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It was Emil who had suffered the most during the hunger years. In addition to the food
shortage during those years, there had been a stomach ailment that had been
afflicting many. They called it “rödsot.” It was a type of
dysentery.
Emil was nineteen years old at the time and living in a community that was going through an outbreak of rödsot. He was barely able to keep down any of the little food that he was able to find. Most people, including Anders, really thought that Emil would not survive.
Emil was nineteen years old at the time and living in a community that was going through an outbreak of rödsot. He was barely able to keep down any of the little food that he was able to find. Most people, including Anders, really thought that Emil would not survive.
But
Emil did survive. In fact, he did more than survive. Anders' brother had always been tall,
but also always quite lanky. However, after he recovered from his rödsot and
after food became more available, Emil had such an appetite that it seemed like
he could eat from sunup until sundown, and sometimes even put in a little
overtime.
His
lanky frame filled out. It was if the rödsot awakened in his body the need to
put in some reserves. Although the family teased him about getting a little
broad around the middle, Emil’s weight really was not primarily fat and it was
not just about the middle. The bulk in his arms and legs increased, and his
chest broadened considerably. This was not fat, but Emil had become very
muscled. Anders was glad that his days of wrestling with his brother were over.
The
teasing that he got from the family was given and received with good humor. In
truth, everyone in the family had been so worried about whether Emil would survive
his illness and survive the hunger, that it always was a great release of joy
to be able to actually joke about his
health.
THE LOGGER
One
of the reasons that Emil had become so strong was that he had been involved
with the forest industry. He was a logger. In some ways, Anders envied the life
that Emil had. Emil was constantly out in their beloved forests of Sweden
and among the trees through which they used to
wander as boys.
wander as boys.
As
with Georg, Anders now could see that Emil showed an early inclination to the
work that he would eventually choose. Although all three brothers enjoyed
hiking through the forests, it was Emil that mostly seemed to initiate these
excursions, and it was Emil who took most of the leading role, even though he
was not the oldest of the three.
Now
Emil continued in this role. The forest industry was going through a transition
during this time. For centuries, the normal way of living in the forested areas
was not primarily through the use of the timber, but rather through burning them down
so that crops could be grown. This was called the slash and burn method of
agriculture.
In
the slash and burn method, all of the trees in an area of the forest would be
cut down and allowed to dry for a year, or preferably two. Then, normally just
before Midsommar’s Day (June 21), and depending upon the weather conditions,
the dried out trees and brush would be set ablaze. The ideal conditions for
these farmers were a good dry spell in early June that was to be followed by a
short period of rain. In this way, the farmers could plant their seed in the
damp, but still warm ash. This, they believed, produced the best crop.
But
this method of agriculture was not self-sustaining. The first year of the burn
over was the best, but the yields grew less in the subsequent years. Many
people, after a few years, would slash some different acreage in order to start again
with some renewed soil. But the general trend was toward depletion of the soil.
It was not a good farming practice.
But
the logging industry was now becoming increasingly important in Värmland, and
Emil was heavily involved with it. This importance rose with the mining
industry, which required lumber, and also with the increased exportation of
lumber to other countries.
Emil
began as a sawyer and a river man. In fact, as
Anders rode in the wagon north along
the river Klarälven, he thought often
of Emil. Emil had been a river driver on this water, and as far as Anders knew,
even earlier this spring had rode down the Klarälven on the logs.
They called these rivermen, "floaters" |
Most of the logging in Värmland was done
during the winter months. The trees were felled, cut into lengths and skidded
onto and piled on the frozen river. This they did all winter long. It was not
only one logging company doing this, but the logs piled on the ice were from the
cuttings of various areas along the river.
Logs on the Klarälven |
When spring came and the ice melted and
broke, all of these logs floated en masse down the river to the sawmills near Karlstad. To keep the logs from forming
jams and stopping the flow of logs, men had to ride the logs carrying long
pikes. Some years before, these log drivers had formed themselves into an
association called “Gentlemen Timber Handlers on the Klarälven and Watercourses Flowing
into It.”
When
the logs all arrived at a sorting lake near
Karlstad, the
rivermen then had to sort them out according to the companies who had cut them.
As each owner had put their logs on the river during the winter, they had
marked the ends of each of their logs with a special mark using a marking axe.
The Sorting Station |
Anders was not able to see Emil when he passed through Karlstad, but Emil would soon also be coming home to see their mother. His arrival would enhance this home reunion.
(Logging photos credit: Lennart Elg)
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