TOUSTCTW MZDFORD (OREGOrT) MAIL TRIBUNE
Sunday. July 28, 1857
r
Average Day
arlly for Lg Inlay Deir
Starts
Arf Coulter Starts
Work at 4, Ends in
Early Evening Hour
(Editor's Not: Lumbtr is
Jiekiea eounty'i number on
industry. The men who haul
fallen tree from tha iorett to
the mills are an integral part
ef the multi-atep proem that
ereatea usable wood products.
The following is a rerisw ef
one of thai man on one of his
irips on a day early this
month.)
By DON ROBINSON
Mail Tribune Staff Writer
When Art Coulter, Medford
log truck driver, started from
the Kogap sawmill on Highway
99 south of the city, it was cool
and dark. It was four in the
morning.
He stepped up one giant step
and swung sideways into the
cab of his yellow Mack truck.
The empty trailer was nestled
on the truck's back, and the
reech jutted a black silhouette
over the cab.
A moment, and the 200 horse
power Cummins diesel motor
came to life. It's 200 horsepower
is measured at 2,100 engine revo
lutions per minute. Chryslers
and Cadillacs sound bigger, but
their lower engine rpm's offer
no comparison for power.
27 Gear Variations
The truck rolled into the
highway, pointed south.' Between
the mill and Phoenix, Art went
through 12 of the 27 gear varia
tions forward. Speed limit for
trucks is 43. He held it at the
limit.
Through a sleeping Ashland,
left on Highway 66, over a hill
and left again. The Mack was
now traveling up Dead Indian
id. Art's destination was a log
loading deck 28 miles away.
' The pavement wound through
the hills east of Ashland. Outside
a clear day's light was increas
ing. Inside, the engine's roar
filled the cab.
At the wheel. Art glanced
from time to time at the seven
dials on the khaki colored dash
board. He intermittently shoved
forward or back the three floor
gear shift sticks to accommodate
tha rise and fall of the road.
Rolls Up SleeTe
Art was dressed in levis and
a long-sleeved cotton shirt over
a T-shirt. After a half-hour's
driving he rolled the sleeves
part way up his arms. By the
end of the day, In a series of
steps, he would have rolled the
sleeves all the way, unbuttoned
the shirt, pulled the .shirt tail
out of the levis. Finally he
would take it completely off and
use it to wipe his perspiring
forehead.
Art measured about six feet
tall, weighed perhaps 210
pounds. He bounced as he drove
like a rider on a trotting horse.
He passed a family of deer
standing in a brook below the
road. Soon he met cows grazing
by the roadside. Their stares fol
lowed the truck until it dis
appeared around the next curve,
la National Forest
In the lower regions, patches
ef oak scattered over the blonde
hillsides. Higher up, the pave
ment moved among tall na
' tional forest trees. Slopes were
steeper, and dark green firs
and pines covered them below
and above the road.
About 5 a.m. the big Mack
headed to the left on a dirt strip.
A road sign there marked the
new direction of the truck, "Fish
Lake 11 miles."
This road was red dirt. The
grader hadn't been over it in a
day, and it was a washboard.
The long, box-like yellow hood
probed around the bends. On a
straight section. Art saw the top
of the sun bulging over the roll
of distant mountains.
In minutes Art's truck nosed
in among three other trucks and
a few smaller vehicles parked
on each side of the road. He
pulled over and stopped.
Quick Cup of Coffee
There was time for a quick
cup of coffee poured from a
thermos. Then Art threw the
Mack into reverse, and it trun
dled backwards down a 50-yard
bulldozed runway. At the end
of this was a circular clearing.
A "heel boom" squatted in the
dust there. This was the loading
deck.
A long cable with a hook at
the end was lowered by a curv
ing steel arm. The hook caught
a loop of cable on Art's trailer.
Up went the trailer, forward
the truck. The trailer was low
ered and the truck backed into
the end of the reech. Two men
secured the coupling.
The ribbed steel boom arm
hung above the ready truck. It
curved down in a moderate "L"
to a caboose-like cab on a steel
base. Inside the cab. an operator
worked the control sticks and a
diesel engine responded with a
well-oiled churning.
Tongs Attached
Steel tongs, oversize of the
type the iceman uses, were at
tached to the end of the cable.
The men moved quickly. Art
piled out of the seat to connect
the air brake hoses under the
trailer. The boom swung to the
i
LOADING TRUCK The diesel powered
"heel boom" holds suspended a log that has
been lifted from a deck in the forest. Tongs
at the end of a cable grasp the log and hold
AT THE SUMMIT Art I loaded truck is
stopped at the summit on Dead Indian rd. as
he walks around the trailer to see that water
is hitting the brake drums properly. On the
I t- ' . , - .. '
i
POND SPLASH A load of logs tumbles off
the truck into the mill pond at Kogap saw
mill on Highway 99. The pond usually holds
about 3 million board feet of timber, from
which about 200,000 board feet per day are
i '
PIGGYBACK TRAILER An electrically
operated hoist lowers the unloaded log trail-,
er to its position on the back of the truck.
side and dropped the cable. A
short man jumped in and spread
the tongs over a log in a deck.
The cable reeled in. Tong
poults bit into bark and wood.
One end of the log flew up
wards, banging into the flat
undersurface of the boom arm.
More cable hauled in. and the
free end of the log was hoisted
until it was nearly level. The
boom swiveled on its base and
gently settled the log on the
trailer bunks.
A stecl-hattcd man, a "tonz
kicker." ran out along the log !
and freed the tongs,
it against the undersurface of the boom arm.
The boom is ready to swing around and settle
the log on the waiting truck.
"5
processed. Logs
pond into saw
"peelers" logs
lathe for veneer
Swings to Other Side
The boom swung to its other
side now. and snatched a log
from another pile. Soon, a mat
ter of three or four minutes, half
a dozen limbless, topless trees
were packed tightly between the
stakes. They ranged from about
20 to 50 inches in diameter. They
were 30 to 34 feet long.
As more logs were dragged by
caterpillars from the forest be
hind the clearing, Art hurried
back to his seat and rolled the
loaded truck into the entrance
road. He stoobed to throw and
clamp four chains around the
Sri JkiM
descent, the brakes are cooled by 200 gallons
of water. Steam billows from the wheels
when the brake drums get hot.
are separated while in the
logs, gang mill logs, and
which will be turned on a
is used in plywood.
Seconds before, the hook and cable were
used to dump half a dozen logs into the mill-pond.
load. Then away. The first log
was already on the next truck.
On the upgrade going back,
the truck engine chattered in a
deep base. The speedometer
needle jiggled between 10 and
13 on the dial.
At the summit. Art checked
to see that water was hitting
the brake drums. He was using
200 gallons per trip to cool the
brakes. On the descent, the hot
drums turned water to steam.
Art has been stopped by tourists
who told him his "tires are
burning."
.Near ths bollom of the lull,
'-----'j1- - L-"' - - -f m1iiiA Hiilf
GETTING WATER Art Coulter, log truck driver for logging
contractor Ray Offord, fills the 200 gallon tank on the back
of his truck at the mill water pump. Art's dark glasses protect
his eyes from the slanting early morning sun.
SETTING TONGS Ernie Stephenson, Medford, a Ray Offord
employee at the log loading deck, runs in and sets the tongs
oyer a log. The cable is pulled taut, sinking the tong points
into the wood. The log is then lifted and swung over and
down to the truck.
the truck pulled into a sids
road that made an arc back to
the main road. The three trucks
ahead of Art's were parked
there, waiting. In the middle of
the road was a narrow five-foot-high
board platform. A scaling
deck.
A forest service man, the
scaler, arrived. Trucks were
guided alongside the platform
and the scaler scrambled over
the loads with what looked like
a yardstock. He paused at inter
vals to write in a small metal
covered notebook.
Measure Board Feet -
His job was to measure the
number of board feet of timber
in each load. Trucks hauling
from lands bought from the
U.S. forest service stopped at
his deck.
Art's load was checked, and
the truck rolled on to the junc
tion of Highway 66. Off to the
side again. Art eased the Mack
axle by axle over a cement plat
form that was a weight scale.
Inside an adjacent, shack, a
county employee recorded the
pounds.
Beyond Ashland, Art would
have to pass the state scales.
Overload costs money, and
truckers know the value of a
careful checking of trailer scales
while loading.
Art's truck and trailer empty
weigh 27,000 pounds. The logs,
by law, can't add enough to
bring the total to more than 76,
000, the state maximum. Those
pounds are distributed over
three axles and 18 rubber tires.
ArriTei at Scaling Deck
Art got a wave of approval
The Antelope 4-H Pre-Fair
is scheduled for July 31st at the Elbert Bigham
Ranch on Bigham Road. There will be classes of
Dairy, Beef, Sheep and Swine Judging, classes of
Swine, Dairy, Beef and Sheep Showmanship. Swine
showmanship will begin at 10 A.M. Lunch will
be served at noon for a nominal fee.
THE PUBLIC IS CORDIALLY INVITED TO ATTEND
tut
from the county man, and also
passed the state scales on High
way 99. In a few minutes he
was sidling up the load to the
Kogap scaling deck.
The scaler there did the meas
uring that determines Art's pay
check. He made out a slip that
said Art had just brought in
6,620 board feet of wood. That's
better than average. Art was
satisfied. He gets $9 per 1,000
board feet.
A short trip across the high
way, and the truck moved
around the edge of the millpond
on an earth dike. At 'the unload
ing dock, cables were fixed
under the logs; the stakes on
the p6nd side were lowered.
Trailer oa Trucks Back
The cables pulled. The log
load tipped, then tumbled crash
ing into the water. A quick op
eration with a cable and hook
set the trailer again on the
truck's back. Art jumped into
the cab, and was gone for a
second load.
He'd just driven 82 miles,
used approximately 20 gallons
of diesel fuel and 200 gallons of
water. Wear on the tires was
not to be measured, but none
blew. If one had, it would have
cost about $125 to replace.
Art himself had consumed
two cups of coffee and three
sticks of gum.
Heavier Traffie
It was 8 a.m. The "working"
people were moving out on the
roads.' From now on traffic
would be heavier, the day hot
ter. Art planned for three pay
loads a day. This was a con
tinuous operation, and he would
Confrere Bridge League
Donates To Heart Fund
New York IW The Amer
ican Heart association has re
ceived a check of $85,000 for
heart research from the Amer
ican contract bridge league.
The gift represented profits
from entry fees in "charity-of-the-year"
bridge tournaments
throughout the country.
Driver Arrested for
Hit-Run; Girl Hurt
Daly City, Calif. OPi Po
lice Saturday booked Richard
Irvine, 20, of San Francisco on
felony hit-run charges after he
confessed to speeding away from
the scene where his car knock
ed 'a Sacramento girl from her
motorcycle, seriously injuring
her.
The victim, Georgia M. Beck
er, 26, was in good condition in
a San Francisco hospital. Doctors
said her left leg was so badly
smashed they were forced to
amputate.
Police said Irvine turned him
self in several hours after his
car smashed into Miss Beck'
er's cycle on the coast highway
near here.
Irvine told police he was pass
ing anotlier car when Miss Beck
er appeared unexpectedly in his
path. He said he panicked and
sped away without stopping to
aid the woman.
Pakistan Official
To Visit in Oregon
Portland HP) Kabir Ahmed
representative of the Pakistan
government, will visit the Portland-Columbia-Willamette
river
area this week for a close-up
look at how river terminal op
erators handle cargo movements
on those waterways.
The 34-year-old Ahmed is on
a four-month tour of the United
States to investigate inland wa
terways operations under the
auspices of the U.S. Department
of Labor and the American Wa
terways operators. Inc.
be home to his family by 5 or 6.
He wanted to keep as well
as he could his position (now
number four) among the other
trucks. Thirteen of them were
hauling from the Fish Lake
area deck, all contracted through
Art's boss, Ray Offord, who held
a contract with Kogap.
Art himself owned three
trucks. Two brothers - in-law,
each with more than 10 years
driving experience, used the
others. Art's Mack cost $24,000
in January, 1956. He hoped to
drive it seven or eight years.
The trailer, made in Portland,
ran $6,000.
Work Through October
Barring forest closures from
fire, or mill shutdowns,. Art
would work through October.
The season began in April.
Art likes his job. He's been
trucking for 11 years, four of
them in the log hauling business.
He sees a nice future for this
county in the lumber business,
and thinks Medford will become
the main shipping point for
lumber in Oregon someday.
If it does. Art has cause to be
happy. It means steady work,
a secure means of living. And
that is translated into food, a
house, a car, an education for
the kids, the material compon
ents of what a practical man of
the past called "the good things
of life."
The
Arrangement
Rooms
Only
i "Air Conditioned
by Refrigeration
Facilities in
Southern Oregon
WEST MAIN AT SIXTH
Conger-Morris
FUNkKAl DIRiCTOtS
"YOUR TV WEATHERMAN"
KttS-TV MONDAY THRU FRIDAY slS P.M.
ASHLAND MORTUARY .
MMeer Ntfco.il Wletiee1
McCormack Urges
Ike To Speak Out
On Foreign Aid
Washington (IB House Dem
ocratic leader John W. McCor
mack Saturday urged President
Eisenhower to serve notice he
will "fight" members of his own
party, if necessary, to prevent
unsafe cuts in foreign aid spen
ding.
McCormack asserted that
'weak leadership" and the "shif
ting" stands taken by Eisenhow
er on the school bill and other
recent issues have jeapordized
congressional approval of a for
eign aid program large enough
to "effectively combat Commu
nism." He urged the President
to summon congressional lead
ers to the White House for a
conference on foreign aid.
The veteran Massachusetts
lawmaker said in a prepared
statement that the President has
failed or refused on a number
of occasions to come to grips
with his own party." He said
no one really l.new where Eisen
hower stood on the school aid
construction bill, which was de
feated by Republican votes on
the House floor.
"The President cannot vacil
late and take chances on this
(foreign aid) bill," McCormack
said. "If necessary, he should
be willing to fight with members
of his own party and cooperate
more effectively with the lead
ership of the Democratic party."
McCormack spoke out in ad
vance of a Senate-House nego
tiations to work out a compro
mise authorization bill setting
a top ceiling on the funds Con
gress can appropriate for the
foreign aid program for which
the President requested $3,864,
410,000. Grants Pass Man Dies
In Fall off Bridge
Grants Pass HP! Leo Kor
mendy, 35, Grants Pass carpenr
ter died in a Grants Pass hospit
al Friday from injuries suffered
in a 40 foot plunge off the "Jump
Off Joe" bridge on the Highway
99 freeway about eight miles
north of here.
Kormendy struck his head en
a rock as he fell into water and
sand beneath the structure, wit
nesses said. He was a carpenter
with the Tom Lillebo Construc
tion company, the firm building
the bridge.
Portland, Corvallis Gf
Safety-Check Awards
Portland HP) Portland and
Corvallis have won award! of
"excellence" for effective ve
hicle safety-check programs eon
ducted last May, according to
the Inter Industry Safety Com
mittee, in Washington, D.C.
Portland was one of eight
cities of over 100,000 population
to win the safety-check prize.
Corvallis took the award in
the under - 25,000 population
class, along with 27 other com
munities throughout the nation.
DinkelsbuhL Germany, holds
an annual pageant honoring the
children who, in 1632, saved the
town from destruction by a Swe
dish conqueror. Tradition saya
a youngster in the market place
reminded the conqueror of hia
own son who had died shortly
before; so he ordered his sol
diers not to loot and burn.
4 c . auw
Mertweaj by Ma