When the mast industry moved east, Falmouth (now Portland) overtook Portsmouth as the leading supplier of mast pine. The Saco drainage area that stretched across the flatlands between Falmouth and Portsmouth and deep into the interior, was thick with pine. This primordial forest was the classic type of pinelands where there were Broad Arrow disputes. These disputes between mast cutters, colonial lumbermen and British mast agents were primary issues of contention in the years leading up to the American Revolution. Though nearly depleted to as far as the White Mountains, the last decade of masting here was changed by a fire in 1762 that destroyed a wide swath of some of the finest mast pine in this area. The burnt area extended 50 miles from the woods of New Hampshire to Casco Bay. Many of the mast loggers here moved to new settlements as far east as Machias. The cutting and moving of mast pine had its own set of engineering requirements apart from the typical logging operation of the time. Only blizzard conditions or attacks from marauding Indians would keep loggers out of the woods. Masting teams made careful preparations to bring down each chosen tree. A path was cleared from its base in the direction it would fall. It had to fall on level ground. Larger branches of this tree and its neighbors were removed to prevent damage. Smaller trees and branches were used to form “bedding” to reduce the force of the fall. Snow on the path of the fall was probed for rocks, logs and stumps, after which more snow and leaves were piled on the path. Only then did the cutting begin. The cutting was done with axes. The swing saw was not used in the New England woods until the end of the 19th century. Two axmen, on opposite sides, removed large chunks at each blow, with a precision that let the tree break away from the stump without cracking and land on the narrow path of bedding set out for it. This great mast pine, several hundred years old, weighing many tons, then had to be dragged or twitched to the waters edge. A 5' log at the butt and 120' long might weigh 10 tons. The path was checked for rocks that might block its passage. Large wheels with a huge axle could be attached to the log, but in many cases they were dragged, by as many as fifty oxen. When possible sleds were put under the log, three or four in all. They could then be hauled by several yoke of oxen over frozen roads to the river’s edge or tidal marsh. Spare oxen were always kept at the ready along the way to replace those exhausted, injured or killed in mishaps. Masting teams also knew the rivers and guided the pine logs around rocks and dragged them up the bank around falls. At the end of the river journey they were floated to port bound together in rafts. At the port, which was the mast depot, they were hewn to sixteen sides and stored in tidal pools. After hewing came the backbreaking task of snaking a full cargo of masts through the stern ports of mast ships specially designed for the task. These ships became a popular means of traveling between New England, England and the Caribbean – the two most common destinations for shipments of New England wood. Carrying this highly prized material of war, the mast ships usually sailed in a convoy with an armed vessel. The Broad Arrow laws were in fact unnecessary and ineffective. There was more mast pine in New England than the Royal Navy needed. A surveyor general in 1700 found 25,000 logs in a single survey, two-thirds of them exceeding the 24" limit. Moreover, these laws became the earliest and most continuous outlet for hostility toward England. The laws seemed to ally the people in the business of cutting wood. The situation led some to organize, influence the government and ultimately get recognition of the injustices. Masting was New England’s first major industry. It was connected to existing lumber production and led to the development of markets and channels of distribution for those products. The British Admiralty, in its effort to secure masts, induced creation of a labor force, the technology and facilities (mast ships) as well as the cash flow, by providing a guaranteed market. Sawmills followed the masting operations, cutting what was left into lumber. Demand for masts fueled this industry. It had taken off enough that by 1691 the Crown instituted the first of the Broad Arrow policies. But, as it is with the all too common “whoda thunk” outcomes of government regulation, the industry had been established and the course set. Contention over masting policy contributed to what led to the British being undone in the American Revolution. Samuel F. Manning, boat builder, illustrator, historian and mid-coast resident has written a good book on the New England mast pine. In addition to covering the history surrounding the subject, the book contains his illustrations of how masting was done, from marking with the broad arrow to loading the mast ships. The illustrations provide scale to an operation difficult to imagine with the pines known to contemporary New England. Fishermen’s Voice would like to thank Sam Manning for the use of his book and his illustrations in the preparation of this article. New England Masts and the King’s Broad Arrow, 1979. Thomas Murphy, publisher, Kennebunk, Maine 04043.
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