The Tiffin weekly tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1859-1868, 1867-05-09

irst Indian I saw was a very old one
by the name Of Wabacanish. He was
Que hundred aud thirty years old,
aud was just the color ofsmoked ham.
or an old copper cent, and did not
resemble very much specimen of
humanity. How changed is every- !
thing now, TO what il was over a
hundred years ago, whom he was in
bis youthful days. What muss have
bccn his feelings as he watched the
eucroachment Of the white man, step
by step upon the lands Of his broth
ers, until now he can see them upon
every hand while he has no place to
call homo, but begs from door To-
door. lilo must have fought with
them, with great determination. ashe
is covered with scars. The majority
Of the Indians here are lazy worth.
less race, aud get ell thoy can by
begging, while few hunt little, as
deer aud some other game abound.
In the winter time after the first
good fall Of snow comes they rush for
tho woods. Nearly every man that
has a tenn, aud many that have not,
20 to the "big woods " to cut aud
haul ou, the pine logs Tho wages
for choppers we're frum thirty, to for
" dollars per month, aud for a mau
with team, sixty.dve Ia all eases fur
nishod board and lodgin1, Twill not
give the details of the work Of" log
ging, us It is too tedious. but will
commence with rafting the lumber,
There is always great rush Of
raftslnen, when the "river breaks
up ip the spring and they generally
mako Stevens Poiut their place Of
rendezvous, which is often crowded
with them in the "ruauing season" T"
Wousan is forty miles above Ste
vcns' Point Ono day in going FIVE
miles, | met one hundred aud twenty
men going'to Wausan, the majority on
foot There aror a great many who
como up from tho lower towns, even
from st. Louis, to get a chance to
run the river, and sometimes many
of them do not get n job, aud arc
obliged to go back, with long faces
aud empty pockets. This is what i.
called tho suckers shoot" for on
the river all green hands are called
"suckers." "
will give some Of the details Of
rafting, so the reader can have bet.
ter conception Of a feet IF lumber
As a general thing the logs are cut
three lengths, twelve feet, fourteen
feet, aud sixteen feet, but mostly six
teen feet. l will be as brief as pos
sibe in des lribing the mode OF CON
structing the RATS. Lumber is raft
ed in pieces OF from three to Eve
thousand ieet called "cribs six OF
seven which form a rapids piece.
Tho cribs are si,hcr l6 by IL or else
l6 feot square, aud consists of from
twelve to twenty tiers of inch boards
exclusive of the "grub plank" which
are two inches in thickness, aud plac.
cd at tho bottom. Tho cribs are
bound together with what are called
"grubs kind Of pin four feet long
aud two inches in diameter, and mad,
Of supliugs of oak. tamarack, birch
maple. or hvmlock, dug out by tho
roots, part of the root being left OF
TO form the head or lower end OF til,
grub.
In forming crib, the raftsman Sc
leo,s tavee grub plank aud place
them parallel about six feet apart u
aud down the stream; each has tire
two inch augur holes bored in il, on
near each end and one in The middle
notches are cutin on the under sid
of the plank, so as to set in the heaC
OF the grubs; the grnbs are then 10
serted in eech, and wedged and fast
enod In solid Each end Of thC
plank is hewn OF on the underside
something in the shape ofa sled run
ner. Three one inch boards calico
'tie boards" with holes bored in, the
same as in tho grub plank, are pu
on over the grubs, but crosswiso Of tn,
three grub plank, and holds tho planl
10 their places, aud constitute nov
the foundation Of the crib, when tho
lumber is ready to put on, First the
spaces between the tic boards arc fill
ed up with inch boards, aud crossing
the next tier, the operation is contin
ed, until he gets enough to be consid
cred safe, which is from twelve to
twenty four courses, ours was seven.
teen; next comes the witch plauk.'
They are bored the same as the grubs
on top Of the lumber. parallel with
the grub plank, and then applying a
couple Of links Of chain called o
witch, by means of a lever the grub'
are drawn up tight'an wedgcd solid
in the witch plank, so a crib Of lum
ber is very solid, aud now is finished
when four heavy Norway plank are
put out for binding plank when the
cribs arc coupled together.
Rats are made 10 different shapes,
sometimes six cribs long aud either
two or three wide aud sometimes
seven long and two wide, ours was
the latter shape.
Six or seven cribs coupled together
endwise are called "rapids piece,
for that is all they run over the rap.
ids at time. Two rapids pieces
coupled together side and side, form
lower river raft and is run by two
men, the forward man is called bows
man, the back, tailsman.
The cribs are coupled together BY
putting the binding plank over the
grubs, on the side of the crib, aud
tapping on to the next crib, on top Of
these are put, what are formed the
hardwood generally OF birch, aRG
are round sticks three or four fee
long aud five or six inches 10 diane
ter, aud are used for snubbiag to il
landing; when the cribs nre couploC
come the head blocks, which are foul
by twelve inches, and sixteen fee
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