“The Wood-Sawyer”

City Characters, or, Familiar Scenes in Town published in 1851 included illustrations and descriptions of  individuals that were likely to be seen in an American city such as “The Fruitseller,” “The Retired Gentleman,” “The Huckster,” and “The Street Sweeper.” Here’s an excerpt from “The Woodsawyer“:

“This is a hard occupation….Only think of putting large logs into the fire before they are sawn: we should never be able to burn them, and they would fill the house with smoke. So they have to be sawn into three or four pieces. The curious four-legged machine which the Wood-Sawyer uses to put them on, is called a Horse. It is very strong and is made of oak or hickory wood. He holds the logs down with one knee, and saws one piece off at a time. A good Sawyer can saw a great deal of wood in a day, and the end of each stick looks smooth.”

The original engravings are in the collection of the Library Company of Philadelphia.

Warning! The language in this chapter (pages 98-100) is offensive.