Lesson plan
Go-devil
The go-devil was a simple one-horse sled used for hauling trees in logging. Ralph C. Bryant describes it in his pioneering textbook Logging (1913) as follows: The go-devil is a product of the camp blacksmith shop. It is a rough sled having two unshod hardwood runners, which are preferably of yellow birch, selected from timbers having a natural crook. The usual type of runner is from 6 to 7.5 feet long, 6 inches wide, and from 3 to 5 inches thick. A 6-inch by 6-inch by 4-foot or 5-foot bunk is fastened to each runner by a bolt. The bunk is placed from 2 to 2.5 feet from the rear end of the runners. A ring is attached to the center of this bunk and the logs are bound on the latter by a chain passing around the logs and bunk and through the ring. The curved, forward ends of the runners are connected by a roller which has a short chain at each end that passes through a hole in the forward end of the runner and is fastened several inches back on it. Since the go-devil has no tongue it can be turned around in a small space. The draft rigging consists of chains fastened to either side of the bunk or to the runners. The chains are brought forward and joined directly in front of the roller by a ring to which the hook on the double-tree is attached.…
Article summary
The go-devil was a simple one-horse sled used for hauling trees in logging. Ralph C. Bryant describes it in his pioneering textbook Logging (1913) as follows: The go-devil is a product of the camp blacksmith shop. It is a rough sled having two unshod hardwood runners, which are preferably of yellow birch, selected from timbers having a natural crook. The usual type of runner is from 6 to 7.5 feet long, 6 inches wide, and from 3 to 5 inches thick. A 6-inch by 6-inch by 4-foot or 5-foot bunk is fastened to each runner by a bolt. The bunk is placed from 2 to 2.5 feet from the rear end of the runners. A ring is attached to the center of this bunk and the logs are bound on the latter by a chain passing around the logs and bunk and through the ring. The curved, forward ends of the runners are connected by a roller which has a short chain at each end that passes through a hole in the forward end of the runner and is fastened several inches back on it. Since the go-devil has no tongue it can be turned around in a small space. The draft rigging consists of chains fastened to either side of the bunk or to the runners. The chains are brought forward and joined directly in front of the roller by a ring to which the hook on the double-tree is attached.…
Key claims
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Discussion questions
- Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
- Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
- If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?
Bibliography
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Key claims and bibliography are generated from the same tracked claims and sources as the article page.