New England sawmillers in Scotland – Moving to felling site
The Images are courtesy of https://www.actonhistoricalsociety.org/ww1-sawmill-unit.html Also check out Records No 4778 – 4789 or under ‘Groups’ the ‘American sawmillers in Scotland 1917’.
A set of teamsters are moving an American steam engine from its drop off point in Ardgay village, Ross-shire, to a selected site possibly in Strathcarron. A Northern Times article quotes the steam engine as being of 50 – 60 horse power.
It is uncertain if this is part of the Blanchard & Gould Lumber company funded team led by Webster Blanchard which was officially named as New England Sawmill Unit No. 3. Note that there is a wagon loaded with the circular saw blade and other items pulled by a pair of horses on the far side of the engine. These horses were part of a contingent of 120 that were brought over along with some feed, harness, carts and blacksmiths capable of shoeing them.
The ten teams were each contracted to fell, drag and mill timber from forests in several locations around the village of Ardgay (pronounced Ardgye) in Ross-shire. It seems that up to six or seven American sawmills and teams operated at different sites along Strathcarron, another three operated on Skibo Estate land and possibly one in Balblair. Each team had a compliment of about 35 men all on individual contract to the British Board of Trade for 12 months from mid Jun 1917. The Board paid for food supplies, hospital care and the transport from and to America. The Board of Trade were also responsible for the shipment of the timber from the mill sites and hired in a fleet of five ton lorries and manual loaders housing them in a building near to the railway station in Ardgay. The railway station was extended and adapted to handle all the timber shipments
Up on the edge of the forest at a point directly above the saw blade there appears to be the some tents and likely those that the sawmill team used before they were able to build their accommodation, mess huts and other sheds. In fact the men had to wait one week before their equipment arrived but no doubt they would have used the time well to survey and reconnoitre the sites. There is a report that the ten harvesting sites were numbered on lots and these were drawn by the mill team foremen and subsequently allocated.
So far it has not been possible to place this photo location onto a map and any ideas would be very welcome. As also any information on the make and model of the steam engine welcomed also.
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Groups: American sawmillers in Scotland 1917, Forestry Areas, Forestry in Action, Groups of people, Horses at work in Forests, Sawmills, pulp mills, chipboard mills