A SAWMILL HAULER.

Greymouth Evening Star, 28 March 1907, Page 2

A SAWMILL HAULER.

A VALUABLE INVENTION. An ingenious contrivance, which bids to fairly revolutionise the sawmilling industry on the West Coast, has been invented by Mr Charles Uddatrom, the popular proprietor of the Ngahere sawmill. For many years past, millers have had to face a heavy expenditure to get the logs from the forests into the mill yards, the timber in some instances having to be hauled several miles. This has naturally compelled owners to employ several drivers, while it lias been necessary to keep a largo number of horses, so that the expenditure under tiiis head has been a considerable item. Mr Uddstrom’s invention, however, should tend to greatly relieve millers in this direction. For many years millers have endeavoured to arrange a steam contrivance, whereby the haulage by horses could be done away with, but without success. Mr Uddstrom, however, appears to have “hit the right nail on the head,” and has invented a contrivance which will not only do the work excellently, but will result in a big saving in the cost of production. Mr Uddstrom has fitted to an ordinary waggon one of the Despatch Foundry 1 . loghaulers. He removed the which barrel, and substituted in lieu thereof a sprocket wheel. A similar whdil iwas> fitted to the back trolley wheel, nnd ithe two connected with a chain. By this means it was found possible to drive the trolly. Further provision was, however, made to connect the remaining wheels to the one connected with the main sprocket wheel by means of chains. Thus we have a trolly going at a good rale of speed and weighing only about five tons. An additional factor in making the invention of thb utmost importance to the industry is that it will run on wooden rails and can, through there being no cranks, Hut simply connecting chains, go round sharp turns wilh consummate ease. Of the, commercial utility of the contrivance (.here' cannot: be the least doubt. At the Ngahere mill, ! the trolly has been running for some time, and has done its work well. Tljat ! it will result in a considerable saving, to the miller can bo shown from the following:—At the Ngahere mill the trolly hauled into the yard in two loads 16,000 superficial feet of timber; iUnder the old system, this could only bo transported in three loads, necessitating the employment of three drivers, while fully, fifteeniiorses would be required. So satisfied are the proprietors of the Ngahena mill with the invention that they intend, at. an early date, to sell their horses and depend entirely on the trolly for hauling purposes. Several other millers intend to follow suit, recognising that by the adoption they will make a large annual saving. Mr Uddstrom, who spent some time experimenting with the trolly, has attained a high degree of success, and is to be hear 1 tily congratulated on his skill and perseverance. In order to further improve the utility of the trolly, Mr Uddstrom intends fitting a small bogey to it, in order that it can carry coal and timber.