New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-04-23
THE SWINGING AXE.
LIFE AMONG THE wOOD-CUTTERs.
IN CAMP AMONG THE TIMBERs-A FREE LIVE AM
UEAITHFrI FyrRCtaR

consider the spot referred to fair to middlnR but
the people there point the only unfete ground
among the broad. rich, voluptuous stretches OF
Grundy County, all the remainder being rich
prairie loam Nevertheless, a from the
State of Maine, who was abroad observing
men, manners and mountains, on reaching Grundy
County In his peregrnatons after taking long view OF
its green praires exclaimed: Great Kingdom how on
earth do you people manage to liver As he made the
exclamation his mind few back to vast forests of pines
their pared asles Of long, tapering brown trunks up
holding the dome of the heavens softly stretching away
la the twilight Of the carpeted woods to the mystic
affairs of silence in the distance Back to the white
hewn stumps. monuments OF the fallen monarchs that
lay beside them the echOing requiem OF the woodmans
stroke their funeral dirge-back few his thoughts
to the tlmbers OF Maine. Nor did they rest
among until they had sought out, and found to
perch upon, an-axei
To that traveller from Maine life without an axe was
being without existence. anomaly utterly beyond bis
comprehension; and Grundy County has axes. To be
sure there are choppng utensils in Grundy County, but
nothing friend would dignity by the name Of axe.
An axe, to him. sentient being; thing OF life
To him 1t meant home friends, little Ones and all the
heart holds dear; and land without trees being per
force OF circumstances land without axes this Of
the timber felt himself out OF the world and lost. One
who has lived Familiarity with choppers " can
only poorly appreciate their love and sentiments for the
instruments closely welded to tneir sinewy hands.
At incoming" in logging camp, when just after dinner
the whole crew. takes its short dolce far nee the
shantys dlvana mediumszed log by the door-one can
hear the entire time passed mortuary eulOgums
upon rusty split poled axehead, stuck like mon
ument departed usefulness In aDeighboring stump
Where IL bought who had been its owners how IL
had travelled its numerous vcissitudes how t was lost
| in the unfathomable woods for whole season, its
romantic discovery and rescue and its escapades are
subjects Of interested comment. How 1t had split
| the toe OF this incompetent cutter or
| grazed the shin OF that other, where It bad
"stuck" and the amount OF hauling that went to Its
relief; what good 1t had been its virtues OF edge
| temper. endurance and faithfulness mentioned
Legends told Of the felts had performed In the
haoyon days Of it's strength The mOnarchs Of the forest
II had laid low. and It's ultimate catastrophe and retire
ment from active life rehearsed until the rusty.
metallic listen and take on being ike
senten thing Of blood and bones and blink upon the as
sembed company with its solitary damaged eye in 30
ciable, familiar manner.
| Al through the long, hot summer the axe
| idlos about with Its hands In its peck
cts knowing what 10 do with ITSELF oang around
wood piles, azy summing itself stuck up In decayed
stunps, rambling of and getting lost the tall weeds
and long grass playing the yagabond on RATS made UP
OF its victims and growing rusty, careless and de-
ected But the quail pipes from the etubble, the
partridge drums upon his log, the redrod lights his
torch in tho swaDps the sumac burns It's watchres
on the hills, the springs forth to new life IL
cleans itself up dons fresh helye. poshes its face, and
strikes for the timbers. Before following IL II
| will be necessary to revert the man from
Maine. His expression relative 10 Grundy County's
verdant but treeless plains WIS essentially natural
| and human
THE LANDS WHICH EMIGRANTs SEEK.
Long years ago. when the only railroad running east
| aud west In Arkansas the one from Memphis 10
Little Rock land that train only semioccasion
aly). the writer took rambe from the latter town 10
cue Indian territory For days be rambled through
rich rolling farming country OF meadows and wood
lands, meeting few settlers, scattered along his
| route When. many miles west OF The Rock. he en-
tered the ozark hills instead of the uninhabted coun
fry he expected to nd to his surprise he discovered
among those rugged regions an old civilzi
! ton, that demonstrated itself In aged OF
| chards, tmestaned buildings and hardy popniatoh'
| 1.-THE and wiry wearing long hair and the wo-
men running spinnng-wheels having quaint ways ana
st,Il ouainter idIoms; people unto themselves unso-
pnscated and untrmmelled by the ways OF the great
world without whose hustle and roar never reached
their somnOlent hills These isolated settlers IN inc
Ozarks proved TO be people from eastern tennessee
who years before had their mountain Businesses and
striking westward with the Unborn instincts OF their
mountain birth passed the rich plains and valleys
Of the intervening country until tho Ozark hills offered
| them n homollke welcome. This characteristic
| of humanity will he found throughout the western
country When the Maine migrates It Is to tim
bsred lands and excepting the foreign element that has
flowed ia upon them the broad prairies OF Minnesota
Nebraska Iowa Kansas chiefly settled by people
from the plains and praires of Indiana. Ohio and ILL
pois while yirginaus and Kentucans find LONELINESS
I'm the oakopenngs and wood spotted bottom lands and
daes OF Missouri But the OF the timber land
| alone is life.
Not many years ago all the farm fences OF the West
we're OF wood millions Of feet of lumber were useu
| han Nn
But Invention not, to this date dared 10 tamper
with the axe Ii still holds It's and ia lord OF the
| woods Gang saws white dozen logs at n time
into boards; rollers. nlggers" and "jiggers SOLO,
grasp fetch aud carry with fingers of iron and muscles
of steam. The bob" truck and godevil stand lay
by and SEQ the sawogs swung upon platformears ana
whirled away TO mills miles distant The long sweep OF
Norway pine lies idle the bank, watching the coos-
sal tow boats butt whole Of lumber TO market
But the axe laughs and his inventions ana mac.
nations to scornng and its OF defiance among
| the trees, secure in It's heritage
INDUSTRY AMID SNOW AND ICE.
Az the Inidwlnter season the keen-faced Maine
stave-timbers and cypressswamps are full
| n, choppers md there they remain
until the bluo-blrd and the bud chase Them from the
WOODS, The logging crews " OF the great Northwest
nre picked up the lake cities and adjacent iumoer
toyrs during September and October and shipped i'll
squads to tho woods, frequently NUMEROUS Oh eS
These crews are made up OF "swampcrs," transfers,
a. sawyers and choppers Tho swamper Is general
utility man. helping the other ogSers In divers ways
hut more often In swapping" cutting ont logging
roads The teamsters do their work usually with oxen,
ma they are by the best animals for the woods They
haul with either "bobs" or go-devils' "here IL is
nrocticable to use hobs" from FIVE to eight logs
| are pilcd ND for load and taken to
IN, chang The goodwill which ia sled made from
he crotch OF tree and resembling the "wishbone q
n Goose Is used in swapping" or gulching' where it
| would be difficult TO handle bobs." The "sawyers
ETHER slngy or In pairs. follow after the choppers and
| epaIiy works by himself and Is paid. sometimes by
"stunpage" number OF trees cut, sometimes ny tae
fool famount timber he fes) bat generally at spcci
lied wages BY the month. good exemnn can slwadys
command from $50 to $50 per month"; and Is FOUND
Ths others make from $15 $25 per month. The men
HoT,ung in the pines gathered from nearly oil civil
lied countries with the exception OF the Latin races
naantinr the French. Canadians the Latlns have an