Smyrna times., 1877-02-14
Life Among the Lumbermen.

scrlbes the life Of the lOgmen of Maine
canada, and other sections of the north
where the most of our lumber is cut. Tn,
writer says:
Three hundred men will cover and Gu
a section of about three SQUARE miles
taking off over G0,000 logs, which woulc
measure about 100000 feet each season
Work begins at daylight and ends at dark
and when the days lengthen and themoor
tavors longer twilight earlier morn, the
men gathered the benefit in longer WORKING
hours. On the river, when the drive i,
started, work begins at three o'clock in
the morning and ends at nine in the even
ing, the men having five meals: breakfast
at SIN, lunch at nine, dinner at twelve
supper at five, tea at nine. The meals con,
SlSt OF pork and beans, corn bread, molasscs
cake and tea or coffee.
~, NO stint IS given to a mans appetite.
Inc Iare such as 1t is, is abundant, monot-
ououS, nutritious and cheap. A cook is
| provided for every fifty men. The beans
are generally the large white bush norbo;IoJ
III pots holding half bushel. then ten
pounds of pork are set in the middle of
the beans Ill the pot, Il quarter of a pint of
mOlaSses is poured in, and then the NOT i
set IN hole surrounded with hot ashes
and burning charcoal the top covered with
a stone, over which heavy wood fire is
bullt; and hear they stay from five to eirbt
hours coming out most palatable dish.
All the baking is done in rudely built stone
ovens, which are heated before the douoh
Is mixed, with Il great wood fire. The
loaves OF biscuit or cake are set upon hot
ough!y. ''l''
camp OF three hundred men will con-
sumo daily four barrels of beans, one half
Il barrel OF Hour. half u barrel Of meal. one
quarter OF barrel of sugar, and five gallons
OF molaSSes. The men are cncamped in
tents, making their beds of boughs. while
tneIr extra clothing, pair Of duck over
ans a 1annel SHIRT, two pairs of wooden socks.
Is kept in an old grain sack and used os -
pillow at night.
The Sabbath in the woods is ALWAYS =
day for sharpening axes. mendipr slcds
repairing boots and clothes, settin@ ont y
new tenting spot handler to the cuttino in
the woods. and all the odd chores which
would grow out of the congregation Of So
large a body of men. All we'll regulated
camps exclude liquor. The work boinr
usually fifty to two hundred miles from
any settlement, and the men not brino
pald until the end of the season. thcrc is
little mduccment for any spectators To
peddle rum through the woods, or for The
men to straggle off in search of it.
lhe consumption Of axes and handles is
enormous, an axe lasting month and \
handle about three weeks. The axes are
Sharpened daily, some camps having regular
Sharpencrs, while others require each man
TO keep his own axe in order. The old axes
are never collected for the Junk dealer.
the distance to ship them being too
great 10 make 1t an economical measure.
,"oodsmen generally consider spruce
naroer ma on axes than either birch or pine |
l ne gum which runs out of the spruce tree
IS often found hard enough to chip the
IIuge OF the axe when striking through it. |
ne styles OF axes differ with nationaIities |
a Canadian chopper prcferrino - Lrood |
square blade with the weight more i'm the
blade than elsewhere, the handles boinr
short and thick. a down East logger. one
rom Maine, selects long narrow head
The blade in crescent shape, the heaviest
part IN the head above the eve. New Yor[
cutters select a broad, crescent shonnJ
blade, the whole head rather short. and tho
weight balanced evenly and below the ewes
nat Is, where the handle goes through
western backwoodsman selects long
Ilade, the corners only rounded off. and
ne eye holding the weight of theaXe. The
american chopper as rula selects n
long straight handle. The diffcrenc in
landllng Is that a down Easter takes hold.
with both hands, Of the extreme end. and
hrows his blows easily and gracefully, with
long sweep over the left shoulder. A
anuck chops from directly over his head.
With the right hand well down on the handle
o serve in jerking the blade out of the
tcK. w esterncr catches hold at thn
nd OF his handle, with the hands about
hree inches apart, and delivers his blows
ather direct from over the left shoulder
In TACT, an expert in the woods can tell
he nationality or State man has boan {
cared in by seeing him hit one blow with I
n axe. 1t is, however, an interesting fact
know that Yankee chopper, with his '
avorite axe and swinging cut. can. bodily {
trength being equal, do a fifth more work s
the same time than any other cuttor S
nd be far less fatigued This, in a very (
'rge degree, will account for the greater {
ercentage OF Maine men who will be found i
ach year in the woods of Northern New '
.nGland and New York. {
The Hon w. II. Seward, in a letter dc.
orlblng his first interview with John Quincy a
-dams, said: "The house is very plain /
hd Old fashioned; no Turkey carpeting, a
o pier table, no pillow and claw pianos. |
cry PLAIN ingram carpeting covered the t
oor, very plain paper on the walls. L
lort' rather corpulent man of GO and up. S
ara came down the stairs and approached O
'e' lie was bald, and his countenance b
as stald, sober almost, to gloom or sorrow. h
nu hardly gave indication of his superiority C
YER other He Ia