Logging Railroad Language in the Redwood Country

Abstract

LOGGING RAILROADS HAVE PLAYED a very important part in the redwood lumber business. In I85o the early millowners logged the timber easily around Humboldt Bay because the land sloped toward the bay, which served as a natural log pond to the mills on the shore. When the timber was all cut away from the water's edge, the bull teams and horse teams had to haul the huge logs long distances. This operation became very expensive, and the logging railroads were introduced about 1874. From that time to about 1950, railroads were the important movers of logs in the redwood country. Trucks have gradually taken over the work done by the logging railroads. The construction of logging railroads is very expensive, and it has been much cheaper to build roads for trucks. At the present time, the Pacific Lumber Company of Scotia is using a main-line haul from its Carlotta Camp to the mill. During the dry season, which is four or five months out of the year, trains are also used from the Larabee Camp to the Scotia mill. The rolling stock belongs to the company, but the crews are contracted by the Northwestern Pacific Railroad Company. The Georgia Pacific Corporation at Samoa discontinued its main-line haul in 1960, and trucks now carry logs from the woods to the log dump at Samoa. The Simpson Logging Company still operates the first railroad of California-the Arcata and Mad River Railroad-using three diesel-electrics on a main-line haul. Trucks and diesel locomotives have almost pushed the logging railroads into the past, and many of the old-time words and expressions have disappeared with the steam. Steam railroading introduced many new terms. Some of these, such as bad-order, clean the clock, cut the throttle, have one's head cut in, pull the pin, and pull the tit, became part of the vocabulary of the logging railroad men, as well as of the popular speech of the area. Many former logging brakemen, firemen, and engineers were consulted to recover the expressions and flavor of this unique vocabulary. Some of the terms may be classified as universal argot of railroad men. But after comparing my list with H. L. Mencken's collection of railroad terms,' and one by Cottrell and Montgomery in American Speech,2 I was surprised to find that most of the logging railroad terms were not mentioned in either source.