The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1878-03-21

In gold and Jewels sometimes set;
Though often wrought IN costly mold,
I'm sometimes for a trife sold.
Adjoining many a fair one seen,
The simple maiden and the queen,
Pm issued, too, by her command
And some receive me from her hand.
While thus so costly l am seen,
have the source OF torture BEEN,
And have my place in Church and State,
As well as at a ball or Jefe.
many different figures make,
And many varied aspects take;
Yet still my form appears the same.
To some a spell lives in my name;
And yet 1 would not like to see
One that I love becoming me.
Answer next week.
A BRAVE BoY.-The gnarled old
spruce which leans out over the stream
at the foot of the lake still bears the
pitchy letters IN. g." cut in it with an
ak nine years ago last spring.
Nat Confer was as brave a lad as ever
worked in the numbering region; not
yet seventeen, but an expert waterman
and "driver," always on hand for his
duty, quick-sighted and careful, yet
dexterous and at night, the life and soul
of the tired camp, with his CHEEKY
laugh and ever-ready song.
We could trust anything to Nat;
whether it was a refractory team, or a
broken raft of lumber, he would fetch
it out right somehow. His quick eye
had repeatedly saved men working with
him from injury, and once or twice from
drowning. But most likely that old
spruce is the only tombstone that he
will ever have.
We had been "warping" a raft of
logs down the lake that night; for the
nights in May are generally less windy
than the days, and "warping," or
blooming" is best done on calm water.
When, in getting lumber down to the
saw-mills, it becomes necessary to cross
a lake, or any expanse of dead" water,
the logs, many hundreds in number, are
first inclosed within a "boom," or
Gordon" consisting of long logs con-
nected at the ends by huge, movable
pines, termed "through-shots."
Ahead of this great raft, often cover
ing a number of acres, is hitched a
"foat," built of very large, buoyant
logs, and generally made twenty-four
feet in length by about twelve in width.
Upon this float is set up an upright
capstan, pierced for eight levers, or
"bars."
This float, with its capstan, is COM
monty called Z" the head-works." To
the whim, or 4" roll" of the capstan is
bent one end of a heavy warp, generally
a four-inch line, eight hundred feet long,
10 the other end of which is attached an
anchor, of about the size of those car.
ried by small schooners.
The anchor is first carried forward on
the lake in a batteau, eight hundred
feet in advance of the head-works, and
dropped. The men at the capstanbars
then commence winding. The. anchor
holds fast to the earth at the bottom Of
the lake, and thus the heavy raft of logs
is wound UP to the place where it has
fastened itself.
The anchor is then taken up, and
again carried forward in the boat to the
end of the warp, and dropped as before
The process of winding up is then re
commenced, and so on, mile after mile
1t is tedious work, particularly by
night, when much of it has to be done
On the head-works are commonly eigh'
men besides the "boss," one to each bar
and if the raft be very heavy, the bar
have to be "double-manned." Some
times, too, a relief-party is carried.
Steam-tugs are beginning to be EN-
ployed on the large lakes for " warp
ing" but in the old days no better wa.
was known than the one / have de
scribed.
We had been "winding" all the latte
part of the night, and got the raft dow
to. the great dam at the foot of the lax
about dine o'clock in the morning. Thi
dam was a strong structure of stone ant
logs, about a hundred feet long, and hav
ing a cliff" of thirteen feet; that is t.
say, it raised the water in the lake tina
number of feet above its natural level
In it were three ponderous gates, tn
center one being the widest and havin!
a driveway" through which to rul
the lumber into the river below.
Up TO this time the gates had bee,
kept shut. The lake was full of water
We wound the raft down within about
hundred feet of the dam, then carrie
the anchor end of the warp ashore, an
made it fast to a tree, thus securing tn
head-works from being sucked into tn
fumes when the gates were raised.
Six of the men, with Ben Murch, til
foreman, then went on to the dam I
hoist the center gate. These gates wei
immensely strong and heavy, bein
built of hewn timber. Though made
! play free in their grooves, the gre,
, pressure of the water when hig
+ rendered them hard to lift, and for tn
purpose a "hoisting machiue," consis
| ing of strong levers working on co
/. wheels, had been provided.
: The roar of the out-rushing flood
| once drowned every other noise.
volume of water thirteen feet in heigl
by ten in width was pouring throug
t the driveway, and plunging down ov
. the log "apron" of the dam into tt
|, deep pool below. The whole dam shoe
= and the high, wooded banks on ea'
+ side resounded to the heavy roar Of Il
water.
n The order was then given TO ms
: the BOOM" In a minute the men we
! ! skipping about the raft on the foatil
h logs. The boom was opened, to let Il
logs run out and 60 through the fun
we had now only to keep the 10
floating out steadily, six o. eight
once. But to do this required a 60,
! deal of "poling" and moving about t
boom, for the lumber must needs 60 in
the fume end foremost.
y There was a young man in the ga
h named Alph Merrill. This was his fiji
years work handling lumber in t
Q . water. He did well for a beginner, b
! to drive lumber in deep OIL rapid wat
i, requires practice. The logs on viii
the men stood were all drawn by t
ct current towards the throat of the boo
ID Young Merrill, while watching Sol
le of the others, stood a moment too 10
n on one log-till it foated off from
N rest too far for him to jump to them,
Sc back to the boom.
An old driver, using his handspi
for a paddle, would have steered the
to the boom. Alph tried to do this,
IA the logs began to roll under him.
ID save himself from rolling of, he dropI
i, h astride it; but in so doing, he lost
handspike, which, being iron-point'