This mural depicts a typical scene of sleeper cutters in the Watagan forests. The extraordinary size of the log is even more amazing given the crude hand tools and saws of the time.
A crosscut saw would be used to cut down the tree and then cut it into more manageable sections. These saws required to men one on each side. Hammer & wedges would be used to split the log into rough-cut sleepers which were then smoothed off by chipping away at the rough edges with a tool called an adze. The sleepers were then transported by bullock teams to local towns.
The proprietor of this business Mark Lathan, is shown in the mural as one of the seated timber cutters.
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