The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1881-04-15

All u0lS II xifl< KNOW tuIl Oo1fUS
are made Of sawed logs. and that logs
are trunks Of trees. Few. however.
know with what hardship and difficulty
the trees are felled. trimmed and car
ried from the woods where they grow
% the mills where they are made into
boards.
In the far West and in the wilds Of
Maine are ,scros upon acres. and miles
upon miles. OF evergreen forests. One
wooded tract in Maine is 50 vast that il
takesan army Of choppers twenty years
to cut it over BY the time il is done q
new growth has sprung up, and an in
termediate one Is large enough to cut;
50 the chopping goes on year after
year. The irst or primeval growth is
pine. That Is most valuable. After
the pine are cut. spruce and hemlock
spring up and grow.
Most of the men who live in the vicin-
ity Of the lake region work in the
woods in the winter. They camp in
tents and log huts near the tracts where
they are telling trees. All day long.
day after day, week after week. they
chop down such trees as are large
enough to cut, lop OF the branches and
haul the logs = the nearest water. This
work. is done in winter because the logs
are more easily managed over snow
and ice. All brooks large enough to
carry them. all rivers. ponds and lakes
are pressed into service and made TO
convey the ponderous freight towards
civilization. All along the shores and
in the woods are busy scenes-men.
oxen and horses hard 1t work, the
smoke from the logging camps curling
among the trees.
Every log has the initial or mark Of
the owner chopped deep into the wood
to identify il. Then, when the ice
breaks up, the logs are sent down the
brooks TO the rivers and through the
rivers TO the lakes. The logging camps
are d~isbanded, the loggers return 10
their homes. and the river-driyers alone
are left 70 begin their duties.
The river-drivers are the men who
travel with the logs from the beginning
cd 70 the saw-mills- Zach wears shoes
the soles Of which are thickly studded
with iron brads an inch long; and each
carries along pole calleda .spick- POLE"
which has Q strong sharp-pointed iron
spike IN the end. This they drive into
the wood. and il supports and steadies
them as they spring from log 10 log.
Their first duty is 10 collect 1.-THE
drive The logs which form "the
drive are packed together and held IN
place BY a chain Of ~guard-Iogs which
stretches entirely around the drive,
forming what is called 1.-THE BOOM
The guard-logs are chained together At
the ends about two feet apart. The
guard is always much larger than the
boom Of logs. SO that the shape Of the
boom may be changed for wide or mar
row waters.
And the head Of each boom i . raft
which supports two large windlasses.
each Of which works an anchor. On
this head-raft about thirty river-drivers
take up their position TO direct the
course Of the boom.
To change is position or shape, ten
Of the drivers spring into q boat or
bateau; y takes . paddle a. the bow;
eight take oars; and one. at the stern,
holds the anchor. They row with quick
strokes toward the spot where the
anchor is 20 be dropped. the cable all
the time running from the windlass.
LET go!' shouts the foreman.
Splash! goes the anchor overheard.
The boat then darts back 10 the head
works. Out spring the men 70 help
turn the windlass % wind the cable in.
They sing as they work. and the wind
lass creaXs . monotonous accompani-
ment As Meet me BY moonlight" or