Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1879-08-08

l.oGGIEG On THe unEsEpTICUT. The III
habtants Of the Connecticut river valley are
busy watching the many logs as they go
floating down, and the log dryers, as they
perform their perilous laborS, are watched
with special interest. Near the source Of
the Connecticut river, near Pttsburg, n. H.,
are three lakes which are called First, Sec
ond and Third lakes, from which the Con-
pectcut river starts MS small brook. The
Connecticut River Lumber Company of
Hartford, Conn. own the nr,t two and part
of the third lake and 1870 900 acres of timber
land in the immediate vicinity In the
Winter 500 men are busy plying the axe, the
lngs being drawn TO where they are started
on their iqng journey and piled on th9 ice, so
that when Spring and the suns rays release
them they go floating down. Then come the
drivers. whose work places their lives in
peril, and who now are stationed all along
the river The drive started with fifty mil
lion feet of logs. Nine million feet were
left al McIndoes Falls; three million feet
are to be left at Turner'S Falls, and one
milliou feet ut Bellows Falls. so lha, nov the
Univ IOuslSlS W ibOll lHllAl -HNC
feet.
The logs were started about the first Of
MAJ, and the spring freshets caused such
high water that many of them were LETT high
and dry some distance away from the main
channel of the river The force of log dri-
vers consists of two hundred men, seventeen
horses and thirty five boats being used. The
men live camp life, using tents for shelter.
The horses also have stables made of tents
They are transported from place to place,
the men and baggage going in the boats, the
horses on RATS. 1t is said the horses enjoy
the excitement OF u sail down stream as well
US the men. The men are divided into gangs
each gang having a foreman. 1t is generally
supposed that they are mostly Frenchmen
but this is not 80 nearly all latiaaalities are
represented. To be good log driver,
presence Of Mind quick judgment
and TO know how To take advantage
of danger are absolutely necessary. The
men must also be temperate, rs accidents are
often caused by intemperance. The men
have spikes in their boots. also long pole,
in the end of which is a spike. A man will
ride single log, balanfing himself rs easy,
seemingly, with the pole as one would in
the boat. The great danger comes from the
jam. Logs will pile all ways into a
chasm, every log that comes along adding To
the number. Generally one or two are the
keys that prevent the rest from starting
These have to he cut out with an AK. The jam
starts, and the man, if Ae cannot get ashore,
must take his chance with some log, which,
if he is cool and avoids rocks, will come out
all right. Only two men have been killed
thus far this SEASON. The logs are
mostly spruce, and it takrs about seven thou
sand logs to million feet, 81 the number
can be easily calculated Each log is marked
with an AK in such Il manner that the owner
eau tell his logs it found miles distant from
the river Some logs are no doubt lost, but
moi many. They are taken out at Holyoke
and sawed, the lumber being shipped all over
New England. There is now jam near
Norwich, Vt, which causes considerable
trouble, and the drivers at Bellows Fall are
attracting many spectators. 1t is said the
lumber is improved by the soaking it re-
lpIyp,