Historic Hood River
Misery Whip
10-24-2017
Notes
I can’t decide how “posed” this one is. These men certainly look like loggers and they are manning a “misery whip” (two man saw). It seems a little too convenient there is also a shotgun, ax, additional ax heads, and bottle of water/ alcohol all in frame. But maybe these men like to be prepared for any eventuality.
Buzz
My guess is not posed..But looks like they stopped sawing for the picture. Gun probably for protection from bears. Axe used to help cut face in the tree to get the tree to fall in the right direction. Not axe heads-wedges and hammer to get the tree to fall in the direction intended. Would guess water not alcohol. Never knew a logger dumb enough to drink alcohol when falling timber.
L.E.
Somewhat posed. Everything is arranged too neatly and no sawdust.
Notice the cork boots. And the pipe in the mouth used to be a common scene.
I assume this is one of the glass negatives in the cigar box? I can’t get over how clear they are.
Longshot
Looks like there are a couple of metal hooks screwed into the tree on the left side and something attached to them and wrapped around towards the back of the tree.
nels
Why the other hands on the saw blade, and the bend in the saw blade – unless this is staged?
L.E.
Isn’t the bend in the saw blade, to cut down to the cut that you see below the saw, and making the face cut?
Buzz
Agree this picture is posed to the extent that all still photos are posed. They quit sawing and were still when the picture was taken. You couldn’t saw with the blade bent like that and you would be using two hands to pull on the handle. The face cut is on the other side of the tree and they have started the back cut.. That is the reason for the gun and hammer and wedges on this side of the tree. The wedges will be used to force the tree to fall the other way. No sawdust showing because they haven’t made much of a back cut yet. If this photo was 100% posed for why would anybody pick up the sawdust first.
Buzz
Looks to me like a perfectly normal timber falling operation and they stopped sawing long enough to have their picture taken.
Arlen Sheldrake
good info Buzz. I have had only limited experience with a "misery whip" but that was enough to convince me it is appropriately named. an absolute team effort.
JB
The bottle likely contained kerosene, used to lubricate the saw and prevent pitch from sticking. Two guys in the woods all day would need more water.
Bill Pattison
I say it is turpentine in the bottle, not any of the above mentioned. Most water was carried in large fabric covered metal containers. Why the photo in the first place?
Bill P
Buzz
You are probably right on what is in the bottle.
Jon Herman
I’d agree that the bottle either contains kerosene, turpentine or oil of some kind as a lubricant and pitch cutter for the saw. The saw is probably bent because the sawyers did pause for the photo. They would likely be blurred otherwise. Sometimes a felling saw would be bent because one of the sawyers wouldn’t know what they were doing. That person would be quickly corrected with some well-chosen and forceful words. When you’re cutting all day, nobody wants to work harder than they have to.