannot be hedd
too rigid, it must take In, a great deal
of activity. The cruiser not only esti
mates the number and kind of trees
In any section of timber so that the
man getting the report has an excel
lent idea of just how much timber
there is in any given section, but the
cruiser usually reports on the nature
of the country, of the klnd and class
of timber, whether the logs will be
first grade or some of them culls, the
natural conditions, camp sites, water
and any number of other items that
would assist the logger to a better
handling of a tract of standing tim
ber. The importance of the timber cruiser
In a country such as this is difficult
to realize, but on the lone decision
of this tough-looking man, on. his
simple ana unsupported word, hun- r. . r , - r- s r' .
dred-s of thousands of dollars changes f'r Trr U V JTT LSTZ3ZT CPjnr&SZT
hands. For the timber cruiser goes through a section from Bide to side 6000-foot elevation and the terrain will show numbers of these marku or
into the woods and knows what is and. Inspects closely each tree within, Interspersed with sheer cliffs up and blazes, made at varying periods by
there and his report is looked on as a. certain number of feet of his line down which the cruiser and his mate different men who have inspected the
erospel when it is made. The cruiser of march. Then taking the figures nvust scramble, always keeping as timber. As each man has an Individual
knows that he must bring in the real he gets from this observation he mul- near their straight lines as possible, mark the cruiser generally knows just
summary of conditions, for the repu- tiplies to get the gross amount Jn the Dangers Often Encountered. who has been ln tnft timber ahead of
tation of the craft depends on hon- section. To do this with any degree ' him and in case of wanting proof can
esty, and there have been exceedingly of accuracy the cruiser must have an On one of these trips the confpass- caU Qn th,a man anfl frequenUy g0
few instances of cruisers who have intimate knowledge of just what a man- working on the side of a steep over nia notes In tne ola day8 wnen
made false or misleading reports, stick of timber will scale. This Is all Dluff' was str"ck a rolling stone timDer was cneap tna cruises were
Theirs Is a hard task and one of vital plotted on a taper basis, and with a ana tumbl!d down th" slde of the superficial affairs to what they are
Importance to the timber operator. true eye constantly kept in use, the mountain- r several hundred yards. Decominfr ln thls- day and ag9 when
Of all the men who live in the open cruiser can look at a tree, knows its Te cru wel to n's a.ssistance every tree has a value- Now the re-
the cruiser likely has the hardest lot, circumference and height, and there- and round hlm - K-' but they had a porta are moaeis of thoroughness and
for he often must exist for weeks on from the board feet contents. If the stlM climb to get back on their line. every sti(:k of tim,Der an(j )tg condition
just what he can carry on his back, cruiser thinks his eye Is posing some As they went alon& with their work and the iogsing possibilities are
The naturalist or sportsman, keen of its accuracy he will measure a few n this cruise, they finally found It noted The rou&h guesswork of the
student of woods lore, could go out trees until he Is satisfied that he la impossible to move either forward olfl days ia no ionger permitted. Some
with nearly any average cruiser and seeing things correctly. This is often T Dack' as they were stopped by an- of the ola tImers in the woods would
profit greatly in new knowledge, necessary when first starting a cruise inaecessible cliff. The compass man try and read the timDer ln a 165-foot
While it may be the hobby of others after some time out of the woods, or cllmDea out on a ledge and jumped swath, but these darys the good cruiser
or their recreation to go out in the in getting into a new class of timber, t0 a cedar tree' tne top of wh'cn seldom tries more than one-third that
open and enjoy nature, the cruiser or when the eye is tired or not yet came nearly t0 tn1B crest of the ledge, area The entire baslg of tnelr com.-
earns his bread and butter by this exactly adjusted. However, as a gen- and scrambled down to another ledge putations is on the law of averages,
means. He must know his business or eral rule the cruder knows his eye'300 or . fe lwer and Il0m thence and the cruiser.8 skilled ey Is un-
lose out in competition. It is not a tells him right and enters what he on again picked up his line, the canny ln its abliity to pick out
business that can be mastered in a sees In his notes, certain of their ac- cr"lser following suit. It goes with- cronks or trees affected with dry
school or that can be studied from curacy. . out m ucn country rapia rot and in a damaged condition.
limber t
1 K-Mm- M ? mim" I lls. IlMliiif is A
tkfMHWlmM W:Pl3W M -Milt
tttfmWC miw& $i ilJIioPlip
ln On going Into the woods the cruiser
progress impossible. Often in the How tne strajght lines work out can
r northern rountrv th p.ruLsiner crAws . . .
seldom knows just what kind of coun- wU1 follo mountain sheen tracks un"ersxooa Dy realizing tnat
tr h. will ),. t,.. TTn i . 11 roilOW , moun.taln fneeP traks if the cruiser would take the easiest
.w .. irom rocic 10 rocK and over ciirrs, i -
cellent day'swork. In eastern Ore
gon, however, and in other places
where the work is in pine and on
books, for the only way 10 learn is
the woods.
Man's Word Worth Millions. '
Now for a l'ttle about the cruiser's not furnisned a guide, merely the rivaiinfr the sheeo ln their darinir. 1. , T "
work and his system. In a country rough description of the land he is ThIa aU part f the day. work e cr oooms ne wouia oe seeing
like this, whose wealth is mainly in to inspect and must get there the best and treJda n0hls o'pf the fon S"'. work across
her forests, there is great necessity way possible. His maps show town- ordlnary by the men in the game. the waterways that is ul lnd low
for having experts who can go out sites and ranges, seldom having any In makin(r their cruises the, men L, T " I 'J ,
and know just how much merchant- elevation or meander lines, so the must know just how lone et' they hIU- fof tb8 Pat Bl a fl ,m re
able timber is in any given section, conformation of the country is usu- L this must be the the Tun "Thebott'ms1
Timber lands, with their stand of eJly a matter of mystery until he ar- for their . computations. The com- working In coast tlmber where tnTre
trees, are one of the most valued rives on the scene. Taking into con- pass man draws paralleI slghta on orkln CX h and manv treeV
commodities n the northwest. Huge ."deration the fact that the cruiser trees in the foreground and lines up a tlVZSed ??-
fnrtnnMi aro hnnnrt nn in th fnst9 has to eo into virein territorv and In s . u - . a two-mile run is considered an ex-
- v - w - ij. ia yLU uy iuia uicaiio, tdtLijig Cell a
Traffic in timber lands is on an enor- addition to the underbrush and other to step out tne proper distances and
nous scale. In each and every turn or -difficulties the lay of the land Is In the stralerht line. In toinsr Into a
sale of timber lands it is necery to often of the roughest type it can be fiection of tiraber tney walk rlgnt 8 ln Risers will
have a report of the amount of logs realized that his is no easy job. acr0S8 the fu section, starting from fluently mak four milles a day
to form a basis for valuation. This The cruisers work in couples, a one end and makiner nearlv parallel ,, ..
it is the cruiser's duty to determine cruiser and a compass man making up pacings. As they go ahead the com- cruises will be made under contract
for the man who employs him. Some a team. The compass man fastens his pass man holds the control and the Ar, , tT,u .... , rtw
of the lands in this country have been compass to a stick, called a Jacobs- .cruiser is free to make his observa- t " darkness to Vet over ' as much ter
crulsed and recruised so many times rod, and leads the way through the tions. Thi he does in various ways, rltory as possible every day
that a cruiser 'can give an off-hand brush on an absolutely straight line, one of the standard' systems being to
report from his own knowledge, vert- the cruiser following closely, taking -watch out 25 paces on either side, or . Craisers' Headquarters Here,
lying the statements by a later visit constant observations and making report on a 66-foot swath through j It Is estimated that in "Portland
The cruiser knows the forests and voluminous notes. In soms of the the timber. 1 In his notes the cruiser there are 75 cruisers and compass
most of them have spent their lives British Columbia territory, wher the will then tell of every tree, in this men headquartering. This city there
in the woods making a study of the men from here have to make reports, ' swath or tally, of their species, con- fore is conside-red as the center for
timber and its possibilities. the Canadian surveys are different dition and contents, and every once cruising and most of the men well
For instance, a man becomes inter- than those in the United States, with -in a while will make a test of a tree known in the game can be found
ested in some timber holdings. A deal the result that the men in the woods with his ax. when wanted. Their reputations are
is pending and a cruiser is sent out do not have nearly as much guidance As the tallies are completed the carefully guarded, for on their bare
for a quick report. In a case' like this from maps as is the case on this side cruiser will blaze his mark on the word thousands of dollars changes
the cruiser would make what would of the line. In some of this territory last tree and then step off to the hands, so they are thorough in their
be called a "single run" of the timber the difficulties would appall the lay- start of the next tally. Some timber work. Some timber operators pin
in. question. To do this he walks man, the plateaus being at a 6S00 or that has been cruised again and again their faith on one or two cruisers
who they frequently have in their
employ and they will not- have any
one else' on any of their jobs. From
Portland the cruisers go to many lo
calities, always in advanoe of the
logging and lumbering operations;
for they are the pioneers on the
ground and it is on the cruisers' re
port that a decision is mad-e to enter
some new district. Parties from here
have been sent to Pacific islands near
and below the equator, to Siberia and
the orient, South America and to all
parts of the world.
While there are some angles of
cruising that are similar to surveying
It cannot be called an engineering
profession in exactly the same sense,
for the cruisers have to take things
aa they go and do not have good
crews and plenty of help in their
work. There are no ax-men to clear
out the underbrush and they have to
take things ae they find them. The
natural obstacles are, of course, ex
pected but the hardships are- also
part of the game. The cruiser as a
rule is prepared to live on his back,
has to carry in alj his food, tentage
andl supplies. For this reason they
are an exceedingly hardy race of men,
and while one of the highest paid
professions in this part of the coun
try, the individual cruiser nearly
always looks like some glorified .
hobo. He cannot be a dandy, for he
has to live as he goes, and if any
one thinks it a simple matter just let
them try it out, take a month in the
woods and live from an old greasy
pack. 1
Isolation Frequently Occurs.
They are paid salaries from the
time they leave a city until their re
turn, and sometimes they have some
fortunate and pleasant experiences.
It Is nothing out of the ordinary for
them to -headquarter at some hotel ln
a nice little city and ride to and from
their work in autos, for the employer
wants to make things as' pleasant and
as easy for them as possible bo as to
get the most work done'in the short
est time. To be sent 200 ml lee in the
woods, far from any town or railroad,
is no unusual experience and one
cruiser in Portland was telling how
on one trip he spent 10 days with
out seeing a human being and all this
time was tramping on snowshoes.
' The cruisers' pack is simplicity
itself. His equipment is of the l'ght
est. He carries a silkoline tent four
or five feet long and his own cooking
utensils. One of the main reliances
of the cruiser Is his reflector,- with
the assistance of which he bakes his
bread by an open fire. This unique
arrangement is fixed so that a piece
of metal set at an angle will throw
the heat from the fire onto the dough.
The jnaster-oraftsm-an in the woods
never carries a frying pan with a
handle, has all of them cut off eo
that wooden 'handles can be fitted at
need. Each two men carry a nest of
four palls and they make camp ln
mighty fast time. Their orders are
only to cruise certain timber and
their method is left to themselves so
they frequently work out improved
systems, depending on the kind of
country they are in.
It is the business of the cruiser to
find out just -what timber is on the
land he is sent to cruise, and his
judgment and word are all that is
necessary to enable a deal to be
closed. Just think of a man being
sent out to find 15 or 20 million feet
of timber and of the importance of
having the accurate figures before
the money is paid and the deal closed.
They make their last cruise just
ahead of" the logging operations, and
on almost every sale of timber land
there is necessity for a recruise and a
new report. The industry is getting
down to a point where every tree is
worth money and the old days of "by
guess and by god" are done for. The
cruiser, however, considers himself
fortunate if his figures will prove
within 10 or 15 per cent of the actual
measurements when logging opera
tions are carried out. How this works
can be understood when the case of
the scaler in the millpond is cited.
This man, working with all his logs
cut and in sight, seldom does better
than 3 per cent error.
In the woods, the cruiser is not on
a vacation and must work most of
his time so has to pass up many op
portunities for sport. They seldom
carry rifles, for they do not have the
time to hunt, and, while they see
much game, they have to keep their
eyes on the timber, for their business
is to make a report on the timber and
not of the game. In British Columbia
districts there is a great reliance
placed on boats, as the men find this
the best means of getting to and
from their work. While it is a hard
job and one that takes many years
to master, the cruiser usually has a
good enough time to make it worth
his while, and most of them, once
in the game, stay with it all their
lives.
FLOWERS TURN AFTER SUN
IN ACCORD WITH PLANT LAW
Climbers Exception to General Provision of Nature, and Prone to
Follow Support Regardless of Light.
EVERYONE is familiar with the
legend of the sunflower how it
turns its yellow face toward the
sun. Perchance It was the look of
the flower which 'suggested the story,
but, curious as the tale may be, the
presumed habit of the flower finds
many a parallel ln the vegetable
world. There is a scientific term,
"heliotropism," which means turning
toward the sun (or light), and this
term is, nowadays, used by botanists
to Indicate a very real and Interesting
habit of plant life. . It was from this
characteristic that the heliotrope is
so called as its name is derived from
two Greek words that mean "turning
to the sun."
The sunflower rotates with the sun,
it is true, and in so doing obeys what
is really a primary law of vegetable
existence. For ordinary observation
will show that most plants bend to
the light if they are placed, say, in a
room whereof one aspect is dark and
the other open and bright. At the
foundation of a plant's relations to
light, to heat, or by any of the other
conditions of its life, there lies, of
course, the fact that it contains living
matter or protoplasm.
Plants are often regarded as purely
vegetative and half-living things, so
to speak, but science shows that
plants form one of the two great liv
ing divisions of the world, and that
they rank equally with animals ln at
least possessing the matter of life.
This habit of turning to th light,
then, may be regarded as truly a part
of the plant's own nature, as is that
of taking its own and appropriate
food. ..
In truth it is light which, with the
plant as with the animal, rules and
regulates most of the ways of life.
Deprived of light the whole constitu
tion of the living being is altered.
Its nutrition-fails Itrits frame grows
weak; its energies droop. There is a
much closer analogy between the
blanched leaves of a green plant
grown ln a cellar and the pale face
of a child bred in the slums than one
might at first sight be inclined to
suppose.
There are certain plants, notably
climbers, which do not exhibit for the
sun the stable affection of most other
plants. Tendrils whereby many of
these plants climb are not influenced
by the light. Were it so they would
tend to move away from the support
whereby they cling. The wisteria is
an excellent example of a plant
which, Itself a climber by means of
twining winds itself regularly around
Its support without apparently re
garding the light. Of the morning
glory the same fact is true.
But these assertions about the non
sensitiveness of tendrils and1 climbers
to the light do not tell all. If you
watch a young climbing plant when
It has just begun existence, and when
it has raised its first leaf buds and
stems above the ground, you will see
that it Is as sensitive to the light as
"heliotrope," in other words as any
other plant.
Later on, when the climbing habit
develops and appears, this sensitive
ness is lost. It has exchanged Its
early primitive tendency the uni
versal habit of turning to the light
for another habit which better suits
its new and aoquired existence.
Climbing, in other words, is Incom
patible with the constant desire to
press forward to the light. The plant
cannot both, "have its cake and eat
it," hence, as Darwin showed, twiners
and climbers must consider their sup
ports and must let the question of
light go by the board
From these facts scientists argue
that the habit of growing toward the
light Is really a universal habit of all
plants.
Thief's Trial Lasts Only One Hour.
LOS ANGELES. Trial in the supe
rior court here of Theodore Johnson
for the theft of $90 and a watch from
J. Schmidt consumed just one hour ,
from the examination of the first
talesman until the jury returned with
a verdict of guilty. The jury was out
six minutes.