Ferndale Union High School - Tomahawk Yearbook (Ferndale, CA)

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As the Tree Falls Early one beautiful morning last July, l started out with a party of friends to witness the logging operations in a nearby lumber camp. For several days We had heard the tremendous crash- es and the trembling earth quiver as each monarch left its proud place among its fellow redwoods and fell to earth, but could see nothing of the work, only the cloud of red-brown dust that rose. As we crossed the river nothing broke the stillness of the morning, save the murmur of water hurry- ing over the nearby riffle and the occasional shrill, distant squeal of the donkey engine at work. This was the only incongruous note that seemed to reveal the presence of an enemy in that peace- ful scene, where the heavy fringe of redwood forest came down almost to the water's edge on the one side and towering cliffs rose abruptly on the other, making the picture one of wild, majestic beauty. After walking a short distance on the river bar, we entered the shadows of the royal trees themselves. Here silence brooded over all, no bird note was heardg the sky was not visible and only occasionally would a few rays of light iind their way through the heavy foliage. They would make a path of gold through the green gloom and light up dim aisles among the cathedral spiresf' Up the heavy bark of some of the trunks crept the graceful poison ivy, covering the seamed sides with delicate green tracery. As the woodland road wound in and out, the way grew lighter and soon we were emerging from the half-light. A turn of the road revealed an open space, and here in the glare of the sun- shine the entire aspect was changed. Desolation was on every hand. The whole tract seemed covered with fallen tree trunks, lying side by side, peeled of their bark, reminding one of descrip- tions of battlefields, where countless heroes had perished in a mortal tight. Onward we went, walking on the huge trunks, in the direction of the engines whose screams were now much louder and more insistent, Soon a very rough roadway appeared where the earth was torn up and every appearance was given that some resisting object had been dragged along it against its will. Farther on were standing trees not far from the railroad track, where one of the donkey engines was stationed. Now we could hear the forces at work, the noise of the engine was al most deafening, but leaving its immediate neighborhood we heard the steady chop of the ax, as its ringing blows were aimed at a tree's sturdy butt, and from close by came the rythmic swish, swish of the cross-cut saw. From a safe position we witnessed every stage of the progress of a redwood from its proud place in the forest to its railroad journey to the mill. After selecting the tree, expert woodsmen studied every detail of its position, and after calculations had been ma.de, a stake was placed which the tree should drive in the ground. Then the choppers took their places and made a V-shaped cut on one side. Meanwhile all the debris was being cleaned from its path, and a cradle was pre- pared to receive it. This was done to prevent destroying it as one fine redwood was smashed to pieces the morning we were there through some carelessness in its felling. After the choppers had inflicted a terrible gash in the tree's side, the sawyers came and began cutting on the opposite side, carefully wedgiug the tree over as they worked. Finally the work was done and the crucial moment has arrived. The workmen continued to push in the wedges until presently the tree began to move. Very, very slowly at first, but gathering speed as it descended until the mighty giant crash- ed to earth with awful force. The roar of its terrible fall reverberated up and down the opening. Sometimes in the spring when the sap is up, as the tree falls, it will catch its bark against a stump or projection and jump like a yellow snake from its skin, coming out perfectly peeled and slippery. After it was down and the peeling process was finished, the sawyers again attacked it, dividing it into tremendous sections. Then came the work of the donkey engine. A very strong cable was bound around one of the sections, and the other endwas controlled by the engine. At a signal from the superintendent the power was turned on and instantly a tremor passed through the awkward monster. It immeditely began to 'move and right quickly did it follow the leading of the cable up to the track where the flat cars were awaiting their burden. The cable's tremendous power spun one log around so rapidly that the log seemed almost to have life. The powerful engines soon lifted the great logs up on the cars, then piled them one above the other until there were three tiers. Men quickly bound them with great chains, then the locomotive backed in and away they went, over the railroad tracks to the mill. The whistle sounded for noon and our party left with feelings of mingled wonder and regret, wonder at the marvels of modern commercial methods and deep regret at the passing of the beautiful redwood grove, knowing that in one year only a barren waste would be left, with blackened tree stumps and charred timbers as mute witnesses of the former beauty. EMILY E. KEOHAN, '08.

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The Sophomore Girls We are the Sophomore girls of the If. U. H. S.. That we are very jolly you may readily guess, Every morning, early you may see us all at school, Where we study very hard and mind every rule-. At eight forty-iive we enter the room of wrath, For that is what descends when we enter Math. There we draw triangles, circles and chords All around the big black boards. When we try to demonstrate, Lothing is fixed, For points, lines and angles always get mixed. But we are loyal members of Geometry Two, And we'll always rally round our watchword, HD. O. A study period, a short recess. Then off we go to Caesar class. But when we get there alas! we find That we have left our brains behind. YVe mistranslato the latin, till the teacher in despair Crys aloud, and we hear Think! echoed on the air. England, Spain, Russia, France, Austria, Prussia Are in a dreadful whirl. Don't you feel sorry for the Sophomore girl? Feudalism, chivalry, church and state, Renaissance, Revolution notes are what we hate. Crusades, nations, wars, allied relations, Did you ever guess such a thing could be as this. But do not think we study all day For you may be sure we like to play At basketball and tennis we take our turn And even the punching bag we do not spurn. So you see, at work and play This is the' way we spend the day. And here the poetess will drop her pen If youlll cheer for the girls of 1910. I Az ii, is '51-I X 5 ' . , . . , if ' ---, .A Q -A--711 5 I Q 2 3 ll, f 'T 'I 'f3.,Ef??- in 537-T' .r -n L.- 'f '

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A Squirrel's Adventure Although I was but a little ground squirrel, I watched the Indians with awe and wonderment kindling a great fire down by the lake. The fire and the water in the lake were soon quarreling. Each claimed that he could do the most damage in the world. The water said, What could you do? Oh, I could burn everything and everybody up in the world, replied the fire. Oh no you couldn't, said the water, f'Lets try, said the fire. Allright. At this the iiames of the fire leaped to the tops of the forests, but the water rose higher and higher. The fire was soon raging on the high mountain tops, but only to be quenched by the water. Having witnessed all this I plainly saw that if something was not done there would soon be no more fire in the world. Even if I wasn't very large I thought I might do something. What could I do? What could I do? Finally a thought came to my mind. I at once began to hunt out some timber that would resist fire a long time and at last decided upon the oak. I strapped this to my back and fastened a coal to it. I now went to a high rocky cliff, thinking I would here be safe from the angry waters. Below me I saw mountains disappear and the Hre was grad- ually being consumed by the raging waters. Closer and closer came the water to me as I stood on this high position. Now it had reached me. What must I do? All that is left is to swim, but at just this moment I was swept off of my feet. For many days I swam in the water, taking precautions not to let the water see the coal on my back. At last there was no more smoke in the world. Almost all the animals had either been burned to death or were drowned. By this time the coal had burned through the wood and was eating into the flesh on my back. Finally the flood began to decrease and the water returned to the lake. Water had con- quered fire. Once more I set my feet on land, but was nearly exhausted. Immediately I built a large fire and the animals that were left came and dryed themselves. The hair on my back was singed to a brown and ever after l bore this mark, which constantly reminded me of my great adventure. VERNA HAWLEY, '10. . iii, 413: 4 .1 N .- ri qu -Lf .R J '53 . , I '- 'f , V' v 1- ' i'1'3il:-p S fi' -ee as ,. fp- . - , ' - ELI ' '37 , ' ' Aiff' - 'D 1--. 143- A 'L , 1 ,SZ P'-Y 4,,,L 'Q-. -sg 2 . -f -' 'TLA fi- - I 5 L.. . '., ' ,..... Q S ' ' -L - r A ,V ' , - W W I .,,.,,.,e.e- ... - , -Mg-..:f