The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1874-03-13


| boss of the crew, a great six foot giant,
whose word among the men was law, and
if any saw A. to rebel, his fists were like a
pair of sledge-hammers, and few there were
who cared to come in contact with them,
much preferring to abide by the decision
of his words.
Brown muttered something about not
caring to be called liar and went to his
seat, where he sat without making much
conversation the rest of the evening, while
Gordon went on with the game without
word.
At the usual hour, the logmen went to
rest, with the tempest sounding in their
ears, mingled with the increasing roar of
the falls, half a mile below, as the volume
of water gathered strength, and went surg
ing downward, carrying on its bosom a
mingled mass of timber and ice, piled to-
| gether by the embrace of winter.
With the earliest dawn the camp was
astir. The rain had ceased but not until
it had accomplished all that could be re-
quired of it. The river was free from ice,
and was running like mill-race, it's sur
face covered with foam and struggling
pieces of ice, hurrying on as if to overtake
the main body far in advance Most of
the great piles of logs were gone, but there
were some that still hung to the bank at
the landing, and as soon as they could see
the men were busily at work turning them
| out into the stream.
About half mile below the landing
there was a fall of considerable magnitude,
| stretching entirely across the river; the
roar of which could be heard mile above
or below. Between this and the landing,
the river was full of sharp. jagged rocks,
| some of which even now showed black
heads above the water, causing the flood
to ebb and boil like seething cauldrOn.
The descent was considerable to the brow
of the falls !; with steep banks on either
side, through which the water poured with
great speed. Upon one side, near the
brow of the falls, the bank sank down al
most to the edge of the water, while Just
above, through a break in the cliffs, n
stream of considerable magnitude emptied
itself into the river. Such briefly was the
aspect of the place with which VS. have to
do.
About half way between the landing and
the falls, one of those black, Jagged rocks
showed itself above the water in nearly the
center of the stream, and against this
pile of logs, perhaps hundred in number,
had jammed, and as the river had already
commenced to fall, there was no prospect
of their starting off of their own accord.
Consequently it was necessary for some one
to endeavor to reach it and 'dislodge them.
This was no easy task to do, for they had
no boat at this point. The only way to
reach it was by means of logs, upon which
some one well skilled in riding them might
pass over in safety. But to return to the
bank would be the most dangerous part of
the undertaking, for the cliffs that formed
them were so steep that to ascend them
from the waters edge was next to impos-
siblc. This jam and the prospect of dis
lodging il, kept running in the minds of
all, as the logs were rolled in, with the ex-
ccption of half dozen that had been re-
tanned to form raft for those who should
undertake the dangerous enterprise.
The cooks horn sounded for dinner at
this point of the operations, and before the
meal was through, two men had announced
their willingness to dislodge the jam. They
were the foes of the evening before, Brown /.
and Gordon. Something was said in
Joking manner to the former, that he was
used to going over falls, and that it was
his duty to go on the jam and he had de-
clared his willingness to do so, providing
that Gordon would accompany him, upon
another and single log. This the latter
had at once agreed to do, and as the boss
knew them both to be good river men, and /
smart, agile fellows, he made no objection
to their going, thinking, perhaps, that it
might be The means of healing the ill-will
that existed between them.
As soon as dinner was over the men
gathered upon the banks, to witness the
breaking of the jam. The boss, in compa
nv with the volunteers, went down to the .
edge of the falls and saw that there was no .
difficulty in bringing their logs to the
bank at that place, so they were quietly to
allow themselves to float down to this
place before attempting to land.
This important matter decided upon,
lecting log 20 his mind, sprang upon it,
pike-pole in hand, and pushed out into the
stream.
'sBe careful, boys ~ shouted the boss
after them. "Keep close to this shore
after you break the jam. The water draws
hard over the falls, and the further out
you are the more trouble you'll have in
getting ashore"
Once in the current, the frail logs upon
which the two men stood, sprang from
wave to wave like things of life, threaten
inc each moment to throw them into the
boiling food beneath them but both had
long been used to this mode of locomotion,
and they kept their balance in manner
that was perfectly wonderful to those who
never had venturcd afloat, on SO trail
hork With the sweep of their pike-poles
Ioos in the direction they