Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1874-08-19

spruce, 10 the bark Of which are cut the
words:
"JNcK nrRnrfv, nnouvrn ufrg.
srniNG or lsos.'
Six years ago The letters are still IeQi.
Bile, though the tree has healed. and w.U.
ere long, outgrow the scar And thus the
memory Of poor Jack is fading out
This spruce was his only tombstone-the
great, nobIe-hearted boy, who was lost here.
He bad been on the West Branch two
springs. Though only eighteen he was the
most muscular man IN the whole gang, the
tallcst, and had the quickest eye aud the
surest hand; and, added to these, heart
good and true as steel. Every man on the
" drive loved that brown, kindly face
And the very way he lost his life too, came
OF his generous spirit
We were on Churchills driye-the last
drive Of the season. There was nigh two
million feet Of lumber and we were short.
handed to work so many logs through all
the pitches, at once. Ii got strung out
good deal, and that made it worse For
two weeks not man Of US had taken OH his
clothes. We didn't average two hours sleep
night; and we slept in our wet clothes,
anywhere we could catch a moment.
Jim Madigan, Jack aud were together
when word was passed back that the logs
had famed on the "suck hole" pitch, two
miles below. All Hands were called to break
the jam. We hurried down the bank
This "suck hole is one Of the worst
places in the stream. When logs Jam there
1t is next to impossible to get down to them,
for on both sides there are almost perpen-
dicuar lodges, Fifty and sixty feet high.
The current here is just like an arrow, and
very deep; for the whole river flows through
a gorge not more than eighty or hundred
feet wide. The "pitch is at the foot Of
this rapid. 1t is fall of thirty or thirty
five feet, at one plunge, into a hole Of great
depth, which Thirls like maestrom Logs
will circle a month here unless poed out
Right in the throat of the rapid, Just where
the torrent bends over the ledge, there is
what the drivers call the center rock" a
point Of tho ledge rising above the water
and IT is this rock which renders the "suck
hole 30 troublesome and dangerous.
When VIC got down there, that day, the
situation was bad enough One of the big
pine sticks, forty or fifty feet long and four
feet through, had hit against the center rock
and swung round to the north side. The
end had caught under the edges of the shelly.
ing ledge. There it hung, with the foam
flying over it, springing aud "buckling "
like steel bow. The drivers had seen it
when it first struck and had let a man down
the ledge, but the water pressed on the log
so heavily that it was impossible to dislodge
it with the "peevys." 1t completely blocked
the north side Of the channel. The river
above was completely covered with logs.
Every minute they came driving down, and
striking with a dull thump, added their
weight to the pressure. When we got
there the whole channel, for hundred rods
above the falls, was jammed full of logs,
clean to the bottom OF the river. And so
swift and strong was the stream that it
kept rolling the logs up, one over another,
till the top of the mass was in many places
twenty and thirty feet above the water
level.
All the men were on the lodges on the
north side, looking down into the abyss
and the boss (Wheeler) was tearing around
like mad man. | could see his lips fly,
but not word could be heard above the
deaiening roar aud the thunder of the logs,
rolling and tumbling one over another.
The rocks trembod under our feet and the
spray and foam flew up in a prodigious
cloud. never saw wilder scene. The
boss was calling for volunteers to 90 and
start off the big pine log. There were
plenty OF bold fellows in the gang, but each
one hesitated
It's sure death" they all said
When the Jam started it would 20
through like an avalanche. There would |
be no time to climb back out Of the gorge. |
Whoever was down there would have to 20 /
with it. The boss did not like to order men
to such duty, yet the jam was getting worse
every hour, and be would probably have
done so but for Jack BURDEN. Jack had
been looking at the jam, and had struck out
plan for cutting away the pine stick.
have always thought the brave fellow did it
rather than see any of the rest of us sent
down there. His plan was to stretch
warping-line from ledge to ledge directly
over the falls, with gang of men on each
side to draw it tight, or slacken it, at the
word. He would take his axe, he said, and
60 out on the hawser, until be was directly
over the log. Then we might sacken the
rope, and lower him down to it. He would
cut it till it broke, then catch hold of the
rope, and we could pull him up and draw
him ashore. After some talk, this project
was adopted.
One end Of the six hundred feet warppq.
line was taken across the river, and twenty
men sent over to handle it. Jack then
stripped to his shirt and red drawers, took
his axe, and threw one leg over the cable.
don't know whether the poor boy had any
presentiment Of his fate. He shook my
hand, and said Wish me luck !"
We paid out the line, and the party on
the other side drew him out over the abyss
then slowly we let him down, down un.
der the rainbow, where hot, mad mist
hew up in wild gushes. 1t took strong
nerves to face that frightful gully and not
turn giddy Guided only by his raised
hand-for nothing could be heard above the
noise Of the cataract-we let him down till
his feet touched the trembling log. So
violently did it bend and spring that it was
with difficulty he kept his footing on it.
We saw him look about him, cooly, it
seemed, first to the log, then to the hawser.
then up the lodges where the gang were
staring down-every man holding his breath. /,
Adjusting the rope, he raised his axe.
The bright blade cleaned in the narrow
chasm as he struck il deep into the green
log. Once, twice, three times. 1t cracked 7
lie threw the axe. A mighty crash rang
up, followed by noise like near, heavy J
thunder or rather like the roar Of an earth.
quake beneath our feet. The Jam had
startsd-was going
But Jack had caught the line. We
lerked him up-up-up. 1t was all done '
10 moment. One great log ending over P
ike billet, barely missed his legs. We a
pulled with might and main C
Too late Another longer log whirling b
over, struck the line, and whirled him down 81
With it. n
Gone Gone to death like q fash n
Zone through the falls!
A groan, cry of horror, from the great,
'ough human hearts, on both sides Of the
'iyer blended with the roar, TOO Al.
nj oh nv Rad ~ hia a,stank n