Finnish Paul Bunyan, Thats Waino Komula. The Escanaba Daily Press. November 10, 1946. Finnish Paul Bunyan, That’s Waino Komula Paul Bunyan of the Keweenaw timber country! That’s Waino Komula, 41-year-old, barrel-chested logger, who grew to prominence during the war years when he set new records in getting out the timber that helped to put Hitler and Hirohito out of business. “There’s many a fabulous tale being told about the exploits of Waino Komula of Toivola. Some are true, and others may be a little Bunyanesque but still they are all good. For instance, you hear stories how he has logged off 100 million feet of timber since he began operations on the Copper Range Mining company’s tract shortly before Christmas in 1940. But Waino, although not the most modest person in the world, insists the figure is closer to 65 million. Strong as an ox, Waino is credited with a number of super-human feats, which would have made even the mighty Paul proud of himself. He weighs 270 pounds when he is eating “good”, but at times has managed to reduce to 240 by strenuous dieting. Told Nazis Off Copper Country folks tell about the time Waino went to watch the pulpwood cutting operations at a German prisoner of war camp in the area. Three Nazis were engaged in loading a truck with pulpwood, and were conversing in German. “Do you know what they are saying?”, a bystander asked Waino. “They’re saying that Americans are both dumb and weak.” About that time, the three prisoners were having difficulty in lifting a large stick of pulpwood. “I’ll show them that Americans aren’t weak,” Waino said, his dander up. He grabbed the log from the three German POWs and hoisted it into the truck without any assistance. Gets High Output Waino Komula and his crew of 150 Finnish woodsmen took out 22 million of feet of timber in one of the hectic war years. Now, his crew is reduced to about 100, but he is still producing from 10 to 15 million feet annually. A hard worker himself, he appears to inspire his men to feverish activity on the job. His production per man-hours is reported to be the highest in the Upper Michigan logging industry. He uses all the latest equipment, and it was quite appropriate that the recent Loggers Congress at Houghton picked his operation for its demonstration of the mechanization of lumbering. Waino really showed his stuff at the demonstration. His right hand almost constantly waiving with a circular motion, he shouted to the “cat” operators and truck drivers, “Keep ‘em rolling.” It was the best exhibition of rapid mechanized skidding, loading and hauling operations ever seen in the Copper Country. A Song About Waino To have worked for Waino is regarded as one of the best recommendations a woodsman could have in applying for a job. The story is told that one Finnish lumberjack once walked up to another timber operator and simply said, “Give me some tools, I used to work for Komula.” And so some ballad writer was inspired to compose a folk song which is sung with a slightly Finnish accent in the lumber camps and downtown bars of the Copper Country. It goes something like this: “I grab axe, I grab saw, I go to work for Komula. Oh! saw, Oh! saw, Oh! saw. He’s got a swamp, a great big swamp, I go to work for Komula. Oh! saw, Oh! saw, Oh! saw.” Other stanzas are simply variations of this theme. Waino has born on a form at Keweenaw Bay. After leaving school, he drove a milk truck for several years and then took a salesman’s job with the Drott Tractor company. He proved to be a good salesman, and sold more tractors and other logging equipment in the Copper Country than had ever been sold before. Late in 1940, he got himself a truck and tractor and with a crew of 10 men began cutting off some stumpage he bought from the Copper Range company. By the time the Japs bombed Pearl Harbor, he was logging on a good scale, using all the labor-saving machinery he could get his hands on. Now, he has about $75,000 invested in equipment. His list includes 10 trucks, eight tractors, two crane loaders and two bulldozers. Waino is married and has two children. His daughter, Eleanor, 19 is a student at the University of Michigan, while is son, Arthur, 16, attends Baraga high school.
Posted on: Sun, 09 Nov 2014 23:48:11 +0000
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