When the cables were attached, a series of whistle blows signaled the donkey to begin pulling and the choker setters to stay out of harm's way. The whistle operator was known as a whistle punk, who was placed between the men attaching the cables ( choker setters), and the donkey puncher, so that he could see the choker setters. In later times the donkey puncher was too far away from the end of the line for verbal communication, so whistle codes were developed similar to those used by tug boats employing steam whistles). (October 1941)Ī logging donkey would be operated by an engineer called since about 1920 a donkey puncher. Log booms would be winched across water with the engine, after which it would often be reconfigured with a saw to mill the timber.Ī "donkey puncher" on the job in a gyppo logging operation in Tillamook County, Oregon. In Canada, and in particular Ontario, the donkey engine was often mounted on a barge that could float and thus winch itself over both land and water. Later, a "haulback" drum was added to the donkey, where a smaller cable could be routed around the "setting" and connected to the end of the heavier "mainline" to replace the line horse.Ī donkey was moved by attaching one of its cables to a tree, stump or other strong anchor, then dragging itself overland to the next yarding location. The log was taken either to a mill or to a "landing" where it would be transferred for onward shipment by railroad, road or river – either send down a flume, loaded onto boats, or floated directly in the water, often becoming part of a large log raft or "boom". The cable would be attached, and, on signal, the donkey's operator (an engineer) would open the regulator, allowing the steam donkey to drag, or "skid", the log towards it. In the simplest logging setup a "line horse" would carry the cable out to a log where its tree had been downed. Later steam donkeys were built with multiple horizontally mounted drums/spools. In rare cases, steam donkeys were also mounted on wheels. Usually, a water tank, and sometimes a fuel oil tank, was mounted on the back of the sled. The larger steam donkeys often had a "donkey house" (a makeshift shelter for the crew) built either on the skids or as a separate structure. They were used to move logs, by attaching lines to the logs and hauling them. The donkeys were moved by simply dragging themselves with the winch line, originally hemp rope and later steel cable. A great number still sit abandoned in the forests.Ī logging donkey consists of a steam boiler and steam engine, connected to a winch mounted on a sled called a donkey sled. Though some have been preserved in museums, very few are in operating order. Later, the invention of the internal-combustion engine led to the development of the diesel-powered tractor crawler, which eventually put an end to the steam donkey. They also enabled logging in hot or cold weather, which was not previously possible with the use of animal power. The invention of the steam donkey increased lumber production by enabling loggers to cut trees that they would not have previously been able to transport. On Dolbeer's first model, a 46-metre (150 ft), 110-millimetre (4.5 in) manila rope was wrapped several times around a gypsy head (vertically mounted spool) and attached at the other end to a log. The patent (number: 256553) was issued April 18, 1882. John Dolbeer, a founding partner of the Dolbeer and Carson Lumber Company in Eureka, California, invented the logging engine in that city in August 1881. Steam donkey on display at Disney California Adventure Park theme park
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