Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1879-08-01
Making Shingles in the Dismal
SWAMP.

AS We plunged deeper into the swamp
the trees increased in size. Here and
there black pool of water lay CLEAN.
ing sullenly. hiding, as it were, among
a thick growth of rank ferns and
venomou looking flowers. Vine
covered expresses rose high aloft, the
inevitable steamers of gray moss hang
ing motionles ly pendent. The noise of
the single cutters sounded ever more
clearly, like the rapplng of gigantic
woodpecker-" tap, tap, tap; tap. tap,
tap"-as they chopped ont the shingles,
the sound of the voices of the invisible.
workmen and an occasion burst of
laughter echoing mysteriously il the
gloomy aud otherwise unbroken soil
tude; and SO we came upon the single
center.
The workmcn had inst excava.ed a
log. the butt or root part within few
inches of the surface of the ground,
the stem at the farther end some two
or three feet below. At about twenty
feet distance from the bait Il Young
man was busy saving through the log.
His checks were hollow, his features
angular, general cad,verons look
brtokening chills and fever. The saw
had Il handle only ut one end, like the
Instrument used for cutting ice. Tue
sharp end struck deeply INTO the
ground ut every movement, but was
not dullel, because o: the entire free
dom from grit of the soil, composed as
1t Is of uecayed bark and vegetation.
We watched with interest, taking a
sketch III the mean tim 3. until the log
was sawed through. II now made IA
section about twenty feet long, and
comparatively easy to handle. The
gang, composed of half duz+n bands.
now set to work to raise 1t from its
resting place, with lo"+; levers of stout
sopilnAS, the process ar.rmp nj Il with
mauy Grunts and Ualt5. 1t wus "A
picturesque siGht-ile G.pu in their
red and blue shirts STAINING and ting
ging ut the u mt los that lay in its
long, grave-llhe c4ylt,. ~ length 1t
starts Mt one end with 1t .ucking noise
rs 1T leaves its ouZy b,u. Is ErulnlIy
raised To the surface, ,ud Is finally
rolled bodily ont ui . excavation 20
the fresh air, whore it hes like some
rewly disintcrred :iutedIluylm mon
ster, huge. black, aud shiny.
- purity good log" says one Of the
men, as he draws the sleeve of hi4
red SHIRT across his sweat .be., ted brow.
When the log Is thn1 iii,l!y raised
1t Is sawed int" sections each about two
ieet III length; these ar then split
down TO the requisite tiIichnrs5 for
shingles. The logs are ti,st uiStuytrcd
Nv Il 1
- thrust into the ground wherever u
slight nuund.like elevation hriukrns
the probable pre-ouca ot Il log or logs
beneath. Ii the point of the STAKE
strikes the hard sutitcr OF wood in
stead OF sinking easily into the inotass,
the so Is cleared away. aud Il square
loot OF the stump exposed. Tue prac
hced eye OF the shlnBle ntn can tell
at once whether the log is uSeful, the
requisites for us being straight grain
throughout, with no knots, souudnesI
aud no decay. If ii sound, good log,
1T is then uncovered, sawed through,
and raised.
When the log was completely raised,
our guide resumed his work, splitting
the sawed sections up int, shingles.
Taking scat ON one of the driest of
tho fallen logs, he took large
"chunk" up ight between his k ees.
He used broad knife blade, with II
long wooden handle, which he
placed Oh the log, driving 1t iuto
the wood with heavy hard wood
mallet such AS is used by scnlptors and
stone carvers. at ~ little distance from
hum strengthening fellow with red
shirt and patched trousers was sitting
at shingle horse, shaving the spit
slabs of wood smooth and taprring, Be,
side him lay IL pile of clean. CRISP look
Ing shavlnSs, emitting that ouor pecu
liar to w"ll-seasohed 'Sprcss. The
horse used is the ordinary coupers
horse, and needs no special de eruption.
From this p int the shingles are carried
to the road side, to be h andy Tor trans
portation.-HoWard Pyts, IN HuverS
M'gdziue.
y SINGULAR DEGGAR.- the finest
and most ircqneuted streets IN IL Ime,
every day might have been seen an
old woman, bent under the weight of
J years, clad in wretched mourning. She
wore a tuttelcd bonnet on her head, Il
thick black veil over her feat ures. and \
pair of ragged gloves on her fingers.
She never spoke, but took with kind
of growl whatever small com the pas
sengers might vuuchsafo her. That old
woman gains we've twenty francs per
liem but who was she? No one
could tell, and she never answered
questions. The other day couple of
guards laid hams on her.
aud, bnndling her into n cab. took her
to the Menlicant's Home. Que Of the
female attendants stripped her, aud
from the filthy, fctid envel-
ope of rags. emerged, Cinderella like,
A lusty yonng woman. considerably on
this side of thirty, fresh colored, fat,
and prepossessing. Her make-ap was
, marvel Of effect. Her curved spine
was arranged" with cord which
passed round her neck and WAS fastened
1t the knee. Her hump was manu-.
factured from a ball of ra =. Her
wriukled and dirty white face was
with imitation parchment.
On inquiry it was found that this
7oung woman was of good family, and