Trying to ID some tools left over from log drive the 40-50's.

[frozenoem]

     Bought and old logging / sports camp - 1930-through 53 for the last river drive - used to be owned by Brown Company of Berlin,NH.
     Have been cleaning out the Wangan for the last 8 months, trouble being it's hard to find living old drivers around here. Have a picture of some of the tools and would really like to ID them.
     Would appreciate any ideas you have - froze
[img width=450 --Photos MUST be in the Forestry Forum gallery!!!!!--.com/albums/i141/frozen_mainer/DSCN1068.jpg[/img]

[Dan_Shade]

bottom left: ice tongs
upper left: spikes to hold log rafts together
second from left: don't know
third from left: don't know
fourth from left: don't know
fifth from left: don't know
tape measure
sixth from left: don't know
seventh from left: dont' know
eigth from left: don't know
ninth from left: peavey
tenth from left: don't know

[PineNut]

Can't tell from the picture but the fourth from the right may be the wood part of one of a set of hames, used to fit on the collar of a mule or horse to which the harness is fastened. The ones I remember were curved a little more than this one.

[Bro. Noble]

Next to the peavy looks like a poker.  Some of the other tools might be for cleaning the flues and scraping the boiler of a steam engine.

[SAW MILLER]

  The part on the far right looks like the hardware off of a hame.

[ADfields]

Far right is an cast iron hame.  A horse harnes has 2 hames, a right and a left.   The traces went from the single tree of the wagon or other load up ech side of the horse to the hames.  The hames locked to ech other around a thickly padded leather coller around the horses neck.   The wood thing could be a in the field made replacement for a broken hame but I cant tell. ???   Hames came in wood with forged iron along the inside mostley for heavy work.  The cast iron hames were sporty light buggy harnes mostley, not a thing to use in loging.  Hope it helps! ;)
Andy 

[frozenoem]

About the wooden thing being a hame or part of one I can't really seem to see it.
I checked out some on ebay 18 hames for horse and mule and they don't look like any of them.
Both (yes, I have a pair) are the same size,shape, and both have a flattened S shaped hook on them - barely visible in the picture (better tomorrow). And a threaded rod at the butt end - for lack of a better word.

About the picture quality - I'll try to send a link to --Photos MUST be in the Forestry Forum gallery!!!!!-- so you can zoom in and have a hopefully, better view of the tools.

Pretty much about all I know is the last river drive was +/- 53 - then  the camp was bought by the gent whose estate I purchased from. Kinda a reverse journey home the hard way - my grandfather worked around here about 1920 before leaving several fingers behind at a logging mill - we think this was where he was.

The iron tools - seem to be heavy monster pry bar , and one has a tip like an ancient heat over the fire soldering iron but, its 4 feet long. Those would be third and 5th tools from the left.

I put the ruler in for dimemsional idea - but, then I had to decrease the picture size - will try to correct with a direct link - after I find which album to use. I've been cleaning out the wangan,boathouse, and river drivers camp since December.

The iron tools with the loop handles are proving to be a real pain to id as are the other looks like pieces. Really would like to have some idea of what they are and won't be getting to a logging museum for a little bit more. Up to here in work to pay the bills to fix the camp, and work to fix the camp - so my DW doesn't reach under the bed and put a cap in my head as I sleep. (it's an ethnic thing - she's crazy).

The steam engines - what type steam ferries? the river drives they did on this river were pure logs and drivers - no engine used. In the 50's in this little backwater it was horse only - only the sports going fishing on the lakes got to ride on the ferry. At least that's the best I've been able to find out for this area of Maine.





Thanks - Froze

[Furby]

Actually, links to --Photos MUST be in the Forestry Forum gallery!!!!!-- and the like are NOT allowed.
ALL photos MUST reside in your forum gallery.
Directions for photo posting can be found under the help button at the top of each page.
If you need any help, just ask.



The item third from the right has a slightly flattened end?
I have one close to it and don't know it's use, but works great for pushing a hook and chain under something.

I also have a heavy pry bar that has a point on the end that sounds like you described. Mine is a bit closer to 5' long though.

[getoverit]

The items that have the hoop on the ends look to me like old blacksmith tools that were used to rake the coals.

[Raphael]

The items that have the hoop on the ends look to me like old blacksmith tools that were used to rake the coals.

That's what they look like to me as well, tools for banking and spreading coals.  If the camp didn't have a boiler or blacksmith shop they may have seen use in a large wood/coal fired oven.  How many men would be in residence when the drive was on?

[frozenoem]

Judging by the iron bunk beds left in the attic - 36 in one large dormitory type arrangement - maybe 40 in the camp, with three other foremen types types in the wangan, clerk, etc.Cook,Helper,etc. it starts to addup.

So, I now have the camp, wangan and boat storage building - and have to try to keep it somewhat historically accurate, part of the deal in buying it. To keep the local,federal and other PITA's happy with alterations,restorations,and re-building for general maintenance.

One of those days when I'm looking at bills,bills, and more bills and saying what the heck did I buy and why.
Then I look out either front door and say - Oh Yeah, that's why I did it.

Sorry back to the camp -has anyone seen anything that would have been used by loggers for the things that have been called "Hames" all I know is the pictures on ebay show Hames with more loops, and I honestly don't think they look like hames - and an actual Mule type person never saw anything like 'em to be used with mules. You gotta figure a 78 year old Mule driver would know what the harness would be.

I will try to post a better picture of the things in my gallery after I shoot it.

I don't have a problem with the blacksmith tools - they did have one and now it's another camp. That proved to be one of those oh yeah, moments. So, add another couple of folks of the blacksmith shop - the history that I've found on the camp is a little sketchy - and I'm having difficulty separating fact from fiction - those that were around then didn't speak to the loggers or boat people and now they don't always remember what really happened when.

[ADfields]

After a closer look (I blew the pic way up) the wood thing is not a hame, have no clue what it is.   

The thing on the far right is an iron hame, 100% for sure!  The way it's sitting in the pic is up side down.  The big ring is for the lines (rains) to pass through on its way from the drivers hand to the bit in the horses mouth.  The leather still on it is whats left of the trace, witch pulled all the load of the buggy.  The small slit like loops at the top and bottom are for a leather loop that lashed this right side hame to the left side hame and held them tight around the coller.  This is a right side hame for a light coller type buggy harnes, nothing to do with loging but for a doctors buggy or a vis-a-vis type rig.
Andy

[Homer]

Please, what is a wangan?  Homer

[frozenoem]

Wangan,Wanigan and a few other spellings from what I've found at least in Maine or New England.
Could have been a combination logging camps office for the clerk and store for buying logger suupplies or cigarettes,gloces,shoes,boots,violins,etc. Kinda a convenience store so you needn't walk the 20 miles into a town if you were lucky to buy a pack of Luckies or Pall Malls.

If you have a copy of a Labonville.com catalog - inside the front cover is a picture of Brown Co. Logging camp clerk's office and Wangan in Parmachenee Camp#3 in Megalloway,ME.

Now if I just could find some pictures of Brown Company logging camp at Upper Dam #?? in Richardsontown, ME - I'd be a happy camper.

[pappy]

Please, what is a wangan?  Homer

From what I remember what the ole river guides use ta call a wanigan is/was a box with kitchen cooking supplies and eating utenciles...

Webster defines it as ;

Main Entry: wan·i·gan
Variant(s): or wan·ni·gan  /'wä-ni-g&n/
Function: noun
Etymology: Ojibwa wa.nikka.n pit
: a shelter (as for sleeping, eating, or storage) often mounted on wheels or tracks and towed by tractor or mounted on a raft or boat

I googled up how to build one
http://www.wcha.org/wcj/v22_n6/wanigan.html   8)

[frozenoem]

I did say at least in Maine and New England - a wangan at least as far as I've found was where the stuff needed would be sold - it would be either what the loggers,drivers,boomers,etc would/could/might need or want that the Company wither bought or the men bought for themselves. Yo're bound to find a couple of links on the search page at the following site- hopefully, a link to Maine wangan purchase has been added.Page of wangan purchases in OldTown,ME
    www.windowsonmaine.library.umaine.edu/fullrecord.aspx?objectid=1-239

I still think it's a regional thing - that and I'm almost afraid to say a "dingle" where groceries were stored in camp.

[SwampDonkey]

I've got a poke just like the one Bro Noble id'ed. Use it every winter in my furnace. I would say there is a scoop there for scraping out the ashes from the firebox, although what we've used was a small ash shovel, which is probably more modern. That centre piece of iron with the square tapered end, looks like a pry bar that I've seen many of around here. I think alot of what you have came from railroad toolsheds to be honest, as alot of guys went from woods to railroad work, back and forth.

[SwampDonkey]

I did say at least in Maine and New England - a wangan at least as far as I've found was where the stuff needed would be sold - it would be either what the loggers,drivers,boomers,etc would/could/might need or want that the Company wither bought or the men bought for themselves.

Sounds like what we call a commissary.

[getoverit]

I tend to agree with SwampDonkey on the tools looking like old railroad tools. My dad was once a railroad blacksmith and later a machinist and some of his old tools resemble what I see there. I actually have some of the prybars that look just like those pictured.

[frozenoem]

I did take better pictures of the second set of tools - and if my camera ever charges enough to transfer them I'll post 'em. One tool at a time and not a group shot of all of them.

The easy tools I've had no trouble with - Peavey's and Cant's them I still have and use - for firewood - but, still use.

About the same as the anchors (aching back and minor hernia) off of one of the steamers up there.
Capstan and center portion of it - for hauling in the boom or steamer.
The history of this place has me interested in more things than I thought was possible.
Which pretty much has me searching through Historic Photo's section of this board looking for a book mentioned referencing Maine logging camps.

Know where I might find info on old railroad tools - like I said I'm interested in anything that can rescue me from computers too long, too many years doing it 1968 - I need a life or new job, hobby, etc.

Between restoring the place and still digging through the left over's - I find new things (to me) - everyday that has me asking OK what's this thing for.

[Jeff]

Everything I ever learned said that a wannigan was a structure on a raft, most often the cookhouse and supplies for accompanying the river rats on drives.

Here is a photo from my stuff and there are a few more here:
Historic Logging and Milling Photos Thread

[Ernie_Edwards]

The local paper has a history article on saturdays. Yesterdays was about the old river log drives. The had a picture of a wannigan and it was just like in Jeffs picture. It was a real catch-all, the kitchen, supply room and carried the workers personal stuff.

Ernie

[frozenoem]

To Jeff and Ernie -
I don't doubt what your saying about most wanigan's - I've seen the references to them and they seem to have been common - everywhere - in the early days. Heck, check out a Labonville catalog - logging supply company - here - inside their front cover is a picture of a Brown company - camp and Wangan combined.

But, in Maine - it seems as the camp became fixed in place and the building stopped being hauled around on the ice in winter - The Wangan seems to have become a cooks house or company office and convenience type store for logging supplies or personal items for the loggers - through the 50's.

Nowadays at least around here - the loggers do seem just to jump in there Ram or Chevy - and drive the 30-50 miles to the store and get their gear. And yes, Maine hasn't changed that much between then and now - the timbered areas are still pretty much owned by paper or other interests - and some of the places like 7islands are still holding the land for themselves - and some for public recreational use.

Other companies are selling off their tracts in the millions of acres to foreign nationals - if you dig through enough paperwork of dummy corporations you see Bahranians, Saudi's  and Japanese. Maine still an outpost - heck, even back in the 40's - seems there were Nazi's (Germans) camping in Rangeley, ME in one of the lodges on a lake. At least until the FBI - arrested 'em - before we entered the war.

The pictures will be updated in my album - today- of some of the tools - just to make sure I'm looking for Railroad tools - today I may get an ancient river driver 84 with intact memory to see the camp and give me some history lesson's - thus far he has been right on - with where the capstan was placed in front of my boathouse for the booms.

Successfully edited and downsized my pictures to my album - which I think I left open, including one shot of the area lately - still pretty much as populated as it was in the 50's when it went from a logging camp to timber area and leased land camps. We don't really change that much in this part of the state - distance will always be in hours vs. go thru x,y,z, towns to the camp.