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SUNDAY, JUNE 5, Ida?
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WooddPWorb Waits on Raifi;
Tramp's View of Job-Scckinq
(Editor's npte: What's il I were shut rWnwtO i . .
ltk to look tor work in
Medford? Bo Peep knows.
He's a lelf-slyled "tremp."
who hai beeivJookatg over
the Rogue Vffley with an
appraising eye. We present
an second article he has
Written.)
Vernon wasn't a tramp
when he got here, hjit the
Itorm clouds followed him
up the coast, two days be
hind, and rained out his
chances for work.
His home is on the Gila
River in Arizona, and he's
a member of the Pima
tribe. He came up here for
one reason, to work in the
great green woods.
"Biggest tree we got is
cactus," he said, "and I love
trees."
The first thing he did was
call up every logger in the
phone book.
"Hello," he said, "my
name is Vernon Eagle and
I want to work in the
woods."
Was he experienced?
"No," he answered, "but
I . . ." And that was as far
as he ever got. The logger
usually cut in right there,
saying, "We're all full up."
Early' next morning he
walked out to the Elk Lum
ber company on Pacific
highway. He got there just
as a log truck was being un
loaded. When the driver
swung the empty rig
around the crane-h o u s e,
Vernon stuck out h i s
thumb. The driver, Frank
Applegate, told him to
climb aboard.
An hour later they were
still rumbling along be
side the Rogue river, and
Vernon wondered if they
would never stop; he didn't
know of the great distances
that often separate the log
gers from the mill.
When they turned into
Elk Creek rd., the big tim
ber began to show itself
and Vernon's heart beat
faster. Ten miles further on
they swung onto a narrow
strip of red clay and be
gan to climb steeply. Sud
denly there was so much
forest around him that Ver
non saw nothing but bark
and fir like the small
child seeing an elephant for
the first time, taking in
only hide.
They finally reached the
landing, where the logs are
loaded, and Vernon got out
and looked around. The
towering Douglas fir, three
hundred feet high, so far up.
in the azure sky that they
seemed to lean over the
clearing.
On a distant ridge the
fallers and buckers were
hard at work, and the
whine o their chain saws
rang down through the for
est. A man in a tin hat came
over. This was Oscar Han
son, the boss. Vernon low
ered his eyes and found it
hard to focus them on a
man only six feet tall. Han
son said yes, he could
watch the work, as long as
he stayed out of the way.
"It's okay," said Vernon
politely. "I been around."
One of the cat-skinners
had just dropped in a turn
of logs. This was Buddy, a
light-haired little guy who
looks like Jesse James. He
had seen Vernon nearly
fall over backwards as he
looked at the timber, and
knew Vernon had never
been in the woods before.
He caught Vernon's eye and
motioned him up on the
seat beside him.
They started up the skid
road. Vernon quickly
learned that in order to
stay aboard he had to use
everything including fin
gernails. They lurched up
tjie steep slopes, two men
"stride a ferocious yellow
monster, chewing up the
ground and ' stopping for
nothing, neither rotton log
nor boulder.
Pete, a dour tobacco
chewer, was the choker
setter, and Vernon watched
him at work. He saw how
he cleared out a space
under the end of each log
and then slipped the cable
through; how he fitted the
nubbin into the bell; how
he jammed a stick into each
coupling so it wouldn't
slip; how he lugged the
heavy winch-hook into the
bush whenever a choker
didn't reach far enough.
Applegate had said tha't
setting chokers was the
hardest and most dangerous
Job in the woods. That's
exactly what Vernon want
ed. He watched Pete all
morning, and by the time
they clattered down to the
landing at noon he figured
he knew almost everything
there ($as to know about
setting chokers.
Everybody gathered at
the landing with dinner
pails. As soon ai the cats
were shut (HowiV the in.
tense silence of the forest
closed in and Vernon's
heart beat faster. Wilson,
the head skinner, built a
small fire of pine boughs
and soon a wisp of sweet
swelling blue smoke arose
through the slanting shafts
of sunlight. Vernon noticed
how slojj'ly the men moved
as they took their places
around the fire, as if trying
not to make too much
noise. He sat apart
. from them as they ate, but
near enough to hear-their
logging-talk.
When they finished eat
ing, Vernon went over and
asked Buddy what a bridle
was, fpr he had heard the
word four times. Buddy got
up and took him over to a
pile of old chokers, bris
tling with sharp jaggers,
and showed him how to fit
the nubbin of one choker
into the bell of another
thus making a double-sized
ring for an unusually big
log.
Now Vernon figured he
knew everything.
Then the storm clouds
caught up to Vernon and it
started to rain. The red clay
became soft, the mud was
washed off the cats and
rivulets plashed in the gul
lies. When Applegate
showed up for his third and
last load of the day, Vernon
rode back to town with
him. Applegate asked how
he liked the woods.
"Mr. Applegate," he said.
"I like them." He told him
that if it was the last thing
he ever did in this world
he was going to become a
choker setter.
Applegate gave him the
names of several gyppo log
gers around the county,
and that night Vernon
called them.
"Hello," h e said, "My
name is Vernon Eagle and
I'm looking for work. I'm a
choker setter."
Was he experience?
Oh, yes.
Who had he worked for?
A. R. Tuckey, Roseburg.
(That was a name he made
up.) Three of the men he
called told him to check
back in a few days, and that
was encouraging.
Then Vernon walked over
to the Mail Tribune and
placed an ad for three days.
The girl behind the desk
helped him write it, and it
came out like this: "Man,
28, wants work in woods.
Can set chokers. Call SP
3-9297 between 5 and 6."
That number is a phone
booth beside the Chevron
station at Sixth st. and Riv
erside ave. Vernon waited
there at the proper hour for
three days and of course the
phone never rang. It finally
sunk through his stubborn
skull that rain means no
logging.
Right now he's waiting
out the storms with the rest
of us. You can be sure he'll
stay right here until he gets
that job. If you want to see
what he looks like, drive
past the employment office
around eight. He's strictly
off the reservation so you
can't miss him.
yf TAURUS
APR. 21
I MAY 21
sTl 4- 5- 7-14
W17-24-31
3-15-59-M
57-68-74
OEMJNI
MAY 22
JUNE 22
K33.38-43-49
SJ 6577-81 -90
CANCIR
JUNE 23
JULY 23
?N 9-10-18-J1
44-7)-82-8y
S3 JULY 24
AUG. 23
111-19-21-28
12-37-52
vmoo
AUG. 24
SEPT. 22
13-25-35-41
5-64-67-8.
STAR GAZER!)
By CLAY R. POLLAN-
JH Your Daily Activity Guide JM
According to thm Stars. r
To develop message for Sunday,
read words corresponding to numbers
of your Zodiac birth sign.
1 By 31 Solitude 6! Generality
2 Your 32 Beauty 62 Through
j ntawni oj roow OJ io
34 Courteous 64 Colls
35 Watte 65 Attainment
36 Good 66 Hidden
37 You 67 For
38 The 68 Attroct
39 The 691s
40 The 70 A
41 And 71 Against
42 Belter 72 Conference
43 Star 73 Meaning
44 Persuaded 74 Good
45 Means 75 Indicated
46 Lines 76 Dot
47 Bring 77 lr
46 Don't 78 And
49 Of 79 Sex
50 You 80 Favorable
51 Break 81 Shines
52 See 82 Better
53 For 83 Cooperative
34 hortun 84 Kedoing
55 Goin 85 Sudden
56 Spending 86 Halt
57 Ways 87 Tosks
58 And 88 Efforts
59 Much 89 Judgment
60 Opposite 90 Brightly
Adverse ) Neutral
uau
OCT. 23 ILI
1- 6-45-48
151-70-76
4 You
5 Con
6 All
7 Think
8 Chorm
9 Don't
10 Be
1 1 Express
I2W.II
13 Hojte
14 Much
1 5 Manners
16 Influence
17 Better
18 Forced
19 Delight
20 A
21 In
22Reod
23 Between
24 In
2,'i Mokes
26 Spurt
27 Or
28 The
29 And
30 Of
(9) Good
SCORPIO
OCT. 24 tg
NOV. 22 VV
50-55-59-621
P2-7MM8Vl
SAGITTARIUS
NOV.23 .
22 M:
42-47-56-58(1 1
61-63-85-86'H
CAPRICORN
DEC. 23 jf
jan. 20
W-26-3U-36V
54-69-75
AQUARIUS'
JAN. 21 A
FEB. 19
4sfr79"8QA&
Ft. 20 g
MAR. 21 $
22-23-39-46fl
l6f3 A
In the Day's News
By FRANK JENKINS
From Taipei, Formosa:
The Chinese communists
unleased an artillery bom
bardment at Quemoy a few
hours after President Eisen
hower's visit to Formosa was
announced. It is feared that
the Chinese Reds may try to
harass his visit to this staunch
anti-communist country by
launching a heavy artllery at
tack on the Nationalist islands
in the Formosa Straits.
HMMMMMMMM.
It isn't as if Ike hadn't
heard artillery fire before.
The chances are he won t
scare too easily.
I SUPPOSE you've noticed
these tales from Washing
ton about traveling members
of congress who have been
turning In big expense accounts.
One of the most Interesting
of them concerns a member of
the investingating committee
that a while back was frying
out radio disc Jockeys accused
of accepting "payola." It ap
pears that this gentleman had
been in Hawaii a while back on
a government mission and had
stayed at one of the plushest
of the plush holtels. On his
expense account when he
turned it In appeared a quite
considerable number of BAR
items.
expense account and had writ
ten in after the bar Items the
explanatory word FOOD -indicating
that SOMEBODY
had got scared.
To make it worse, the clerk
of the congressional commit
tee that has charge of these
expense vouchers closed the
record to the public so that
nosey reporters couldn't delve
into it and turn up scandalous
stories.
BAD business?
Well, of course It Is. If
members of congress are go
ing to delve into the pecca
dillos of other people they
should first make sure that
their own skirts are impec
cably clean. i
That principle was under
stood and accepted two thou
sand years ago. Pultarch, in
his immortal "lives," relates
that when Caesar was asked
why he parted with his wife
he replied: "Caesar's wife
ought to be above suspicion."
The same goes for members
of congressional investigating
committees.
THE Interesting point is
that after the investigation
started it developed that,
someone had gone over his
INCIDENTALLY
When Speaker of the
House Sam Rayburn heard
about the order closing the
expense account voucher
record to public inspection,
he promptly COUNTER
MAND it.
Note to hard-shell GOPs:
There are some good Dem
ocrats, you see.
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