Northern tribune. [volume] (Cheboygan, Mich.) 1875-1885, 1880-12-11
Supplies of a Lumber Camp.

A large number of our readers have
probably but little idea of the amount of
provisions consumed in lumber camp.
In general way they can realize that
small army of healthy, hard-working
men will enjoy good appetites, but be-
yond this fact, they fail to appreciate the
extent of the ravages of a crew of men
will make in the provision stores. We
had and an opportunity day or two
since, toinspect the memoranda of the,
buyer for one of our largest lumber
firms, which cOntemplates the cutting of
100000 feet of saw logs during the
coming winter, and we present our read
ers with portion of the list, from which
they may draw some deductions as to the
preliminary preparations and provision
ing expenses attending such an amount
of numbering. AS remarked, the firm
will get out 100000 feet of logs, and
will employ about 400 men. These will
consume, during the winter, 400 barrels
of pork; 250 barrels beef; 1000 barrels
of flour; so barrels of meal; 80 barrels of
beans; so barrels of dried apples; 20
barrels of syrup--best; "a half chests of
tea. The animal force and their prOvis-
iOning will be about as follows: 120
horses, average value $3.50, 19 yoke of
cattle, requiring 800 tons of hay, 10000
bushels of oats, 5000 bushels of corn.
The 800 tons of hay is the portion which
is to be bought of farmers and others,
and is in addition to from 100 to 200 tons
of prairie hay, which is cut on the
marshes near camp, and is used for bed
ding the horses and cattle, in addition
to its use as fodder, but is not thought
worthy to be named among the items Of
greater expense.
Of course, the list given above does not
include all and hardly fair number of
all the vast array of articles which go to
make up the list of camp supplies; the
1000 bushels of potatoes and other vege-
tables, the rice, corn meal, raisin, pep
per, salt, mustard, vinegar, sugar, and a
thousand other indispensable adjunctS
to we'll regulated boarding house for a
lumber camp, is as rule better supplied
than city boarding house. 1t does not
include tons of tobacco, without which
it would be impossible to run lumber
camp, or the two pair of blankets or
their equivalent, which each man must
be supplied with, 1t does not include
the tons upon tons of clothing, boots,
under garments, patent medicines and
other things, which. with tobacco, must
be supplied to the men, at their own cost,
to be sure, but supplied by the proprie-
tor, nevertheless, and charged in their
wages. 1t does not include the 800 to
1000 axes which will be demanded
through the winter, the crOss-cut saws,
of which probably $50 will be wanted.
the horse shoes, iron and tools for the
blacksmith shop, or the carpenters tools
for the work which will be requisite in
building and repairing sleighs and drays,
or the 100 or more sets of logging sleighs,
with tons of logging chain, nor hardly a
tithe of the innumerable articles which
will be needed for the kitchen, the table,
the beds, the barns, or the woods. Still,
we get slight idea of the fact that it
takes barrel of pork to each man, or
about 10 barrels to each million feet of
logs, equal to $4,000 barrels in supply
ing the wants of the army of men who
will get out 5.OOO,0O0O00 feet of pine
this winter in Michigan, Wisconsin and
Minnesota Northwestern Lumbefnaan.
The board of state canvassers cOmplet-
ed the canvass on members of Congress
last Tuesday. The official count of this
district is given as follows: Roswell G.